D&D 5E What is balance to you, and why do you care (or don't)?

[GMforPowergamers]

why don't you rein them in via houserule? It's hella easy: just say they can't (and that no arcane caster can) cast spells while in armour. Boom - now they have to choose before each combat whether they want to act as a caster or a warrior - can't do both at once.

because it is easier to ignore fighters and monks and let players run all caster parties
OR
house rule a bunch of things and run a no caster party.

 

[Krachek]

I don’t see why a DM should suffer from balance issue.

MC can be avoid. It’s a variant rule, so DM should not be shy to avoid them.
Simply avoid MC for paladin, warlock, sorcerer and bard, Is a smoother way.

Some feats can be avoid too. it’s also a variant rule. So banning some feats should not cause moral problems.

Book other than PHB are also presented as variant rules. Twilight cleric, hexblade warlock,
can simply be not allowed.

For setting atmosphere or balance issue a DM should take the path to remove access to some spells. Raise dead, revivify, teleport, and for combat issue, wall of force, force cage, simulacre. Problematic spells are well known by now.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I don’t see why a DM should suffer from balance issue.

MC can be avoid. It’s a variant rule, so DM should not be shy to avoid them.
Simply avoid MC for paladin, warlock, sorcerer and bard, Is a smoother way.

Some feats can be avoid too. it’s also a variant rule. So banning some feats should not cause moral problems.

Book other than PHB are also presented as variant rules. Twilight cleric, hexblade warlock,
can simply be not allowed.

For setting atmosphere or balance issue a DM should take the path to remove access to some spells. Raise dead, revivify, teleport, and for combat issue, wall of force, force cage, simulacre. Problematic spells are well known by now.

yes as a DM I can go through and ban or restrict anything AND i can homebrew anything (and we as a group do all the time) but I am still here asking that we minimize how much we need to.

I can also buy a broken down 20 year old car and rebuild it (Okay, I can't my dad or half brother could) but that doesn't mean if I buy a brand new off the lot car I should have to rebuild it.

 

[Undrave]

because it is easier to ignore fighters and monks and let players run all caster parties

5e design philosophy in a nutshell it seems...

I don’t see why a DM should suffer from balance issue.

MC can be avoid. It’s a variant rule, so DM should not be shy to avoid them.
Simply avoid MC for paladin, warlock, sorcerer and bard, Is a smoother way.

Some feats can be avoid too. it’s also a variant rule. So banning some feats should not cause moral problems.

Book other than PHB are also presented as variant rules. Twilight cleric, hexblade warlock,
can simply be not allowed.

For setting atmosphere or balance issue a DM should take the path to remove access to some spells. Raise dead, revivify, teleport, and for combat issue, wall of force, force cage, simulacre. Problematic spells are well known by now.

DMs shouldn't have to do that stuff for balance! DMs shouldn't need to micromanage every single level of advancement from their PC 'oh no don't take that spell, I don't allow that feat, and you can't choose that subclass in the book you bought because I don't trust it...'. DMs already have enough work to do running the world, they don't need to run the character generation game of their players too.

Banning spells and stuff for atmosphere? Sure! But for balance reason? Then that means the game is unbalanced. Or you're running these things wrong

 

[GMforPowergamers]

DMs shouldn't have to do that stuff for balance! DMs shouldn't need to micromanage every single level of advancement from their PC 'oh no don't take that spell, I don't allow that feat, and you can't choose that subclass in the book you bought because I don't trust it...'. DMs already have enough work to do running the world, they don't need to run the character generation game of their players too.

Banning spells and stuff for atmosphere? Sure! But for balance reason? Then that means the game is unbalanced. Or you're running these things wrong

4e is my favorite edition and in my opinion the best yet. By most people (even most that hated it) standards it was the most balanced. I still had to ask someone to respek there character. It is going to happen.

HOWEVER there is a huge diffrence between (These 2 feats mixed with these 3 spell/powers lead to a huge power increase) and (fighters are just multi teirs of usefulness less then full casters in every way but damage and even an unoptimized full caster can do 50%-70% of the damage of non optimized fighters...but no fighter no matter how optimized can come close to the utility of a 5th level spell even at level 20)

 

[Maxperson]

Why would slow healing mean the mounters take the dodge action? They're still only going to exist for that one combat. It's not like they're going to be punished with a boring convalescence period if they take too much damage.

The mounters have no idea that is true. Up until then, they've taken wounds and had to heal slowly, but survived. Now they are facing PCs and have no idea that this is their last day on the planet.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

The mounters have no idea that is true. Up until then, they've taken wounds and had to heal slowly, but survived. Now they are facing PCs and have no idea that this is their last day on the planet.

the PCs are the bad guys in slasher/horror movies... they kill everything dead

 

[Maxperson]

the PCs are the bad guys in slasher/horror movies... they kill everything dead

Now my next Fighter will be named Jaysun and have a bunch of holes in the face of his white helmet.

 

[Krachek]

yes as a DM I can go through and ban or restrict anything AND i can homebrew anything (and we as a group do all the time) but I am still here asking that we minimize how much we need to.

I can also buy a broken down 20 year old car and rebuild it (Okay, I can't my dad or half brother could) but that doesn't mean if I buy a brand new off the lot car I should have to rebuild it.

I state a minimum effort, valuable gain strategy.

speaking of car, DnD is a bit of a sport car, a family car, a SUV, a camping car and even a scooter to go for shopping, so to answer sharp balance expectation you will need to go under to hood.

for balance issue just look at the game you actually have in hands, the game propose rolling to create ability scores, right from there, if you have balance concern, you will make your first house rule.

 

[Maxperson]

not only... but ingeneral we start at 3rd and we HAVE (once maybe twice) made it to 20+epic boons, on average most games end between 13 and 16 (some as early as 7th though... or lower if TPK happens)

My group also starts at level 3, usually. Once we started at 1 because DM reasons, and once I started them at 5th for DM reasons, but the rest of the time it's 3rd. We also tend to play into the mid to high teens, sometimes hitting that 20+.