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In defense of the 3e designers, the 3.0 PHB was probably the best play tested and best balanced RPG book in the history of the industry up to that point. By a country mile. I am not kidding. 3.5 was a marginal improvement in a number of areas, even if it did not go far enough in some. IMHO...

Right. I generally agree that being truly balanced is not necessary, even if it were easily accomplished. Of course, it is not easy at all, unless you allow things to become dull. But the next best thing is to have clear areas of expertise. Decide that spellcasters are going be best at...

3e magic is highly reliable relative to 1e/2e, because "DCs" were very flat across levels. At the levels you had access to very powerful magic everyone can make their save 75+% of the time. We laugh at 3e transmuters who try to polymorph fire giants, but life was usually like that back in the...

Yes, lower than standard wealth favors spellcasters. In a party with reasonable teamwork, one will usually see the Wiz and Cleric trying to make up some of the difference with more buffs to the meatshields. The bigger disparity is within melee builds. For melee-centric characters having a...

The ability to find the optimal position to unleash the breath weapon (or other special ability or spell) then reposition for defense is very powerful. So powerful that it may well be worth sucking up the AoOs when one lacks Improved Flyby Attack.

The concept of dispelling a single spell aura that happens to be distributed on multiple targets seems reasonable. However it is not a possibility explicitly supported by the wording of Dispel Magic. We have the concept mentioned here, but actual mechanics speak of a creature or an object. I...

Improved FA also has Dodge and Mobility as prereqs. Pretty hefty.

It would be a bizarre extreme for a party to not have access to Resist Energy through a wand, or the equivalent. Save those pennies. But really, that is only useful against things like dragons, because the energy type can easily be anticipated with proper preparation. Does practically nothing...

The difference is that things that happen to you outside of combat usually occur on your movement, when it might be argued you are in a status that is the moral equivalent of on your initiative. We are on fuzzy ground here. My vote would be that specific text of the spell overrides the general...

Well, it depends on the specifics. What are your stengths, what are your weaknesses, and which of the two do you want to address? I am playing a 12th level balanced concept single-classed Paladin who happens to have the Extra Smiting feat already. I am going to pick up Awesome Strike as my...

I certainly never said that. But I can understand, given how vague and abstract some parts of my argument were, why you might jump to such a conclusion. Let me clarify. What I actually said was "at an abstract level Defender and Controller serve the same purpose". "Serve the same purpose"...

You may be right, but then the interesting question is why... Is it because none of the existing classes develop the Anti-Leader concept enough to stand on its own, i.e. two Wizards is just doubling down on an unfocused & mediocre tactic? Is it because the Defender is truly a distinct role...

A different conceptual framework... I think that one could argue that at an abstract level Defender and Controller serve the same purpose: an Anti-Leader that prevents the other team from utilizing their optimal tactics. So there are three fundamental roles: Striker -- Focused on dishing out...

I think you are touching the heart of the problem here. The special mark abilities are means to allow a Tank to help the party in ways that do not necessarily involve being attacked. These are necessary because being Tank is not always useful to the party.

In the context of this discussion, if there is no Defender then the combatant presumably should attack the Striker, if possible. This would hold true regardless of what we substituted. Having a second of something else instead of a Defender in the party leads us in the same direction...

I am impressed, Drakona.

The paradox arises because of two assumptions: (1) Combatants can accurately assess who is the optimal target. (2) Combatants are likely to have the opportunity to choose to attack the optimal target. If true, these assumptions imply two things: (A) Avoid being predictable and boring. Ideally...

That sounds like an argument for chucking attribute scores entirely. 4e did not roast enough sacred cows, eh? ;)

What is good for the goose is good for the gander... Keep in mind that the PCs will want to rain down AoEs and other ranged attacks into the depths as well. Is there any rule that arrows cannot pierce that water, for example? As a DM, you will need to decide whether water serves as a...

I would think a Defender would get a lot of mileage out of boosts to the defense, and concentrating on Cha seems viable. Is it that bad?