StreamOfTheSky
Adventurer
This is theoretically a core-only game. 
D&D 3E/3.5 3.5: Spells and items to look out for?
- Thread starter Votan
- Start date
In core only watch out for anything that:
A) gives the player extra turns, either directly or through giving them other creatures/characters to control. Examples include: summoning, gate, timestop, dominate, animate dead, leadership, animal companion, wild shape.
B) lets a player go dumpster diving in the monster manual. Example Include: Planar Binding, Planar Ally, Animate Dead, Shapechange, Polymorph, Gate, animal companion, wild shape.
C) bypasses or defeats encounters or plot elements by themselves. Examples include: fly, teleport, scry, divination in general, force cage.
D) Lets one character replace the utility of another. Examples include: knock, detect traps/secret doors, invisibility, divine power, polymorph, shapechange.
E) Be aware of prepared spellcasters with large pools of spells to draw from. Keep in mind that a cleric or druid, for instance, can memorize any spell from their entire list on any given day, allowing them to completely change what they are capable of from day to day, and meaning that they're almost guaranteed to have access to abilities you never considered, even in a core only game.
F) Be aware that core does not mean balanced. A Beguiler or Warmage or Warlock or Favored Soul is far less powerful, and far less difficult to design adventures for, then any core only wizard past level 5 or so, or than a cleric or druid at any level. And yes, a swordsage is stronger then a monk, a warblade stronger then a fighter, and a crusader stronger then a paladin, flat out. But even so, those characters still don't compare to core only clerics and druids and wizards.
The point is, even if you restrict things to core, you're still going to have to do a lot of work to keep an eye on balance and make sure the non-casters are able to contribute past 5th level.
A) gives the player extra turns, either directly or through giving them other creatures/characters to control. Examples include: summoning, gate, timestop, dominate, animate dead, leadership, animal companion, wild shape.
B) lets a player go dumpster diving in the monster manual. Example Include: Planar Binding, Planar Ally, Animate Dead, Shapechange, Polymorph, Gate, animal companion, wild shape.
C) bypasses or defeats encounters or plot elements by themselves. Examples include: fly, teleport, scry, divination in general, force cage.
D) Lets one character replace the utility of another. Examples include: knock, detect traps/secret doors, invisibility, divine power, polymorph, shapechange.
E) Be aware of prepared spellcasters with large pools of spells to draw from. Keep in mind that a cleric or druid, for instance, can memorize any spell from their entire list on any given day, allowing them to completely change what they are capable of from day to day, and meaning that they're almost guaranteed to have access to abilities you never considered, even in a core only game.
F) Be aware that core does not mean balanced. A Beguiler or Warmage or Warlock or Favored Soul is far less powerful, and far less difficult to design adventures for, then any core only wizard past level 5 or so, or than a cleric or druid at any level. And yes, a swordsage is stronger then a monk, a warblade stronger then a fighter, and a crusader stronger then a paladin, flat out. But even so, those characters still don't compare to core only clerics and druids and wizards.
The point is, even if you restrict things to core, you're still going to have to do a lot of work to keep an eye on balance and make sure the non-casters are able to contribute past 5th level.
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