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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MaxKaladin" data-source="post: 2532735" data-attributes="member: 1196">A couple of things I see as having given players more power, or at least the expectation of more power, are magic item creation and wizard spells.  In previous editions, magic item creation was a rare thing that the DM had to make up rules for and he could make them as tough as he wanted requiring all sorts of rare materials to accomplish -- and if the DM didn't want the players getting whatever item they were trying to make, he could make it a huge pain.  Currently, item creation is all spelled out and requires none of that.  The player expects it to work just by spending the money and XP and that's that.  Furthermore, if you try to change it and make it harder to do, the players cry foul.  It takes a fair bit of the DM's control over magic items in the game away, especially since making items so easily allows players to more easily assemble "killer combos" than it was when the DM was pretty much the sole source of items.  Yes, the DM can just Rule 0 it, but now he has to argue against a mindset that's been established that these things should be easy and look like the bad guy for doing it rather than simply be the DM making a call in the absence of any other rules.  That's an example of the shift in power.  A similar situation exists with wizard spells now that they get to pick free spells every level.  It used to be that wizards had to rely on captured spell books and scrolls found in treasure hordes to get new spells and the DM could strictly control what the PCs had but now there is the expectation that the player will be able to pick spells each level and that the DM can't keep him from getting spells he doesn't want the PCs to have for whatever reason without, again, using Rule 0 and looking like the bad guy doing it.  In a nutshell, the DM in earlier editions had a lot more room to subtly guide the game by influencing things like this, but now players have been given control over them and it makes it harder for the DM to do.  Certainly the ability to change the rules still exists, but now the DM is often in the position of putting limits on existing rules instead of making a judgement call and it just looks worse and causes more arguments and resentment when that's the case.  I suppose some will say that I'm supposed to let the players do all these things that are in the rules and adapt.  I say this is a prime example of the shift in mindset.  In previous editions, it was the DMs world that he controlled to make a good game -- not to "screw" people, though that happened -- and the players adapted.  That was part of the challenge of role-playing.</blockquote>

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