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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Thaedrus" data-source="post: 3656626" data-attributes="member: 51694">Space for extras in a build.The funny thing about level caps for power gamers is that low level verses high does not matter. A real optimizer can take advantage of any level. I am not talking about twist the rules til they break munchkinism. I am talking about making characters that fit a concept that are built to best take advantage of the resources of character building. From this standpoint, a level cap is just another rule for character building.When creating a character under a level cap, odd verses even level caps and how much room one has to fill with non-core-character-concept stuff one has is most important.As an example, lets propose I want to creat a melee/caster gish type character. An even level cap means that for non-sorcerors, you have one extra level free to choose another class besides your caster and still get the highest spell level possible. For a level cap of 6, a wizard 5/Fighter 1 still gets 3rd level spells. With the extra spell slot feats, having access to 3rd level spells is more important than how many you get from you classes alone. For an odd level cap, there is no room. Any classes outside your core caster class denies you the ability to cast the highest level of spell.For the ardent psionic class this is not true. Ardents can learn powers of any level, as long as their manifestor level allows them to pay the power point requirrement. This means that with Practiced Manifestor, ardents have four extra levels free for classes that aren't ardent. For even caps that is five levels total. This means that the lower the cap, the more important practiced manifestor becomes. The fighter has similar constraints with regard to fighter only feats. A cap at level 6 means that a fighter has two levels for other classes. Any more and he loses access to weapon specialization.Martial adept classes are a little different. Similar to spellcasters, they do not want to lose access to their highest level manouvers. The difference is that their levels in other classes count as half a level for determining highest level of manouver learnable. For even level caps, that means that they have two free levels. Warblades are an interesting case because half of their warblade levels stack with their fighter levels for determining effective fighter level for fighter only feats. For example, a swordsage can take two levels in fighter and still get the highest level of manouver available. A fighter 2/ swordsage 4 gets 3rd level manouvers. A fighter 2/ warblade 4 gets 3rd level manouvers and has access to weapon specialization.Combining casters, martial adepts, and non-casters becomes an exercise in balance. Lower level caps mean that classes become less defined. A dip of only a couple of levels doesn't hurt much, and can give access to abilities that are closer to the most powerful abilities of that class than a small dip when the level cap is higher. Raising the cap a little can provide more class definition. The level cap not only defines the upper level of power, but it also plants the center along the versatility/class-definition continuum. Adding gestalt to the mix only potentiates this phenomenon. With two class levels to take at every character level, it is easier to conserve those higher level ablilties and still have spots open for other classes. The Ardent1/Swordsage4/Barbarian1//Fighter2/warblade4 can get 3rd level powers, weapon specialization, 3rd level swordsage manouvers, 3rd level warblade manouvers, and has rage. Quite an accomplished character. And with virtually unlimited feats after the level cap in E6 rules, many secondary abilities can be tacked on afterwards.Odd level caps prevents a great deal of this. An odd level cap makes players decide if the want versatility or specilized power. It becomes much harder to create the I-have-all-the-classes characters because then the character would be watered down in their highest atainable abilities. Chooseing a level cap is an important consideration for a DM. With the tendencies of power gamers, DMs may want to consider not only the absoulute power level the want in their game, but how much dipping into other classes they want their players to do. The level cap has consequences for both.</blockquote>

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