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<blockquote data-quote="eamon" data-source="post: 4950626" data-attributes="member: 51942">There's two things at play here:<ol>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">It's nice to avoid interfering with PC builds.&nbsp; It's a lot more fun to build a PC if you don't have to second guess whether the DM is going to subtly nerf you by not giving you the items your build needs.&nbsp; It also saves the DM time - and, for that matter, makes DM-ing a little more exciting, just because you don't always know exactly what your PC's are going to do.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">Giving the PC's free reign requires a bit of trust, and group cooperation.&nbsp; This druid is definitely not game-breaking - unless your game involves PCs built to an entirely different standard.&nbsp; If that's the case, your problem isn't the power-level of the druid, it's group balance.&nbsp; That can happen - but if that's an issue, it may be easier to address that head-on, rather than on an ultra-specific level. It shouldn't matter whether someone builds a striker with a controller class, what matters is that everyone in the group is playing the same game.</li>
</ol>Really, this is one of the overwhelming strengths of 4e: even the unbalanced stuff tends not to be game-breaking.&nbsp; In 3e, it was trivial to build cheese that would disrupt the game (even accidentally!) - in 4e, particularly in heroic tier, that's really very unlikely.&nbsp; Iron Armbands &amp; Reckless weapons are perhaps imbalanced items, which I'd nerf or ban.&nbsp; But I play in a game where the DM permits them - and although they make the game a little less fun (simply by reducing diversity), they don't cause any real problems.&nbsp; Some players don't have such items, and the game rolls on just fine.So, I'd say, let the druid build his PC the way he wants to - and if balance problems arise, focus attention as much as possible not on specific build choices, but on overall power level.&nbsp; If optimization is his shtik, direct it in a direction that everyone can enjoy; generally, a leader is often a good role for such players to fill (really, any support role where they shine by letting others shine).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="eamon, post: 4950626, member: 51942"] There's two things at play here: [LIST=1] [*]It's nice to avoid interfering with PC builds. It's a lot more fun to build a PC if you don't have to second guess whether the DM is going to subtly nerf you by not giving you the items your build needs. It also saves the DM time - and, for that matter, makes DM-ing a little more exciting, just because you [I]don't[/I] always know [I]exactly[/I] what your PC's are going to do. [*]Giving the PC's free reign requires a bit of trust, and group cooperation. This druid is [I]definitely[/I] not game-breaking - unless your game involves PCs built to an entirely different standard. If that's the case, your problem isn't the power-level of the druid, it's group balance. That can happen - but if that's an issue, it may be easier to address that head-on, rather than on an ultra-specific level. It shouldn't matter whether someone builds a striker with a controller class, what matters is that everyone in the group is playing the same game. [/LIST] Really, this is one of the overwhelming strengths of 4e: even the unbalanced stuff tends not to be game-breaking. In 3e, it was trivial to build cheese that would disrupt the game (even accidentally!) - in 4e, particularly in heroic tier, that's really [I]very[/I] unlikely. Iron Armbands & Reckless weapons are perhaps imbalanced items, which I'd nerf or ban. But I play in a game where the DM permits them - and although they make the game a little less fun (simply by reducing diversity), they don't cause any real problems. Some players don't have such items, and the game rolls on just fine. So, I'd say, let the druid build his PC the way he wants to - and if balance problems arise, focus attention as much as possible not on specific build choices, but on overall power level. If optimization is his shtik, direct it in a direction that everyone can enjoy; generally, a leader is often a good role for such players to fill (really, any support role where they shine by letting others shine). [/QUOTE]

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