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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dellamon" data-source="post: 5780984" data-attributes="member: 6675987">I've primarily just lurked on the forums the past few years, but now that the new edition has been officially announced I wanted to discuss something that bothered me with 4E (and to some extent 3.5).  What is the obsession with class balance?  Why should a magic-user and fighter or rouge and cleric all be comparable in power at the same levels?  Isn't balance a subjective quality that can shift based on play conditions? I think one of the things that did the most damage to class balance was putting all classes on the same xp progression table (I think this occurred in 3E).  Granted, the XP progression in AD&D was a bit wonky, but I think they were on the right track in some regards.  It makes sense that a fighter or rouge class would progress more quickly than a magic using class.  If you make the progression ratio 1.25:1 (or something like that), you have suddenly balanced out the tables a bit, especially when you consider the challenges most magic-using classes face with survivability in the early levels.  True, once a magic using class reaches higher levels, they are very powerful.  But should they not be?  The god-like wizard, sorceress, or priest that is a force in the world for good or evil is a staple of classic fantasy.  I think 4E magic using classes lost that mystique by trying to force balance through the rule set rather than putting that in the hands of the DM. And if you think about it, there was additional balance built into AD&D that a lot of people just chose to ignore (it was too hard to use, slowed game play, etc.).  That balance was in the form of weapon speed factors and dynamic initiative.  It was completely plausible that a 5th level fighter could defeat a 10th level magic-user if they got the jump on them and had a little luck with the dice (and the 10th level magic-user is not a Monty Haulizard).  Could you say the same for a 5th level magic-user taking out a 10th level fighter, even if they got a jump on them?  I think the later is a lot less likely.  I fully understand that we all want to be special flowers at the table with our characters, but should that not be more about character development and roleplaying than stat blocks?  You can make your 1st level rouge just as interesting and fun as a 20th level sorceress with the power to level mountains. The rules should not try to force that, but rather compliment play to make sure you have fun regardless which class you try to play instead of sit around comparing die sizes all evening.</blockquote>

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