D&D General DM Says No Powergaming?

[Zardnaar]

Hypothetical here DM says that.

It's kinda clear what they mean what's not clear is where they draw the line.

For me I don't ban it atm only banned things are any race that flies and the Twilight cleric. Shepard druid might join that list.

In session 0 I do say Powergaming is not required. If you watch tier lists I prefer you don't use F or S tier stuff just don't abuse it.

I have vetoed one player with rolled stats and wanted a paladin/hexblade (with natural 20 stats).

So yeah if I see a Gloomstalker ranger rock on up with sharpshooter and wood elf I can more or less guess what's gonna happen but there's other ways to deal with it.

 

[overgeeked]

I detest power gaming. 5E is already easy mode. There’s no point in making it even easier. I outright ban multiclassing as it’s the biggest offender. A few subclasses and feats are also banned. I get the whole power fantasy angle, but it very quickly devolves into an adversarial player who has to be the best and always win. There’s a lot of overlap with players who tell others how to build their characters and tell others how to play. If me saying no to power gaming keeps all that out (always does), then I count that as a huge win.

 

[Zardnaar]

I detest power gaming. 5E is already easy mode. There’s no point in making it even easier. I outright ban multiclassing as it’s the biggest offender. A few subclasses and feats are also banned. I get the whole power fantasy angle, but if very quickly devolves into an adversarial player who has to be the best and always win. There’s a lot of overlap with players who tell others how to build their characters and tell others how to play. If me saying no to power gaming keeps all that out (always does), then I count that as a huge win.

If I could be bothered banning all the S and F tier stuff might help.

Powergaming only becomes an issue for me if abused.

 

[overgeeked]

If I could be bothered banning all the S and F tier stuff might help.

Just write a short list. There’s not that much stuff that’s ridiculously OP.

Powergaming only becomes an issue for me if abused.

To me, power gaming is itself already abusing the game.

 

[iserith]

I'd have to ask the DM what they mean by that, specifically. My expectation is that anyone playing a game will tend to try to do it well, and that includes their builds, their tactics, and their ability to portray their character in a way that is fun and memorable for everyone. If that's "powergaming," then sign me up!

 

[Vaalingrade]

Clear warning sign that they're going to go spare on you for actually using your character's capabilities to their advantage. Avoid at all costs.

 

[Pedantic]

Making rational and efficient choices is the entire gameplay mechanic of most of my other hobbies. It is not a part of my brain I can turn off, and making difficult, interesting decisions is a solid 50% of what I play games for. D&D is not an exception because it has a narrative component.

 

[CreamCloud0]

that 'where do you draw the line' really is the question, at what point does optimisation become powergaming and how much if any powergaming is allowed?

 

[Zardnaar]

that 'where do you draw the line' really is the question, at what point does optimisation become powergaming and how much if any powergaming is allowed?

Yeah hence I ban specific things.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I'd have to ask the DM what they mean by that, specifically. My expectation is that anyone playing a game will tend to try to do it well, and that includes their builds, their tactics, and their ability to portray their character in a way that is fun and memorable for everyone. If that's "powergaming," then sign me up!

Agree.

Banning "powergaming" is some nebulous finger-wiggling voodoo bollocks, and literally 95% of DMs have bad and wrong ideas about what is OP. Talking about "normal" DMs not people on these boards, who are a bit more together.

Give me a list of races/classes/subclasses to avoid and I'm fine, but otherwise it's a ridiculous game of Battleship or worse, Blind Man's Bluff.

Clear warning sign that they're going to go spare on you for actually using your character's capabilities to their advantage. Avoid at all costs.

Yup. Any DM who doesn't like "powergaming" but doesn't have a precise and defined idea of exactly what that constitutes is probably going to be a huge pain the neck to deal with on multiple levels.

Personally I don't allow rolled stats and and am not keen on multiclassing, but allow it on a case-by-case basis. The secret behind the case-by-case is "Is this player bad at minmaxing" if so I allow it, if they're good at minmaxing I don't allow it lol.