D&D 3E/3.5 Do builds like Pun Pun show 3.5 is broken?

[frankthedm]

Do you think that such builds show that 3.5 is fundamentally broken?

Yes, I'd say the the piecing together of dissociated splat material could open up ludicrous vistas of powergaming if the DM didn't devote far more effort than should have been necessary to keep options in check. No wonder so many gamers either went to 4E or fled into the peace and safety of Retrogaming.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Yes, I'd say the the piecing together of dissociated splat material could open up ludicrous vistas of powergaming if the DM didn't devote far more effort than should have been necessary to keep options in check. No wonder so many gamers either went to 4E or fled into the peace and safety of Retrogaming.

Instead of evaluating and vetoing each individual choice a player makes, the DM and players could simply define parameters beforehand of what everyone agrees is fun and the objectives of their game, and then each player does their best to work within those parameters.

The player that constantly tries to push the boundaries disrespectfully comes under the scrutiny of the entire gaming group, not only the DM. Hopefully there could be a second respectful discussion about agreed boundaries, or the player doesn't play any more.

The DM can pass on responsability to all the players to keep everything in check.

 

[Empirate]

It all comes down to your group's playstyle, the social dynamics among the players, system mastery and its spread among the group's members... hard to make general statements. IME, having a huge backdrop of rules options to work with is a good thing.

 

[billd91]

3e (and 3.5 and PF) are no more broken than any other RPG that is highly responsive to player choices. That most definitely includes any and all point-buy systems out there.

What many of those do that D&D has been slow to do is encourage GM oversight and participation in character creation and highlighting the implications of some choices. Monte Cook got at this with his often misused blog post on Ivory Tower gaming. Feats that would be weak for a PC to take (3.5's Toughness or many of the skill modifiers) have their uses, particularly when building NPCs or for games that won't see lots of combat. A bit more analysis in the rules like Champions has for certain powers (marked with icons to indicate caution or scruitiny) would be helpful.