Do you ever worry your character is too powerful?

[Quickbeam]

It's happened to me before. When I realize that my character is dominating many of the encounters (combat or otherwise), I will try to tone things down a bit. On the flip side, if I've made a PC whose abilities aren't particularly useful to the group as we progress I seek ways to enhance at least one vital apsect of the characters skills.

In both cases a savvy DM can help level the playing field by adjusting encounters, scenarios, equipment and a host of other factors. While you might take things into your own hands to remedy a perceived imbalance of party power, the task is by no means your problem alone.

 

[A'koss]

When I'm playing I'm rarely in a position to be concerned... I'm usually the rogue of the party which means my idea of "shining" is surviving on fleet feet while everyone else in the front lines is being ground into hamburger.

Cheers!

 

[Arc]

While most of our group is decent at building effective characters, some of us are much better at it (as far as min-maxing) than the rest. I'm one of those guys. When I feel a character is too powerful, either I hold back his potential, or show off in a blaze of glory, then retire the character (or have him die a gruesome death). This happened with a Frenzied Berserker I played, who was capable of taking on encounters that would normally kill the entire party without batting an eye. After a few fights where boss enemies went down in a single round, I handed the sheet over to the DM, had the character venture off on a suicide mission, and rolled up a less overpowered character.

When the DM brought him back against us... now that was a scary moment for all of us.

 

[Jdvn1]

I try to be not too powerful. If I happen to be more powerful than I think I should be, I try to give other people the lead.

 

[Wild Gazebo]

If it's ruining other peoples' fun I tend to hold back...otherwise I don't worry about it. My characters rarely get too powerful unless the character seeks power--I can't off hand recall one of my character 'accidentally' becoming too powerful. And, as is, I rarely play past 12th level. I begin to lose interest in higher level characters and plots.

 

[Crothian]

And, as is, I rarely play past 12th level. I begin to lose interest in higher level characters and plots.

High level really doesn't have anything to do with it. The character beign talked about in the first post is only third level.

 

[zeo_evil]

I said yes because it has happened. I made a Steward of the Flame from Dragon Magazine that was just unreal. More often than not it is up to the DM to decide.

 

[Wild Gazebo]

I was just saying...power inconsitencies are more apparent at higher levels.


I know where you are coming fun, and I feel sympathetic. I've been in games where the DM ignored Level Adjustment...things get out of hand. If one person is dominating a game be it combat, or simply time, players can get annoyed. I tend to sit there and mediate (unbeknowst to the other players) by actively bowing out or trying different aspects of the situation. It doesn't happen often. I probably do this because I never really stop being a DM...sure I may be a player, but I don't think the DM in me ever really leaves.

Currently I'm a player in a game that revolves around my character...he is not more powerful than the other characters stat-wise, but caste-wise he is. Because of this I tend to bow out of some combat situations and treasure situations. I am, by far, more interested in roleplaying so when the situation comes up for a good old dungeon crawl: I do my part, but let other mediate the treasure, let others take the juciest monsters, let others solve the riddles. This isn't because my character is incapable of it...he's a war priest and very comparable to the single classed fighter...it is because I feel there should be a balance of playstyle, time management, and fun. All of this is self impossed though, and I don't feel neglected, because at times the players are chompin' at the bit to kill stuff as I'm gabbing with the guard at the entrance to the king's throne room . Which is just as annoying to some as a character dominating combat encounters.

 

[tetsujin28]

look at the posts above yours

And it was left of because it is not vital. It is also wrong, but that isn't important right now

No, it isn't. There's no such thing as too much power.

 

[S'mon]

I don't, but (outside Neverwinter Nights) I do prefer to make my Fighter PCs with slightly suboptimal builds that have more flavour than a fully min-maxed character. This usually helps them not dominate too much. In a Midnight game I was the one being dominated though, one of the PCs was a Channeler which by the Midnight RAW is totally broken.