Effects of a campaign with PCs all +3 LA

[Zzyzx]

I'm thinking of starting a new campaign with the PCs all starting with templates or monster races that all give a decent Level adjustment (+2 or +3). Examples: thri-kreen, lycanthrope, half-dragon, etc.

It goes without saying that it will be a "munchkin" game -- players here will be a little younger than the ENWORLD average.

What kind of effect should I expect as DM? Will I need to be more careful with ELs and Challenge Ratings? Does anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[kenobi65]

I've been playing in an occasional campaign for several years now, in which all of the PCs are half-dragons.

IME, the biggest issue is that the PCs are pretty "glass-jawed"...they can dish out an awful lot of damage, but they don't have many HP. So, it's a tough balancing act for the DM...giving opponents that provide a reasonable challenge to the PC's offensive strength, but won't overwhelm their defenses.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

The LAs will balance out in the long run. Biggest thing to watch out for in the early going is the low HPs vs. the high-powered nature of the characters. Players will get to feeling invincible until a couple good rolls by opponents kill them quick. Fights will tend to be either cakewalks or bloodbaths. For example, your lycanthrope with DR5/silver will laugh off the goblins doing 1d6+0 until one of them crits.

 

[Stormborn]

Yes, you are going to have to watch those EL and CRs more closely. Basically any race with an EL can be very powerful in some situatons, but overall weaker than a regular PC of an equivalent level in others. A werewolf w/ one level of Fighter isn't going to be as powerful or as verisitle, or hardy, as a 4th level human fighter. Its just not going to work in the EL system as well as normal PC races.

Somethign else to keep in mind is that many monsterous races have very specific weaknesses. In most circumstances that is going to work to their advantage. But, in any case where an enemy can plan on fighting them they are going to exploit those weaknesses. That may be true in any campaign even one with normal PCs, but the mechanics of the game are about fighiting monsters, and there are alot of things set up to aid characters in doing that.

People who think they are going to use LA critters as PC for their "cool powers" are going to be disapointed. There are rarely any mechanical reasons to play a monsterous PC, so if the story line of the game doesn't engage them and make them feel special be prepared for the campaign to die. That means give them reasons to be who they are and do what they do that are very PC and campaign specific, don't just run them through pre-gen adventures. I suspect that such an endevor will fail.

 

[painandgreed]

People who think they are going to use LA critters as PC for their "cool powers" are going to be disapointed. There are rarely any mechanical reasons to play a monsterous PC, so if the story line of the game doesn't engage them and make them feel special be prepared for the campaign to die. That means give them reasons to be who they are and do what they do that are very PC and campaign specific, don't just run them through pre-gen adventures. I suspect that such an endevor will fail.

I don't know about that. We played a game that started as ECL 6 characters with LA+2 to +5. All the special powers really threw our DM for a loop. Things that would be a major barrier to the normal human party became trivial. Half our party could fly, for example, and could carry the rest of the party if needed so walls, many traps, cliffs, etc ceased to have much meaning. Any powers that are "at will" will also have players find ways to "abuse" them in ways that normal PCs could never do and in ways that a DM would never suspect. Our party had no spell casters nor healers, but did alright because we were able to adapt by use of our powers.

 

[amazingshafeman]

My group of players has a definite tendancy to play well below their average party level to begin with, but that being said, I'm not noticing them doing any better or worse against CRs equal to or slightly less than their ECL than they normally would. The party is made up of a thri-kreen, satyr, winged kobold, and kenku (only one with no LA). Most of the long range magic is packed into the kobold, but he's spread thin with too many classes (archivist/wizard/blood mage). The thri-kreen's a dread necro, but the player pseudo nerfs his skeletal minions so as not to make combat last forever with a ton of skeletons. He's plenty potent without them, anyway.

I'd have to agree with the glass-jawed nature of the beast, though. So far the kenku ranger/assassin is the only member that can take a beating. That wouldn't be a big deal if the players had a lick of tactical sense to control the battlefield more, as their characters are really designed to that quite effectively. Unfortunately,they don't.