Fixing Extreme Imbalances

[ZzarkLinux]

Here are most of the biggest / controversial rule changes I've tossed together.
I don't think they go too far, but making sure.

::ALL CHARACTERS

- Feat: Wintertouched's property is a once-per-encounter power

- When using a multi-attack power that enables multiple attacks against a single target, each attack takes a penalty to hit equal to N, where N is the number of multi-attacks allowed by the power. N cannot be less than 1 or greater than 3

::AVENGER

::BARBARIAN

- Feat: Hide Armor Expertise is banned for Rageblood Barbarians

::BARD

- Reduce Majestic Word die to d4, and allow a feat to increase to d6

::CLERIC

- Power: When you sustain Consecrated Ground, you take 15 damage. This damage cannot be reduced or redirected in any way.

- Paragon Path: Prophecy of Doom has this effect: Attacks against the target may score a critical hit with a roll of 19 - 20. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn.

: DRUID

::INVOKER

:ALADIN

- Class Feature: Divine Challenge allows you to use either your strength mod or your charisma mod for damage
Banned Feat: Mighty Challenge

- Paragon Path: Remove the phrase "and dazed" from the Certain Justice power

::SHAMAN

- Figure out an AC fix

::WARDEN

- Power: Replace the last line in first paragraph of "Form of Winter's Herald" with the following: While in this form, you gain an aura 1, and all squares in this aura count as difficult terrain for your enemies.

::WARLOCK

- Power: Replace the attack line of Dire Radiance with the following: Charisma vs Fortitude
Banned Feat: Dual Pact

- Power: Miscellaneous Warlock powers deal low damage. Talk with the DM if you think a warlock power does low damage, and you may be able to increase the damage dice of the power by one size.

::WARLORD

- Paragon Path: Remove the last sentence of Battle Inspiration.

::WIZARD

- Power: Replace text in Sleep "unconscious (save ends)" with "unconscious until the start of its next turn"

 

[BobTheNob]

Really came out of the corner swining there

I would ask a question. Is this actually based on gameplay and facets that have caused things to go astray, or are they attempts to head off perceived issues before precedent cements them into the game?

When I started I began houseruling like a Pig in barn (subtle reference to "Animal House"), but alot of the drafts I put forward fell by the wayside as the things I thought would really rock the boat didnt end up doing so. Sometimes they sound like deal breakers on paper, but turn out to be paper tigers...

 

[MadLordOfMilk]

I feel there isn't much need to nerf specific powers. However, if you're uncomfortable with powergaming in your games, just say it right out to players that you don't tolerate it, so they better focus their builds on theme rather than just the strongest powers

 

[Starfox]

The only real balance problems in my game has to do with a fighter/pitfighter doing WAY too much damage.

 

[Dayspire]

I'm really curious about the Bard change there. The bard in my party doesn't heal nearly as well as a cleric would.

So what gives?

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I think at best this kind of approach is sticking fingers in a dike to plug up all the little leaks. I'd think it would be better for the DM to study the rules fairly thoroughly and when a PC may potentially threaten to outshine the others make sure the other players are made aware of choices they can take which will tend to balance things out. I also don't hold too much with the concept of just giving players exactly what they want. There are a lot of choices presented in the rules, but that doesn't mean any individual game HAS to cater to all of them. If a certain combination of item, PP, feat, etc will give a particular character some extra juicy cheese, well maybe that item just isn't available, or the other PCs find that some equally juicy cheese is on their plates as well. Got a particularly low performing PC? Toss them an artifact and watch them steal some time in the spotlight.

Character power levels are only meaningful in reference to the other characters. Absolute power levels are pretty unimportant. The worst case is your party is particularly powerful for its level vs those in some other game, but so what? You as the DM decide what challenges they face. As long as those challenges are fun and exciting for that group it makes no difference if encounters are level + 1 or level + 5. Just make sure every PC in the group is up to the task of facing the challenges THAT group comes up against.

Wielding the ban/nerf hammer with abandon sounds OK in theory but it ends up frustrating players when they know any powerful concept they come up with will just be nerfed by the DM and in any case you simply end up playing a game of who is smarter, you or the min/maxer of the party? Sooner or later the DM is likely to lose that fight. What do you do then? Sic rust monsters on the guy?

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

::SHAMAN

- Figure out an AC fix[/SIZE]"

I allow Con to AC for shamans.

 

[Hjorimir]

Honestly, I find pretty much all of these changes unnecessary…and I say that as a DM, not a player. I think you’re seeing problems where none really exist and I get a sense that you’re just trying to keep the PCs down.

In the end, all power is relative anyway; if you find that the PCs are having too easy of a time with your encounters, bump the encounters a notch.

 

[Elric]

- Feat: Wintertouched's property is a once-per-encounter power

Seems excessive. Have a bunch of characters taken the Lasting Frost/Wintertouched/Frost Weapon combo? If only one party member has the combo, it doesn't seem as bad.

Edit: As mentioned below, if you want to hit something, it should be Lasting Frost. Have it give Vulnerability 3 instead of 5, for example.

When using a multi-attack power that enables multiple attacks against a single target, each attack takes a penalty to hit equal to N, where N is the number of multi-attacks allowed by the power. N cannot be less than 1 or greater than 3

This affects a ton of powers, and with the worst offenders (Rain of Blows, Storm of Blades, Hurricane of Blades, Blade Cascade) fixed, it's not clear that multi-attack powers are generally too good. The problem seems to be static damage bonuses, which they've also reined in well (Bloodclaw/Reckless). Just "typing" some untyped damage to item bonuses (Subtle weapon, Goblin totem come to mind) would probably suffice.

::BARBARIAN

- Feat: Hide Armor Expertise is banned for Rageblood Barbarians

You could just say that they don't get Barbarian Agility bonuses if they take the feat.

::BARD

- Reduce Majestic Word die to d4, and allow a feat to increase to d6

Are bards too good as healers?

::CLERIC

- Power: When you sustain Consecrated Ground, you take 15 damage. This damage cannot be reduced or redirected in any way.

Why not just limiting the power to being Sustained a certain number of times?

- Paragon Path: Prophecy of Doom has this effect: Attacks against the target may score a critical hit with a roll of 19 - 20. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn.

Seems quite excessive.

:ALADIN

- Class Feature: Divine Challenge allows you to use either your strength mod or your charisma mod for damage
Banned Feat: Mighty Challenge

Reasonable in terms of removing the feat tax and keeping the mark of Str/Cha paladins in check, though this removes much of the incentive to boost both attributes.

- Paragon Path: Remove the phrase "and dazed" from the Certain Justice power

Certain Justice is too good in a way that will wreck encounters with elites/solos, and it deserves a fix. One simple fix weakens the effect but adds to damage:

Champion of Order (Paladin Paragon Path):
Certain Justice (Encounter 11): Change the second sentence to “If the target is marked by you, it is also weakened and dazed (save ends). Saves against this effect take a -2 penalty” Change damage to 2[W] + Strength modifier.

::SHAMAN

- Figure out an AC fix

Con-based Shamans add their Con-mod to AC? Or create a feat that does this directly.

::WARDEN

- Power: Replace the last line in first paragraph of "Form of Winter's Herald" with the following: While in this form, you gain an aura 1, and all squares in this aura count as difficult terrain for your enemies.

It's a great Form, but Form of Mountain's Thunder is great as well. Preventing Salve of Power abuse makes this less of an issue ("a character can use only one salve of power between extended rests").

::WARLOCK

- Power: Replace the attack line of Dire Radiance with the following: Charisma vs Fortitude
Banned Feat: Dual Pact

Not sure what you're going for here.

::WARLORD

- Paragon Path: Remove the last sentence of Battle Inspiration.

This is the Int-mod to attacks sentence for Tactical Warlords. You may as well ban this path entirely if you're going to do this. Seems unnecessary, and it would further advantage Eladrin Tactical Warlords (Spiral Tactician) over other Tactical Warlords.

::WIZARD

- Power: Replace text in Sleep "unconscious (save ends)" with "unconscious until the start of its next turn[/SIZE]"

Seems unnecessary if the Orb of Imposition is fixed.

Suggestion: Orb of Imposition (Wizard class feature): Once per encounter, after a save is rolled, you may apply a penalty to that save equal to your wisdom modifier as a free action. (Large ongoing save penalties are too powerful)

 

[Saeviomagy]

::ALL CHARACTERS

- Feat: Wintertouched's property is a once-per-encounter power

I think you targeted the wrong feat here. You actually want to hit up lasting frost. Gaining CA for attacking a frost-susceptible target isn't actually going to be all that common, while giving frost vulnerable 5 to anything you hit with frost is a pretty big damage boost AND the enabler for wintertouched.

- When using a multi-attack power that enables multiple attacks against a single target, each attack takes a penalty to hit equal to N, where N is the number of multi-attacks allowed by the power. N cannot be less than 1 or greater than 3

The maths on this one is totally crazy. It does succeed at making multi-attacks overall less attractive, but it doesn't do so in a consistent way, and it does so in a really boring way (missing is boring).

- Paragon Path: Prophecy of Doom has this effect: Attacks against the target may score a critical hit with a roll of 19 - 20. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn.

I'm not quite sure how guaranteeing one crit once per day really matters all that much. Certainly what you've replaced it with is total garbage.

:ALADIN

- Class Feature: Divine Challenge allows you to use either your strength mod or your charisma mod for damage
Banned Feat: Mighty Challenge

Unfortunately this means that charisma paladins are simply flat-out worse defenders, because they can't hit with OAs (or at the least have to spend a feat to hit with OAs).

- Paragon Path: Remove the phrase "and dazed" from the Certain Justice power

::SHAMAN

- Figure out an AC fix

::WARDEN

- Power: Replace the last line in first paragraph of "Form of Winter's Herald" with the following: While in this form, you gain an aura 1, and all squares in this aura count as difficult terrain for your enemies.

Reducing this to an aura 1 is a really big nerf. I think the clarification of how the power works is really good though.

::WARLOCK

- Power: Replace the attack line of Dire Radiance with the following: Charisma vs Fortitude
Banned Feat: Dual Pact

- Power: Miscellaneous Warlock powers deal low damage. Talk with the DM if you think a warlock power does low damage, and you may be able to increase the damage dice of the power by one size.

::WARLORD

- Paragon Path: Remove the last sentence of Battle Inspiration.

::WIZARD

- Power: Replace text in Sleep "unconscious (save ends)" with "unconscious until the start of its next turn

Another really, really painful crippling of a spell. This makes sleep complete garbage when compared with other dailies of the same level. You'd be far better off making some sort of overall ruling against the stacking of save penalties.