GMs & DMs: What do you do with (severely) unbalanced adventuring parties?

[GreyICE]

I'm really confused as to how doing this stops headaches. In 3E it was only the supplemental classes that caused me to want to pull out my hair.

Really? Which ones? Okay, the Artificer and Psion have to go, but outside of that, you've got some pretty sweet classes. Warblade, Beguiler, Dread Necromancer, Factotem, Warlock, Swordsage, there was some really cool stuff that was not ridiculous outside of the PHB. PHB classes tended to fall into the category of "OMG BBQ" or "Meh, I guess you could call that a class... maybe... if you squinted hard."

PrCs, sure, but PrCs had so many issues.

 

[Grogg of the North]

I'm really confused as to how doing this stops headaches. In 3E it was only the supplemental classes that caused me to want to pull out my hair.

As I've come to believe, it isn't so much an issue of classes being the problem but players.

I have played with, and still do, with some players that could ask me for some prestige/base class, obscure race, or crazy feat and I wouldn't have a problem with it. Because the player knows what kind of game I run, there's a trust between DM/PC, and I know that this isn't the first step towards horribly destroying the game.

On the other hand, there are some players that when they ask for something my first reaction is a feeling of overwhelming dread as I attempt to figure out where they're going next.

 

[jasper]

I have to agree with Grogg. I had players who would down grade a splat book prestige class to fit in my world. Other players wanted Quasit at 1st level without any draw backs.

 

[Desdichado]

I'm really confused as to how doing this stops headaches. In 3E it was only the supplemental classes that caused me to want to pull out my hair.

To me, it felt like 3.5 went through two phases. Up until PHB2, the supplemental classes were in general weaker than the core classes. PHB2 was the watershed that changed that, and many (most?) of the classes that came after not only were much more complicated to use, but frequently more powerful as well.

 

[Desdichado]

As I've come to believe, it isn't so much an issue of classes being the problem but players.

I have played with, and still do, with some players that could ask me for some prestige/base class, obscure race, or crazy feat and I wouldn't have a problem with it. Because the player knows what kind of game I run, there's a trust between DM/PC, and I know that this isn't the first step towards horribly destroying the game.

On the other hand, there are some players that when they ask for something my first reaction is a feeling of overwhelming dread as I attempt to figure out where they're going next.

Well, that too. One guy in our group is a bit of a charOp powergamer type fella. But we mostly let him build what he wants anyway. Frankly, he needs the handicap, because even so, his characters die about 400% more than the group average.

 

[GreyICE]

You know, most of my questions on what the heck is going on could be answered here easily.

The Warblade has a d12 hit die, and access to some of the most powerful martial powers in the game. He can penetrate DR with ease, knock monsters back, raise his defenses and do absurd levels of damage. He is, without a doubt, simply operating on a higher plane than a fighter could ever really hope for.

If one of your players rolled one up, would you rather he roll up a PHB class like a Druid?

 

[Jacob Marley]

Well, that too. One guy in our group is a bit of a charOp powergamer type fella. But we mostly let him build what he wants anyway. Frankly, he needs the handicap, because even so, his characters die about 400% more than the group average.

Yeah, the ability to build an optimized character does not translate into the ability to play an optimized character.