High Powered Campaign Rules

[Reynard]

I have been thinking about how to create a high powered campaign without necessarily requiring it to be high level. This is what I came up with:

Use Gestalt classes per UA
Gain a Feat ever odd level
Gain an Ability increase every even level
Use action points
Use Legendary Weapons/Items without requiring the use of the Scion PrC -- instead, a feat makes the weapon "go up" one level.
Allow casters to prepare a number of spells equal to what they can cast, but they can then cast any of these as many times as they want, up to their daily limit (grant the Sorcerer an additional known spell per level for balance)
Allow casters to use spell slots, as above, to 'prepare' metamagic feats (level = to spell level increase for the feat) and spontaneously apply and prepared metamagic feat to any spell other than the highest level the character can cast.

Thoughts?

 

[Pyrex]

The last two there are going to cause problems. Big problems.

Giving that level of flexibility to Wizards intantly makes Sorcerers obsolete.

Also, do you really want to be seeing Maximized 3rd level spells at 5th level? Quickened 4th level spells at 7th? *shudder*

 

[Ferrix]

Here's a little list of thoughts:

High starting stats.
Recharge Magic (from UA, an excellent high powered option)
Weapon Group feats (allow characters to diversify in their weapon selections easier, also benefits those who take weapon focus type feats more, like fighters, see comment below)
Defense Bonus (UA, although I use a modified one)
Reserve Points (UA)

Additional bonus feats lowers the power of classes/races that rely upon providing bonus feats as their main ability. Primarily the fighter and the human fall into this category. Perhaps shore them up with some other abilities.

 

[Kristivas]

Depends on how 'High Powered' you want it. I've ran some games in the following manner, and the PCs have been tough as nails.

4d6 7 times, reroll 1s.
Recharge Magic
High HP - Has to be the 'top half' of a HD (6 or higher for d10, 3 or 4 on a d4, 4 or higher on d6, ect)
Double or Triple starting gold.
Action Points

You don't really have to mess with bonus feats. If a paladin had triple the feats they normally have, they could really make a fighter obsolete. Giving the characters great stats, high hp, and tons of cash to start with can make them pretty darn powerful.

 

[Ferrix]

You don't really have to mess with bonus feats. If a paladin had triple the feats they normally have, they could really make a fighter obsolete. Giving the characters great stats, high hp, and tons of cash to start with can make them pretty darn powerful.

However, I find that bonus feats are really one of the great parts about third edition and they effectively power-up characters by giving them more options.

For interesting high-powered options check out Karl Green's excellent League of the Extraordinary PbP game. He utilized a number of high-powered options to make very iconic and interesting characters.

Some stuff he used:
Gestalt classes (no multiclassing or PrC's however)
40 point buy
+2 Skill Points per level (x4 at 1st level)
Cross-class skills cost 1 pt per rank rather than 2
Bonus feat at each level (thus a human starts with 3 + class)
Action Points (it's an Eberron game, but the expanded uses from UA)
Race & Wealth guidelines were worked out on an individual character basis

 

[Dog Moon]

I also wouldn't go with the spellcasting thing because you want something to benefit everything. It could be all great if Wizards cast everything at will, but that makes only THEM powerful, and not everyone else. It's likely in that case you might see a group completely of Wizards.

Depending on if you wanted monstrous creatures/races, allow them to be a creature of up to +2 LA for free if you wanted to. Or perhaps give them each a free template.

Giving everyone say 4 extra skill points each level [16 at first level] would give everyone a little more power and generally will make them a bit more well-rounded because even those people who normally only get 2 skill points will now have six, a great improvement. [Oops, this has already been mentioned].

There are also the bloodlines from Unearthed Arcana.

You could do Iron Heroes with full treasure. THAT would probably be pretty high powered, or so I've heard from people discussing Iron Heroes.

 

[Nellisir]

You don't really have to mess with bonus feats. If a paladin had triple the feats they normally have, they could really make a fighter obsolete. Giving the characters great stats, high hp, and tons of cash to start with can make them pretty darn powerful.

But the fighter has triple the "normal" feats also, plus his bonus feats. It really does even out. The paladin is never going to catch the fighter in pure feat goodness.

Cheers
Nell.

 

[Rystil Arden]

But the fighter has triple the "normal" feats also, plus his bonus feats. It really does even out. The paladin is never going to catch the fighter in pure feat goodness.

Cheers
Nell.

It doesn't really even out, though, because those extra 11 additional feats from fighter are less special if you get 27 feats than if you get only 7 normally, making the barbarian and paladin's additional abilities look even more tempting compared to more feats.

 

[Nellisir]

It doesn't really even out, though, because those extra 11 additional feats from fighter are less special if you get 27 feats than if you get only 7 normally, making the barbarian and paladin's additional abilities look even more tempting compared to more feats.

My players disagree.
There's a thread on feats every level here, if you want to chime in. http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=145609

Cheers
Nell.