Incompetent DM seeks help with powerful PC

[Ravilah]

Okay, let's face it. As a DM I suck with strategy. I'm a great storyteller (so they tell me) and I'm good at running the table, adjudicating, and keeping the pace quick and the encounters fair. However, I stink at making my monsters and villains behave intelligently. More than that, really. I just can't seem to get the knack of using a creatures' abilities to their full advantage.

That said...I'm having a challenge with one of my players' new character. His last character died unexpectedly, and being rather disappointed, he thought to himself, "Danged if I'm going to let that happen again soon." So he's used all his considerable DnD savvy to make a potent level 9 character. He's a gestalt Paladin/Rogue with the half-fiend template.

They faced a modified Roper last night. It wasn't supposed to be a majorly deadly encounter, but it was patently obvious that with a +17 Fort save, Resistance 10 to acid, and DR 10 (without equipment), he could have faced the thing alone and come out without a scratch.

I know level 9-12 characters are supposed to be capable handling a lot. I know that he's paid a level penalty to get that half-fiend template. And I know that a better DM would know how to challenge him without using cheap tricks. But I can't helping being a bit frustrated.

Anything that would challenge his character would outright kill the rest of the party (one of whom is only level 7). I could throw Enchanters or Beguilers at him to take advantage of his measly +9 Will save--but that feels so cheap.

Right now the party is in the Nocturnium (sort of a cross between the Abyss and the Plane of Shadow). Any ideas on an encounter that could challenge this guy, but not kill the party? Or just DM advice in general.

Muchas Gracias,
R

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Actually I would take advantage of his lower will save. Or his reflex save if that's poor too. Sorry but that's the way to do it. That or you give him things he can fight that are just bigger then he is. (in the stats sense, not the size sense, although maybe that too.) This just leads to inflation.

If it's blown the curve for the rest of the party you might consider whether to ask him to re-design his character. From what little I know gestalt characters are tough. And there's not necessarily a fair trade off between an LA and the powers granted. Especially when you start to consider synergies with other powers/classes. On the other hand, if the whole party are about the same toughness then the bigger, badder monsters is the way to go.

Of course it has to be said, you need to know your monsters better. I'm still kinda green on 3rd ed myself and I have a bad habit of thinking of the monsters as they were in 1st ed. The only thing I've been able to do to improve my DMing in this regard is study the monsters. And the round structure. It's important to know how much time it'll take a critter to do something unusual and what it will be losing out on by doing it.

hope this helps. If nothing else: remember you're not alone in this regard.
Cheers.

 

[shilsen]

I presume you realize that half-fiend has a +4 LA, which makes him a 13th lvl character. Gestalt is worth at least a +1 more and maybe +2, so he's equivalent to a 14th or 15th lvl non-gestalt PC of one of the PHB races. If the other PCs aren't close to as powerful, then naturally challenging him is going to threaten to wipe them out.

So what are the other PCs? And why is one of them only 7th lvl?

 

[C.W.Richeson]

Paladin/Rogue Gestalt? That's quite the attribute spread - what are his attributes and areas of focus like?

What are the character's goals?

 

[freyar]

Are you using alignment rules as written with a standard paladin? If so, call him on the fact that half-fiends are supposed to be non-good. Then you can make him spend enough time atoning/redeeming himself that the other PCs can catch up a bit.

Seriously, though, I think shilsen is asking the right question: what is the rest of the party?

 

[VirgilCaine]

I think what you should do first, is tell is all about his character. Without knowing if there are errors or if it's accurately made, there's not a lot I can do to help you.

 

[Ravilah]

The rest of the party consists of a Ranger/Bard/Order of the Bow Initiate (Lvl 10), a Paladin/Fighter (Lvl 7), a Sorcerer/Swashbuckler (Lvl 8), and the PC in question:

Pal 8/Rog 5
Half-fiend
Str 24 Fort: +17
Dex 16 Ref: +14
Con 22 Will: +9
Int 18
Wis 14
Cha 20

Hp 99
Ac 20
Init: +3
BAB: +8

Attack: +1 Greatsword +17/+12 (2d6+11)

Weapon Focus, Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave

Storywise, his character is Good-aligned, striving against his evil ancestry, committed to destroying demonic influence in the world. Overall, he's a knight errant looking for a fight.


In the story right now, the characters were trapped on another plane (there are 9 Material Planes in my homebrew), taken by psionic halflings, and flung down "The Well" to die. The Well led to seemingly endless tunnels into the bowels of the earth. By mysterious accident, while in the deep, deep dark, they passed from the Material world into the Nocturnium (think the Plane of Shadow, but with Abyss-like elements). At the moment they are in the Orchards of Twilight where illusions play tricks with their minds.


The paladin/fighter BTW is really an NPC now who has become too integral to the party to send away. He's only 17, and has a secret that no one dreams of yet.

The Ranger/Bard is the only character still alive from the first day of the campaign, so he's the highest level. This is this player's first Dnd experience, but he's been at it for several months now.

The player who made the Sorcerer/Swashbuckler only comes to 1 in 5 sessions. He is little more than a human Polymorph scroll and magical item identifier.


Whew! Anything else you need to know? That seems like a lot.

 

[Zurai]

Well, for one thing, only applying the LA on one side of a gestalt essentially completely negates the entire penalty of the LA. So, you have a level 8 character with all the stats of a level 8 character and the half-fiend template for free. And half-fiend is one of the strongest templates in the game.
Secondly, half-fiends must be evil.

"Half-fiend" is an inherited template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature with an Intelligence score of 4 or more and nongood alignment (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
...
Alignment

Always evil (any).

So, no half-fiend paladins.
Thirdly, half-fiend is a +4 level adjustment, so the two sides of his gestalt do not match up. The paladin side is ECL 8; the rogue side is ECL 9.

Fourthly, and most importantly - is he the only Gestalt character? That's a massive red flag unless the DM very specifically designed the game around it. I would never allow a character to be gestalt in a party of non-gestalt characters unless they paid a hefty price; in the online game I'm running where I allow that, the gestalt characters get a 24 point buy and are restricted to gestalting with only a single NPC class for their entire progression, while the non-gestalt players get 30 point buy and can multiclass freely. And I still had someone take gestalt.

 

[Slife]

Secondly, half-fiends must be evil. So, no half-fiend paladins.

To play devil's advocate, he could have run into a Helm Of Opposite Alignment or been hit by a Sanctify the Wicked.

 

[Nifft]

Well, for one thing, only applying the LA on one side of a gestalt essentially completely negates the entire penalty of the LA.

You overstate, but your point is valid.

LA should apply to both sides of a Gestalt PC. Otherwise templates are broken.

Cheers, -- N