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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Feyd Rautha" data-source="post: 1771935" data-attributes="member: 19364">Yeah, this is just good play.  I'm not sure what the problem is here other than the added workload for the GM.  You just have to plan around what they are doing.For example, in the trapped door situation: The wizard loans him his precious ring of fire resistance 20, the fighter his boots of striding and springing, and the ranger his cloak of resistance +5.  This indeed makes a tough rogue and the door opens with a huge bang and the rogue comes out unscathed.  However, the pit with the nessian hounds opens behind the party as part of the trap and they rush up and start breathing fire on the wizard and ranger who have just passed away some of their protections against the breath weapons and the fighter can't get back behind them because he doesn't have his boots that will let him tumble through combat without taking a beating and getting knocked prone.Now this is a bit of an extreme example, but here's some general guidelines.1.)  Make all encounters party encounters.  Don't let a single person have the option of becoming invincible without the rest of the party suffering for giving up their magic.  As per the encounter above, the trap involved the entire party instead of just the rogue.2.) Break out of your predictable mannerisms.  It would seem that you are becoming prone to presenting situations where the party knows how to load somebody up to bear against them.  Alternate your elemental damage on spells and traps, attack from a direction they aren't expecting, even throw a random non-combat encounters into the mix where combat would be a BAD thing (a polymorphed astral deva belittling the PCs to test their humility, or a LN nation employing hobgoblins as mercenaries and have the party come up on the hobgoblins attacking an attractive human [who is a reknowned theif and has been resisting arrest]).3.) Keep an inventory of all of their gear and when you are sitting down and designing next weeks adventure guess at what they might do in a given situation and if it isn't a challenge as you consider their options then scrap or change the encounter.4.) Create a nemesis for the party.  Nemisi (???) usually know exactly how to defeat the party so you can design encounters with him or his minions that will exploit the party's weaknesses, and you'll have solid IC backup by noting that this nemisis has been researching them.Just some thoughts that I hope are helpful, but one final thing to remember is that they are having fun solving your puzzles and while it is annoying, I'm sure that if you were constantly designing things to specifically thwart them they would feel equally annoyed so remember...all things in moderation.  Let them have their victories from time to time, but use the suggestions above to put them in their place if they get too cocky.</blockquote>

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