Making An Extreme PC Power Imbalance Work

[lukelightning]

Here's how to make a "weak PC" to play along with the rest: the Leadership feat.

Let's say you've got a party of 12th level characters. I want to play a slightly weaker character for some reason, so my 12th level character takes the leadership feat, getting an 8th level cohort. Then I pretend the 8th level cohort is my "PC" while the 12th level character is his "NPC mentor" or whatever. Not sure if this counts as "extreme imbalance" but it is significant.

It can also be done with wizards and their familiars (or even better, sorcerers). Make a really dumb sorcerer and play as if his familiar was the main character.

 

[F5]

I've never had a truly huge level/power disparity in any of my D&D games, the worst it's ever been was a 2-3 level difference between highest and lowest. In that case, there's generally not that much difference in power level, and the gap closes quickly. That 3000 XP everyone in the group just recieved goes a lot further when you're 5th level than when you're 8th. Provided you can keep the lower-level PCs alive while the higher-level PCs are still challenged, they catch up fairly quickly. Mooks help, here...the hobgoblin goons you just fought to get to their Ogre Mage leader may be low enough level that the top-PCs in the group don't get any XP for them at all, while the weaker PCs do, and also have a chance to contribute to the fight.

Story rewards go a long way to balancing the equation, too. The 3rd level prince with all the connections and resources, in a party with 8th level adventurers, is a fun role to play. Just keep in mind that the 3rd level prince will eventually catch up, and you have to deal with a more powerful PC with all these story-based perks.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Try playing RIFTS, where starting PCs can be as varied as a vagabond (the homeless refugee class) and a Glitterboy (a guy with a mini-mecha & a rail gun).

Or play in a campaign where the PCs are in a unit of mixed Armor & Infantry.

In either case, the firepower it takes to defeat the Glitterboy or a Tank would obliterate almost any other PC in the group.

However, because those units are so tough, they have the bulk of the firepower focused on them.

The way it works is that the "lesser" PCs spread out in such a way that they can't be taken out by the attacks leveled at the harder targets, while skirmishing with the "anti-tank" units trying to disable those targets.

IOW, think of such a party as an Aircraft Carrier Group.

 

[frankthedm]

And somehow survives.

"Everyone make a DC 19 reflex save...if you fail you take 48 points of damage...if you succeed only 24"

Sancho: I'm dead either way.

Yeah, Fireball is actually a BIG contributer to why lower level characters matter so little in even mid level play. The range is so long you often won't see it coming and the area is so big a foe has no reason not to catch the entire party in it. At least Lightning bolt has a shorter range and usually can't hit every one.

 

[Stalker0]

I think the idea of giving the low level guy more action type points are whatever is a good one. I think it also depends on the size of your party. If its 2 people, one guy can be Mr. Combat and the other guy drives the plot of the story, and you can balance it pretty well. With more people, that becomes harder.

 

[Darklone]

Yeah, Fireball is actually a BIG contributer to why lower level characters matter so little in even mid level play. The range is so long you often won't see it coming and the area is so big a foe has no reason not to catch the entire party in it. At least Lightning bolt has a shorter range and usually can't hit every one.

Tell that to my bard multiclass mentioned above... I always managed to be annoying enough that these spells aimed at me. The two levels rogue were mandatory, otherwise I would have died much more often.

 

[lukelightning]

Yeah, Fireball is actually a BIG contributer to why lower level characters matter so little in even mid level play.

Heck, it's not just fireball-type area of effects...it's any of em. Ooops, medusa! Now I'm stone!. Uh oh, vampire! Now I'm dominated. Egads! A mind flayer! Now I'm stunned-and-about-to-be-brainsucked...

 

[Sacrificial Lamb]

Allow the players the choice of having multiple characters. One player has his mighty 12th level wizard, while another has his four 3rd level goofy rogues for comic relief, and general sneaky thievery. It could work.

 

[BlackMoria]

The real question is - while you could do a method to support a wide PC imbalance, why would you?

Really, you could have a way to have 10th level characters and 3rd level characters in the same party but who in their right mind would want to play the 3rd level mook when others are at 10th level.

I know I wouldn't and unless there was something compelling to play the 3rd level mook, most people are not going to find it fun at all.

 

[pawsplay]

The real question is - while you could do a method to support a wide PC imbalance, why would you?

Really, you could have a way to have 10th level characters and 3rd level characters in the same party but who in their right mind would want to play the 3rd level mook when others are at 10th level.

I know I wouldn't and unless there was something compelling to play the 3rd level mook, most people are not going to find it fun at all.

In D&D, level is power, and affects nearly aspect of trying to have a meaningful impact on action. Just for instance, a 12th level wizard has a better BAB than a 4th level fighter.

Thus, a competent characters is by definition of equivalent level, irrespective of their narratively described experience or skill. That's why I made my recommendation before about using classes creatively to create "sidekick" characters.