Victim
First Post
As more and more supplements with additional spells and feats come out, it seems to me that the core monsters are getting left out in the cold.
Even if we assume that all the new material is perfectly balanced with the core books (yeah, right), the new options still allow for more powerful characters simply through an expanded ability to specialize in one area. For example, an archer character, perhaps a fighter/ranger, in the core books will quickly run out of good fighter archery feats. However, with class books, he change his path to include PrCs such as the Order of the Bow Initiate, or the Deepwood sniper. Clearly, these PrCs will make him a better archer than than continueing in fighter even after he has most of the archery feats.
Second, I think it's a safe assumption that many items in supplements are strictly better than equivalent core abilities. In some cases, this "overpoweredness" makes sense. For example, 2nd level direct damage spells aren't that great. Why? They do low initial damage but supposedly make up for this fault with durations. However, fights are often short enough to make this damage over time a moot point. So pretty much any 2nd level, instant duration direct damage spell will look overpowered, even if it follows spell research guidelines. However, some PrCs are much better than any else, especially if starting at higher levels. Cough .. . Incantrix . . .. cough.
Therefore, the monsters in the MM are getting screwed. They lack PCs ability to focus themselves in a specialized area. Even the benefits prestige classes and feats that are slightly more powerful than normal will accrue and rapidly and make normal monsters obselete. The one thing that might help even the balance, monster only feats and PrCs such Ability Focus, seem to have been applied inconsistently. Only one monster in the MM has Ability Focus, and one other has Spell-like Ability Focus, compared to the horde of spellcasting PCs that have spell focus. It seems like the feats got made up for one monster and then forgotten. Also, they lack the upgrades that similar PC feats recieve. There's no Greater Ability Focus to match Greater Spell Focus.
Even if we assume that all the new material is perfectly balanced with the core books (yeah, right), the new options still allow for more powerful characters simply through an expanded ability to specialize in one area. For example, an archer character, perhaps a fighter/ranger, in the core books will quickly run out of good fighter archery feats. However, with class books, he change his path to include PrCs such as the Order of the Bow Initiate, or the Deepwood sniper. Clearly, these PrCs will make him a better archer than than continueing in fighter even after he has most of the archery feats.
Second, I think it's a safe assumption that many items in supplements are strictly better than equivalent core abilities. In some cases, this "overpoweredness" makes sense. For example, 2nd level direct damage spells aren't that great. Why? They do low initial damage but supposedly make up for this fault with durations. However, fights are often short enough to make this damage over time a moot point. So pretty much any 2nd level, instant duration direct damage spell will look overpowered, even if it follows spell research guidelines. However, some PrCs are much better than any else, especially if starting at higher levels. Cough .. . Incantrix . . .. cough.
Therefore, the monsters in the MM are getting screwed. They lack PCs ability to focus themselves in a specialized area. Even the benefits prestige classes and feats that are slightly more powerful than normal will accrue and rapidly and make normal monsters obselete. The one thing that might help even the balance, monster only feats and PrCs such Ability Focus, seem to have been applied inconsistently. Only one monster in the MM has Ability Focus, and one other has Spell-like Ability Focus, compared to the horde of spellcasting PCs that have spell focus. It seems like the feats got made up for one monster and then forgotten. Also, they lack the upgrades that similar PC feats recieve. There's no Greater Ability Focus to match Greater Spell Focus.
It's so unfair. I mean just because I want to play a commoner I'm not allowed to pick any feats. Why have the class then when it is so obviously broken
