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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 5859449" data-attributes="member: 3424">What I'm not seeing is how this restricts the DM at all. Fairly simplistically put, there are four variables in this system: PC power, magic item power, monster power and level of challenge. The system doesn't (and can't!) force a DM to give specific magic items to the PCs or throw specific challenges at them.  However, if three out of the four variables are specified, basic math pretty much determines the fourth (although the DM can always apply situational factors to specific encounters).If PC power is given, and the DM wants the PCs to encounter a specific monster and he wants the fight to provide a specific level of challenge, then yes, he needs to ensure that the PC's magic items are of a specific level of power (or adjust the situational factors). If, however, he is willing to change either the monster power or the level of difficulty, he can keep magic item power constant. Given this set-up, I think it is fine for a system to advise what is the baseline assumption, e.g. PCs of a particular power level equipped with standard magic items for their level should be able to take on monsters of a particular power level at a standard level of challenge. Maybe it could also explain how reducing magic item power will change the level of challenge if monster power remains constant, or how monster power can be adjusted to maintain the same level of challenge.  However, I don't see the fact that such advice exists as "restrictive" or as "funnelling".</blockquote>

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