Munchkin Powers Activate...Form of a Hill Giant!

[Numion]

Out of interest, how does he get a Huge weapon? Polymorphing himself doesn't increase the size of a weapon, and neither does Divine Power. And don't tell me he somehow lugs a Huge weapon around with him when he's normal sized?

Equipment changes size with polymorph. Or would you really like to see characters bursting out of their clothes?

In our high-level game the cleric usually casts Miracle and uses it to simulate Polymorph, thus no exp cost. He kicks more ass than fighters in our group. Stone Giant is the best form.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Real Munchkins polymorph into firbolgs.

 

[Numion]

Real Munchkins polymorph into firbolgs.

Thanks for the tip. That STR 36 is pretty good .. slap a triple-empowered bull's strength on top of that and we're talking business.

BTW, I don't think that your player is a munchkin, Felon. Just a regular powergamer. IMO munchkinism exists only if the DM allows it. Powergaming is harder (impossible?) to prevent, because it's just making optimal choices. Munchkinism is usually bending / breaking rules.

 

[Red Baron]

...On one occasion he kicked me out of his house on an occasion when I ruled against him. He is a nice guy otherwise though lol.

This kind of statement always astounds me. Don't get me wrong -- I can't be a good judge here, since I don't know you or your friend, and all this may well be out of context. But people who regularly do things that aren't nice aren't nice people. Someone who is nice to you but treats the waiter like crap probably isn't a nice person. (Granted, we all have bad days, but there's a difference between being a little upset and voicing your concern and kicking somebody -- supposedly a friend -- out of your house over a game.)

As I said, though, you're (probably) in a better place to judge...

Cheers,

 

[Felon]

This player may be a munchkin at heart, but he's far from mastered the craft.

That's a good point. He's not all that expert at munchkining, but he sure does capture the spirit.

OTOH, He has figured out a way to crank out a lot of damage without using up a lot of spells.

His default character, btw, is a cleric with the magic domain that co-opts the wizard class by toting around a quiver of arcane wands. That's one domain that I definitely hope gets revised, not to mention the goofy business where using even the most potent spell-activation items only require a single level in the appropriate class.

 

[Azul]

His default character, btw, is a cleric with the magic domain that co-opts the wizard class by toting around a quiver of arcane wands. That's one domain that I definitely hope gets revised, not to mention the goofy business where using even the most potent spell-activation items only require a single level in the appropriate class.

I actually quite like the magic domain as is. It provides a useful ability (the use of arcane magical goodies) but that doesn't seem overpowered in comparison to other useful domain abilities (e.g. death touch, smite, the free feats from War, the reroll from Luck, the freedom of movement ability of Travel).

It's a great choice for someone who wants to design a more "flexible" cleric with a little of another class' flavour but without actually multiclassing (esp. since cleric/wizard multiclasses suck). Knowledge and Magic are great to produce a "wizardy" cleric (e.g. a cleric of a god of magic). Trickery and Magic aren't a bad mix either.

Trickery and Luck (or better yet, Thievery from T&T) make a nice "roguish" cleric (e.g. a cleric of a god of greed or thieves). War and Strength/Destruction make a nice "fighterish" cleric (e.g. cleric of a god of war). In both these cases, a few levels of multiclassing might be worth it (esp. starting as the other class and then going cleric).

 

[Felon]

I actually quite like the magic domain as is. It provides a useful ability (the use of arcane magical goodies) but that doesn't seem overpowered in comparison to other useful domain abilities (e.g. death touch, smite, the free feats from War, the reroll from Luck, the freedom of movement ability of Travel).

It's actually the rules spell-activation items that are broken, not so much the domain, but giving clerics Use Magic Device as a class skills is still a more balanced solution.

 

[hong]

Equipment changes size with polymorph. Or would you really like to see characters bursting out of their clothes?

Well, if it's good enough for Bruce Banner....

 

[Numion]

Well, if it's good enough for Bruce Banner....

But would a clerics plate mail turn into a plate thong, hong?

 

[Cedric]

This sounds like a good time for Cedric's advice on "What to do when your best friend's are relentless Munchkin's".

Believe me...I've been there. It starts pretty simple, take a level of paladin for the saves and bonuses, then change and go monk for the rest of your career. Write it off with a roleplaying excuse.

But pretty soon, a few years later, you are a half-fiend, half-dragon, half-troll, Ogre Magi, Death Knight of Krynn. And you somehow string together enough loopholes in the rules to make this fly..on paper. Then what are you left with?

Something about as attractive to the rest of your friends as Fly Paper.

So what do you do? In the end...I say live with it. The GM is going to have to put his foot down to keep it under control. But the GM shouldn't try to stop it all together. Because this guy is your friend...and you don't want to lose that friendship.

When you put your foot down as a GM. Try not to do it that often and when pressed for an answer. Just say, I don't really want something like that in my campaign. As a GM, I'm not comfortable with it.

Is this going to keep the munchkin in check forever? Are they going to stop their power gaming ways? Of course not, but with a few checks and balances here and there it can be kept under control to the point where everyone has fun.

Note that with this method, it may be necessary as a GM to throw in some smackdown of your own.

I recommend something small, fast and deadly with a sword. Just make sure that the something small, fast and deadly is in an Anti-Magic Shell when you throw him at the munchkin giant mage.

Cedric