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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ahnehnois" data-source="post: 6149486" data-attributes="member: 17106">How people handle magic item creation is apparently a big point of difference between groups. I never saw that players were willing to blow feats on item creation (trading out Scribe Scroll is a given), and I find that XP costs (back when I used XP) are anathema to players. This being a game about adventure, PCs also tend not to have a ton of downtime in my games (though there are exceptions). Also, item-based spells are useless if CL or DC matter at all.But I have heard this narrative of omnivalent item-enabled casters dominating the game, and it does make me wonder what is going on there. Certainly, 3.X's item creation rules need a major overhaul regardless.I've DMed...I don't remember how many wizards. Several, but not a ton. They invariably struggle to keep up with other PCs. Playing a wizard is more of a fun experiment than a quest for world domination. I find the same thing with NPC wizards; they tend to be less of a challenge then their level would suggest and running characters with spellbooks and memorized spells sucks. It's very hard to memorize optimal spells, and in 3.5 math, most saving throws are made. The powerful effects are there in the rules, but getting results in-game is pretty hard. Again, for me it's two birds in a bush.I've had a ton of druids, because my games tend to be outdoors, perhaps. Useful, but never dominant.Then again, my most recent experience was having an 11th level NPC druid sneak attack a party of 3 10th level PCs and one fairly weak NPC. Your PCs were a ranger, a monk, and a monstrous character with blink dog abilities and a couple levels of rogue (i.e. no real casters). I definitely optimized that druid and unleashed the rulebook on them, and the PCs totally owned him. None of his offensive spells could pierce their defenses, his animal companion was useless, and his wild shape forms did him no good. I find that happens frequently with casters; tons of options, but most of them don't work, and option paralysis sets in.I'm not going to say that, but I will say that the rules themselves don't dictate those outcomes. There's room for revision in the rules, but I don't think that eliminating the god-wizard or trying to create a god-fighter is needed.I've never believed that limiting abilities "per day" had much of an effect on balance. As Trailblazer states, it's really "per rest". So yes, I generally believe that casters will nova, and need to be balanced based on that expectation in the model we have. Whether you can teleport or not (though moreso with Teleport), players are generally quick to rest.Difference is, if anything I've modified the rules to encourage that, as spell points and standard spell DCs (i.e. all spells are one DC instead of lower-level spells being garbage) make it easier. I want my casters to A) use their best abilities frequently and have some chance of them working, and B) run out of spells regularly. To me that's the best way to utilize the mechanical assets in the game to create an interesting and dynamic play experience.In the broader context of my games, starting from RAW and gradually moving to widespread houserules, I've yet to see the casters take over the narrative.</blockquote>

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