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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FreeTheSlaves" data-source="post: 2794787" data-attributes="member: 9952">First thing, tell the player that the status quo is _not_ fun for you & you have difficulty justifying to yourself running a game you don't enjoy. Assuming he is a decent player & friend he'll now be onside with you & help you find a solution. In the unlikely event that this is not the case I'd dis-invite or quit, life is too short & there is so much to do.As I see it you've got 3 problems not 2.1) You & some of the other players have not made the transition to lower high-level play where mobility, perception & % miss chances become more significant. The sorcerer player is not doing anything wrong in this regard in fact they are pointing the direction where the play should naturally progress. The solution here is for you to further develop your encounter skills & perhaps the other players to better coordinate their characters with each others strengths.2) The issue of balanced challenge is quite tricky & related to problem 3, the sorcerer player seems to be viewing the sorcerer as a fundamentally independent entity to the group. Without meaningful consequence to the party getting annihilated, in fact getting rewarded, the sorcerer player has learned to merely survive defeat is to advance.3) Old characters are being discarded for new characters & these new characters are joining up with a sorcerer with a very very bad track record. Okay, it sounds like you've got a campaign where raising the dead is discouraged which is perfectly understandable. The problems with new characters especially in a high body count campaign is that there is little player investment & character familiarization. A lack of player investment which can create a playing atmosphere where death is not is not considered so bad because you don't lose much investment. Higher level characters require more familiarization to get a grasp of the powers available & more importantly the limitations. Party strength is greatest when players run characters that they are familiar with & have created synergies with the other characters.The problem with the sorcerer is that the wealth is concentrating in their larger then recommended treasure pool which is further encouraging this style of play.Proposed solutions? Okay here are my suggestions:1) Always take into consideration the mid to high level emphasis on mobility, senses & miss chances. A rule of thumb I use is to look at the higher level spells that the party (& thus stock npc encounter) can cast because monsters can often have similar powers.2) Suck it up & plan better mixed encounters, especially ones where summoned monsters are of so-so effectiveness. Remember it is all about time in the spotlight, make sure every character gets their fair share.3) Require the sorcerer to spend their excess wealth on party perishables that improve survivability of the party, such as potions/wands/scrolls of darkvision/exp. retreat/flight/invisibility/etc... Rationalize it however you like but make it known in no uncertain terms that it will happen.4) Discourage new characters by carrot or stick. Carrot would be stuff like the 1 extra round rule where a normal death blow is immediately capped at -9hps. Stick would be whacking em with an extra level penalty or limiting their wealth.</blockquote>

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