Potential game balance issue...help!

Wow, you must play a high powered game to be offering such high rewards at level 8 / 9.

Lessee-

"Well 1" offers immunity to 3 divine domains- 27 spells altogether. Whomever gets this benefit will never again fear Harm, Time Stop, Disintegrate, Implosion. Wow. Keep in mind some DM Special templates like the Chosen of (name of god) get immunity to one spell of their choosing from each level... this is 3 from each level.
On the other hand, -3 wis seems to pale in comparison to the benefits gained, especially to a non wis-centric character.

"Well 2" is bread and butter for fighting mundane monsters without DR, but it's power against high level creatures ends far sooner than Well 1 does, and it doesn't guarantee as much safety.
The penalty would make a grown dwarf cry- whether in -2 or -3 format. Knocking 8-16 HP a character (assuming the levels you've given us) is sheer pain.

"Well 3" seems to have a harsher penalty than a benefit for melee types. In comparison to well 1, this one seems to be less powerful.

"Well 4" is perhaps the second strongest (after Well 1) as it is great for anyone. +2 to everything? Yowsas. -2 to everything- that'll get jeers.

"Well 5" is amazing for rogues and great for others, especially if it stacks with Improved Init.

On the whole, if you're asking if these are balanced with each other, I'd say they aren't. powerwise, I'd go 1,4,5,2,3- with a slight variation depending on individual class. If you're asking if the possibilities of negatives match the possibilities of positives, again, I'd have to say no. When one player gets it right, and the other gets it wrong, it makes more imbalance in the group. Now you'll be dealing with making sure Jimmy the Fighter and his +2 to everything isn't bored with the things you throw at him, and you have to be sure those things don't poobeat Jack the Rogue who now has -3 to his original Con modifier.

The biggest issue with this is that these wells will be making major, permanent changes to their characters- to the point where you might want to stop the session and ask them to come back next game with an idea in their heads as to how this affects their roleplay. As a player, I wouldn't want to be made to make such massive risks to my character without forewarning or choice (Deck of Many Things- you choose to draw or you don't, you know it's magic as you can't try to use it as a normal deck and detection spells etc).
 

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clark411 said:

The biggest issue with this is that these wells will be making major, permanent changes to their characters- to the point where you might want to stop the session and ask them to come back next game with an idea in their heads as to how this affects their roleplay.


Ah, mornings. Good morning, clark. Did you miss this:


Originally posted by boxstop7:
they will recieve a bonus or penalty accordingly that will impact the battle with the final bad guy and will only last as long as they are battling in the chamber where the battle will take place.



So, they're not "major, permanent changes". Just a boost for the coming fight. Not that your points aren't valid. Some of the bonuses and penalties definitely don't balance with each other.


But others here have already pointed out the discrepancies, no need to rehash.
 

clark411 said:
Wow, you must play a high powered game to be offering such high rewards at level 8 / 9.
. . .
"Well 1" offers immunity to 3 divine domains- 27 spells altogether. Whomever gets this benefit will never again fear Harm, Time Stop, Disintegrate, Implosion.
. . .
The biggest issue with this is that these wells will be making major, permanent changes to their characters

"they will recieve a bonus or penalty accordingly that will impact the battle with the final bad guy and will only last as long as they are battling in the chamber where the battle will take place"

J
 

As others have posted, one problem might be that a given modifier has a big effect on character A, but hardly any at all on character B. You might do better having each custom made for that character, either emphasizing his biggest strength/tactic, or enhancing his biggest weakness.

btw - this is a cool idea, consider it stolen :).
 


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