Power Level and Classes

[Roman]

I am not sure whether this or the rules or the house rules forum is best for this thread, but here it comes anyway...

The D&D classes as described in the WotC rulebooks are designed for baseline (medium-) powered campaigns (yes, yes I would describe it as quite high-powered, but that's a matter of opinion, so let's assume the baseline classes are designed for medium-powered games, because they are baseline). For convenience, therefore, whenever I refer to high-powered in this thread I mean higher-powered than the baseline described in WotC products and conversely when I refer to low-powered I mean lower-powered than the same baseline.

1) If by this definition you play a low-powered campaign have you modified classes to tone down their power-level? How did you do this? Even if you have not done so, how would you do it?

2) If by this definition you play a high-powered campaign have you modified classes to increase their power-level? How did you do this? Even if you have not done so, how would you do it?

 

[Whimsical]

Using the Gestalt rules from Unearthed Arcana is the simplest way to uniformly power up the PC classes.

The most common thing that I have seen DMs to to power up the PCs characters is to have a stat generation method that is better than Roll 4d6-remove lowest die method. Even if it's just a matter of letting a player re-roll stats more than once. Using point buy that is greater than 25 points is another common method, as the 25 point buy is the average of the roll 4d6-1 method. I also find that the DMs are mostly unconsious that what they are doing is powering up the PC when they do these things because they are accustomed to seeing characters with above average stats, when in reality using more favorable stat generation methods than the default increases the player's effective character level by one and sometimes two.

 

[Whimsical]

A simple way for a DM to have PCs that are toned down in power level is to have their first level be Commoner, or have the first two levels be any NPC class. That will be distinctive enough to create the feel of a lower powered, less romanticized, more down-to-earth game without robbing PCs of class abilities.

 

[the Jester]

To tone pc power levels down I could see straight 3d6 stat generation and/or removing ability increases every four levels.

To power the pcs up, I'd prolly use the gestalt rules or increase the rate of feat/ability gain.

Also, giving out more or less xp is prolly a good approach.

 

[Staffan]

Using point buy that is greater than 25 points is another common method, as the 25 point buy is the average of the roll 4d6-1 method.

I did some math on that a long while ago, which I don't seem to have around anymore. IIRC, the average point value on 4d6 drop lowest turned out to be something like 30-32 points - the average value on a single roll might be 12.5 or so (it's somewhere between 12 and 13 anyway), which would mean about 25 points if multiplied by six, but that doesn't take into account the higher cost for stats over 14.

However, point-buy has the advantage that you get to choose your strengths and weaknesses, which is a power increase in itself. That justifies a slightly lower point value, IMO.

 

[arscott]

Though I haven't seen them in play, gestalt rules don't seem like a particulaly fair way to power up a campaign. They're more like a way to have a campaign with only one or two pcs. After all, just combining the better features of two classes is only going to be a significant power increase for a few class combinations. After all, a gestalt fighter/barbarian is essentially just a barbarian with extra feats, but a gestalt wizard/barbarian would be ridiculously overpowered even for a high-power setting.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Most GMs I know leave the classes the same but tinker with stat rolls and/or magic item availability to modify the power level.

You do get the occasional GM that has a hard on for a particular class though and makes it more powerful either in the name of balance or realism. This is most often a problem with samurai and ninjas.

 

[Voadam]

After all, a gestalt fighter/barbarian is essentially just a barbarian with extra feats, but a gestalt wizard/barbarian would be ridiculously overpowered even for a high-power setting

Just.

And a fighter is just a warrior with extra feats and a higher HD.

I think a fighter barbarian gestalt is a pretty strong character, the barbarian wizard still has to worry about arcane spell failure while if a fighter one goes heavy armor he only gives up increased speed. Plus a BW has to throw points into int in addition to the physicals while a BF can focus his point buys on tank stats.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

As the others said: The easiest method is to change the method of ability generation, then there's treasure output (though that is IMO not only a matter of power level but also of world design).

Other ways might deal with the number of feats you get, or make the races more powerful (Midnight does that. The races are more powerful as the PHB races, the equivalent of LA +1 races somewhere else)

Gestalt rules are a serious power boost, but can also be used theme the campaign - by prescribing one of the classes. Maybe everyone has to be a rogue, or must take his race's favoured class.

Another power boost (it seems it's easier to make characters more powerful) is the introduction of something like heroic paths (once again, that's from Midnight. Midnight charactes have a lot of individual power, which they dearly need, for the allies are few and the enemy near all-powerful, and good equipment, including magic items, are near non-existant). Heroic paths give you something extra at every level. Some feature spell-like abilities, others ability boosts, some give skill boosts and other special abilities.

To tone them down, you could force them to take a flaw without giving them anything, but disadvantages from flaws tend to be minimized.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

A gesalt barbarian/wizard also cannot cast spells while raging.