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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cintra" data-source="post: 1924189" data-attributes="member: 2448">My experience with "high-powered" games in this sense is a bit different. Your game is the same type we tend to run; I'm DM right now, and our current campaign as a Gestalt, high-ability-score, extra money game.  We don't tend to run into many of the issues you describe, and part of it may be because I give most of the same ramp-ups in abilities to the NPCs and monsters as I do to the PCs. For example, all monsters use the Elite Spread for attributes (occasional NPCs get the even-higher values the PCs use), about 2/3 to 3/4 of max hps instead of average, and sometimes an extra ability. Also, I treat the party as one level lower, and treat all foes as one level lower, for XP-award purposes, which considerably fixes the problem with advancing too quickly.Although I do still find that the PCs are relatively low on Hit Points compared to most of the challenges they face; and near-death experiences have been a fact of life in every recent session, with one actual character death. (Character levels are currently 5th through 7th)The reason we play "high-power" isn't because any of us expect it to make the challenges easier - it's because we want the extra flexibility that such characters gain.  Higher-level characters by the Rules as Written look too much like one-trick-ponies by comparison; all too often, they seem to specialize in one or two things just to be decent at them - and really can't do anything else. We prefer to have a bunch of characters who each can handle a variety of situations.However, the next campaign I'm planning will tone down the power level quite a bit. I plan to sell the players on this by offering something in exchange. I'm creating bits of background info (childhood events, relatives, strange possessions, etc.) that will be drawn randomly by the players. (Random selection has proven in the past to be an excellent way to do this - they really get into it.)  Most if not all of the random bits will provide roll-playing hooks; very few will actually give special abilities or other advantages to the characters, although there will be a few. (Like a +2 bonus to a couple of skills based on some past experience, or a bit of extra starting money.)  I think they'll be intrigued enough by the character-development this provides that they'll be willing to go along with less immediate power (and flexibility) than we've all gotten used to.</blockquote>

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