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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mark" data-source="post: 912433" data-attributes="member: 5">I'll try to make your efforts worthwhile... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Nope.  Scratch that rule in your case as it would only exacerbate the problem you have.  At the least, suspend the rule for a while.  If the remarkably lucky guy dies a few times and things get back to even, then maybe consider adding it back in.  I'm not much of a house-rules guy, but since (like Will/d20 Dwarf) so much of my DMing falls into the category of playtesting, I need a nice base line in the characters so I can judge the material fairly.  In the case you have, I would approach it the same way until things normalize.  So, no, don't use the book ruling on losing a level.Are these items they are crafting for themselves to use, or are the other members of the party asking for these items to be made?  If the latter, I might be tempting to drop a scroll (divine or arcane, whichever is needed) into the campaign somewhere that has a spell on it that could be learned by the crafter.  Something on the order of a "Shared Experience" spell.  Make it as high a level spell as you think fits, but is still accessible to the caster.  Can only be cast on a willing subject.  Allows the caster, just before an item creation process, to absorb the experience necessary for creation from another willing person.  If the higher level guy truly wants to even things up a bit, he'll volunteer for this process when necessary.  Won't clear up everything, but it may help a bit.Are you making sure to throw diverse groups at them, and slyly pairing them off so the tough guy gets the tough opponents and the lower fellas get the easier pickins?  That may help keep everyone challenged a little more.Well, that's not it then.  Some folks I know who DM have a tendancy to dole out the experience to the guys that impress the DM the most, but often it turns out to be the same player again and again.  It's a slippery slope but it isn't your problem.  My bad.It might be worthwhile having NPCs and creatures that might carry magic to stop fighting to the death.  An encounter in 3E is supposed to expend 20% of a party's resources, but there's no real problem with having things run away after taking 10% (you also have the option to give lower experience for those encounters of you like) and no new magic items are left behind.  If you are concerned that the NPC might not get away, toss in some extra minions to remove the chance of following the NPC, and that would also suck up some more of those resources.In the future, you might also consider having more items that work with charges, so they aren't permanent items, even if those types of items normally function as permanent items.  If planned treasure in a module calls for a ring of invisibility, change it to a wand of invisibility with twenty charges.  Things like that can help to even things out sooner or later.In another thread I added these suggestions for how to handle the back ranks of NPCs without having to plow through the front ranks first-You may have to be unfair in how you use these tactics so that you are attacking only the PCs that can take it, but if it helps to even things out a bit, it couldn't hurt.  As long as you don't do it every single time it shouldn't be overly upsetting to the players.Well, that might settle some of the trouble for you.  If things get close about the time he wants to come back, hedge your bet and dole out enough experience to get the party a level ahead of him. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />I agree.  You may want to make sure the party has an item that functions as an alarm, to some degree, in the Ranger's absence.Hee hee hee Got stung, eh? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />  Greed is sometimes going to happen and you've punished them for breaking their "character code" so I don't suppose you could have done anything differently.If this were to happen now in your current situation I'd suggest fudging the saving throw rolls and destroying any of the things you think would unbalance the party...at least until things get back closer to normal.Just a bad break there.  If a number of characters are in close quarters melee you might consider switching the focus of the attacking monster toward someone who can take the damage more.  Also, even if there aren't other characters in direct melee, if someone is taking too much of a pummeling, there's really no reason an irrational creature can't view someone plunking him with arrows or spells as the greater threat, break off melee and charge the bowman or caster.  Monsters (especially chaotic ones) don't always have to ceaselessly attack until an opponent is dead, it just seems that way because we've become used to watching the hit points go down and trying to take out PCs one at a time to lessen the number of attacks they get.  Battles can be more random than that with creatures bouncing from one opponent to the next regardless of how well they might do against one particular foe.They certainly pushed their luck and payed for it.  I've seen this happen a few times during games and sometimes have just called for a break.  Taking fifteen minutes away from the table sometimes helps players to calm from the adrenaline rush they got from the last fight.  Not saying it would have helped in this case, but it bears mentioning for anyone who happens to be slogging through our extend-o-posts. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />Simple foolishness.  With some groups I got in the habit of asking if anyone was doing any healing and staring directly at one player who always used to forget.  This guy had ADD and it really wasn't his fault that he would forget.  The guy who played the cleric in that group was a newer player so I couldn't really blame him for not speaking up.  Sometimes I would be less blatant and tell the back ranks that they noticed a trail of blood so they would follow it to their bleeding companion and tell him to heal up. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />There have been ocassions where I've lessened the amount of damage I've dealt, taking a PC to one point below 0 instead of outright killing them.  Sure it's fudging but if you feel the CRs are out of whack, you're really just leveling the playing field.  Might not have helped in this case but who knows?Shadows are one of the nastiest creatures no matter what level a party is.  Almost certain ambush and most normal defenses don't help much.  Nuff said. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />I wouldn't be so harsh as to say they are stupid or reckless, but if they are repeatedly missing what you think is the obvious maybe they need some sharper hints than you have been giving them?  Being so lethal in combat might also be giving them a false sense of superiority.  Maybe there are ways to curtail that with more horrific descriptions of those who have died before they get to their destination.  Scrawlings on walls by a nearby skeleton, the sole survivor of an encounter gone wrong as a dying declaration of just how dangerous a next encounter might be.  Maybe add in some clues as to what might be a good approach, I.E. warnings of possible ambushes, types of creature if not exact names, tip offs for traps ("keep your eyes on the path" before a pit), things like that.Anyway, hope that helps a bit. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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