Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Evilboy" data-source="post: 2381200" data-attributes="member: 186">Try some small stuff firstI'm really concerned as a GM about game balance, so I feel your pain about how powerful a spellcaster can be.&nbsp; That said, until players hit really high levels, I've always found that spellcasters look far more dangerous than they actually are.Perhaps part of the problem is the way you're throwing attacks at your party?&nbsp; Most GMs I've played with tend to have encounters focus on combat with a medium-to-large group of low-dex low-wisdom melee mobs.&nbsp; The ideal situation for a spellcaster to deal with.Nothing wrong with this, of course, everyone should get a chance to shine, but if a wizard is getting a bit cocky in combat, try throwing in something a bit different.&nbsp; A high level monk as a villain might not scare a tank fighter, but that monk could have +10 or higher in every save, evasion, bonuses against mental magic and massive potential damage against low AC targets.&nbsp; If that doesn't give your party's wizard a nightmare, I really don't know what will.&nbsp; Perhaps an entire order of angry monks?&nbsp; Rogue archers are sure to ruin a spellcaster's day as well (can you say &quot;readied action?&quot;).&nbsp; A Paladin with resistance magic and high charisma?&nbsp; If nothing else, try reading the rules on &quot;grappling&quot; and attack your party with a team of angry half-orc professional wrestlers.This isn't to suggest that you tailor every combat to destroy a spellcaster, but sometimes a class is balanced with a varied encounter set in mind.&nbsp; Sometimes the wizard gets to show off, sometimes the wizard gets to run and hide.The other non-combat spells I've always found to be even less useful than they seem to be.&nbsp; Most players tend to cast them at the wrong time, in the wrong place, or at the wrong target.&nbsp; They're useful, but don't read over the spell list and get yourself worried, there isn't anything there much scarier than a high sense motive check.&nbsp; Again, sometimes having the ability to read ancient runes with a simple spell will give you all the information you need to kill the big baddie, and sometimes it'll just let you read really crap amateur romantic fiction from a civilization dead for thousands of years.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Evilboy, post: 2381200, member: 186"] [b]Try some small stuff first[/b] I'm really concerned as a GM about game balance, so I feel your pain about how powerful a spellcaster can be. That said, until players hit really high levels, I've always found that spellcasters look far more dangerous than they actually are. Perhaps part of the problem is the way you're throwing attacks at your party? Most GMs I've played with tend to have encounters focus on combat with a medium-to-large group of low-dex low-wisdom melee mobs. The ideal situation for a spellcaster to deal with. Nothing wrong with this, of course, everyone should get a chance to shine, but if a wizard is getting a bit cocky in combat, try throwing in something a bit different. A high level monk as a villain might not scare a tank fighter, but that monk could have +10 or higher in every save, evasion, bonuses against mental magic and massive potential damage against low AC targets. If that doesn't give your party's wizard a nightmare, I really don't know what will. Perhaps an entire order of angry monks? Rogue archers are sure to ruin a spellcaster's day as well (can you say "readied action?"). A Paladin with resistance magic and high charisma? If nothing else, try reading the rules on "grappling" and attack your party with a team of angry half-orc professional wrestlers. This isn't to suggest that you tailor every combat to destroy a spellcaster, but sometimes a class is balanced with a varied encounter set in mind. Sometimes the wizard gets to show off, sometimes the wizard gets to run and hide. The other non-combat spells I've always found to be even less useful than they seem to be. Most players tend to cast them at the wrong time, in the wrong place, or at the wrong target. They're useful, but don't read over the spell list and get yourself worried, there isn't anything there much scarier than a high sense motive check. Again, sometimes having the ability to read ancient runes with a simple spell will give you all the information you need to kill the big baddie, and sometimes it'll just let you read really crap amateur romantic fiction from a civilization dead for thousands of years. [/QUOTE]

Verification