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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mallus" data-source="post: 3371540" data-attributes="member: 3887">Is this any different from a player wanting to 'improve on' the existing spells and magic items in absurd ways? Stuff like: 'My character already knows fireball, so he's going to spend some time deconstructing the spell and create a version that causes a mere 20 degree temperature increase inside the skulls of its targets. Seeing as this spell applies less heat to a smaller volume, it should be a level lower.'Why is technology fundamentally different from magic? (especially when you consider the D&D rule set rather explicitly treats magic as technology). Wouldn't a player who wants to 'game the system' simply finding other systems to game if banned gunpowder/higher technology? Say like the magic system?A really smart DM would simply put a stop to that kind of group dynamic. See my above point about magic. Wouldn't that same hypothetical player try to design unbalancing spells? As general advice, that's good. But why is it relevant? All the player erudition in the world can't turn a DM's 'no' into a 'yes'.So you know of three dysfunctional campaigns. That only shows you've had a run of back luck with your gaming groups. There really shouldn't be any need for this, assuming you're playing with reasonable people and/or friends. If you've gotten to point where you need to defend your decisions as DM as if you're defending a thesis or presenting a case in court, you should step back a moment and address the underlying problems in the way your group relates to each other.   Anyway,guns...I'd set the damage on the higher side. Make them a serious rival for low/mid level magics, unless you want them to disappear from use relatively quickly. Up the firing rate to something patently unrealistic for the same reason. A 'cool new element' added to the game should see some use.I'd also add simple yet funky mechanic to differentiate firearms from human-powered missile weapons, like making them touch attacks at close range (and normal attacks beyond)</blockquote>

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