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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Stormrunner" data-source="post: 2079652" data-attributes="member: 13471">Well, lvl 6 PCs shouldn't have "+3 everything".  And you're finding out why.DMG, page 135, Table 5-1:Chartacter Wealth by Level.  This is the suggested total wealth per character per level.  That's TOTAL, including all equipment, mounts, and magic items (NOT a per-item amount as some players seem to think).  Per the table, 6th-level is 13,000 gp.  Though the DMG doesn't state it, a good rule of thumb is that no single item should be more than one-third to one-half of the total, otherwise you get the character who's totally naked excapt for a single magic item...well, maybe not that extreme but you get the idea.So a 6th-level PC should have no item worth more than about 6,000-7,000 gp, totalling no more than 12,000-14,000 gp.A single +3 weapon costs over 18,000 gp, +3 armor or shield costs more than 9,000 gp each.  A fighter in +3 full plate(10,650gp), +3 heavy steel shield(9,170gp), and a +3 greatsword(18,350gp) has 38,170gp of magic items, not counting his normal gear.  By the suggested wealth levels, he'd have to be 10th level to afford that.You've been way too generous with the magic items, and your 6th-level party is decked out like a 10th-11th level party should be.  It's no wonder they're steamrollering CR6 monsters and you're having to throw CR10 critters at them to even scratch them.  In 3.x your gear makes a much bigger difference than it did in AD&D.  The fighter in the above example has an AC of at least 26, plus Dex, Dodge, or any other bonuses he might have lying around.  So to have a 50/50 chance of hitting him, a critter needs to have an attack bonus of at least +16.CR 1 lizardmen will hit this guy only on a natural 20, so they're doomed if they stand toe-to-toe and whack away.  Instead, they should use tactics.  Trip or Bull Rush him into the water, then Grapple and hold him under until he drowns.  Same with the spellcasters - they can't cast while they're breath-holding unless they prepared with Silent Spell, or while they're being grappled unless they have Still Spell.  A nice tangly net will reduce the mobility of the pesky rogue.  In general, fight smarter, not harder.Another problem with unbalanced wealth levels is the players are more fragile.  Their gear gives them AC and to-hit (and perhaps a few skills, spells, or saves) equivalent to higher-level characters, but they don't have the hit points, class abilities, spellcasting levels, or base saves of a true high-level party.   For example, spell resistance that would have a 50/50 chance of stopping the spells of a 11th-level wizard will be much more effective (at least 75%) against the tricked-out 6th-level wizard.  Another example: The retriever's eye rays do 12d6 with a DR18 Fort save for half.  That's an average of 42 damage (21 half).  An Fighter11 has a Fort save of +7, probably another +3 for Con, so around +10 or so, meaning he needs an 8 or better to save (65% chance), reducing the average damage to (35% full + 65% half)= 28 points.  He has around 98 hp, so he can get hit three times, on average, and still survive.  The Fighter6 has a base save of +5, +3 for Con = +8.  He needs a 10 or better to save (55% chance).  So the average damage he takes is 30.5 - and he has only about 56 hp.  On the second hit, or maybe the third, he's going down.  If the retriever rolls high on damage, and he fails his save, it could kill him in a single zap, whereas even a max-damage zap won't take down the Fighter11.</blockquote>

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