Elric VIII
2011-03-31, 11:08 PM
I'm going to DM a game soon and I would like some advice on setup. In general, I want my players to play what they want, but I don't want to be put in the position of DMing for a party that is internally unbalaced.
Here's the scenario so far:
1.) I have one player that might play an Artificer. I will limit the amount of cost reducers that he will be able to take, but I'm not sure what to expect in terms of actual play. Can I expect an Artificer to break the WBL guidelines?
2.) Another player wants to play a Jermlaine Druid. The biggest downside of the Jermlaine is its large penalty to Str and Cha. This being the case, I will be enforcing weight limitations. However, I have a feeling that between packs on his AC and Wildshape that there will be no downsides. Is this a valid concern?
3.) I plan to allow a point-buy with more points avalable builds based mostly on lower tiers (Tier 1: 30, 2: 32, 3: 36, 4: 42). Would this be enough of a boost to make a difference?
4.) I will allow my players to have a +1 LA race/template, barring Feral, Mineral Warrior, Lolth Touched, Half Minotaur, Half Ogre, and Incarnate Construct. Are there any others about which I should worry?
Naturally, since I will be allowing my players as much freedom as I can when compiling their builds I will reserve the right to make modifications on the fly, if they become too unbalanced.
I will also be operating under the rule that I will be able to use anything they use (most likely at a higher level due to the extra RP exp that those NPCs will receive if I am forced to use them).
Here's the scenario so far:
1.) I have one player that might play an Artificer. I will limit the amount of cost reducers that he will be able to take, but I'm not sure what to expect in terms of actual play. Can I expect an Artificer to break the WBL guidelines?
2.) Another player wants to play a Jermlaine Druid. The biggest downside of the Jermlaine is its large penalty to Str and Cha. This being the case, I will be enforcing weight limitations. However, I have a feeling that between packs on his AC and Wildshape that there will be no downsides. Is this a valid concern?
3.) I plan to allow a point-buy with more points avalable builds based mostly on lower tiers (Tier 1: 30, 2: 32, 3: 36, 4: 42). Would this be enough of a boost to make a difference?
4.) I will allow my players to have a +1 LA race/template, barring Feral, Mineral Warrior, Lolth Touched, Half Minotaur, Half Ogre, and Incarnate Construct. Are there any others about which I should worry?
Naturally, since I will be allowing my players as much freedom as I can when compiling their builds I will reserve the right to make modifications on the fly, if they become too unbalanced.
I will also be operating under the rule that I will be able to use anything they use (most likely at a higher level due to the extra RP exp that those NPCs will receive if I am forced to use them).