Optimizing Savior.

[Seffbasilisk]

Most of you know of me, even if you don't know me.

One of the things I do, is put the pieces together, very well, to build a clockwork character of Awesome, before I layer the crunch-skeleton with the layers of fluff.

What I'm calling this thread together for to discuss, is the concept, that the optimizer, has to 'save' the party.

I've been in low power games before, and almost inevitably, I find the other players looking at me expectantly, praying that I pull yet another rabbit out of my hat, to undo the latest screw up, or deal with the fact that we're under attack by eight dire bears.

Now, inevitably this becomes an arms race with the DM. I don't want to pull out my full inner twink, because then the game...wouldn't be a game. Too many instances of 'I don't even have to roll, I just win' take a lot of the fun out of it.

On the other hand, if I just sit back, and keep at the current power level of the party, something like the bard's character not knowing what to say, or letting himself be lead away, can lead to character deaths.

TL;DR

Any of you other optimizers deal with having to 'save' the party through being the one with a good build? Any advice on how to avoid this phenomena or stories you'd like to share on it?

I'm keeping it limited to v3.5 'ere, because anyone with math skills could rule the world in 2e, and 4e is a joke.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

I know the feeling. Have you tried building people's characters for them?

I know this is kind of a canned response but it seems like you have a group that knows you're the optimizer and looks upon you favorably for it.

But yeah happened to me all the time in one group I played with. I play a caster they expect me to pull something out of my ass for every situation. I play a barbarian and they depend on my to do the heavy lifting in every encounter. I play a DMM Persist Cleric or a summoner and now they expect both. Hell even when I played a truenamer they expected a lot of my diplomacy and knowledge everything.

[OracleofSilence]

i have found that the trick to save you from this is simple. so long as you can find just one thing that will let them win, you can optimize to let you do that, and then sit back and have fun for example:

if the campaign is low level, play a Psion. you will find relatively few enemies that are immune to mind effecting powers, and more over, this lets you revel in the awesomeness of roleplaying your powers (ie being a telepath)

if the campaign is mid level, pull out a generalist wizard. you can swiss army knife your way t victory, and generally pulll their ass off the fire, but still let them do teh heavy lifting so you aren't put upon.

if the campaign is high level, play what you want. death is never permanent so long as you really care as a party.

[Seffbasilisk]

I have offered build suggestions, pointed out fun spells and items, and done things like "Oh man! Imagine if you took [Feat X]!"

The last person I helped with that, ganked my Changeling Barbarian/Warshaper/Swordsage/Occult Slayer.

Now I've brought in a Sorcerer, focusing in Enchantment. It's much easier to guide the party, when I'm everyone's best friend, and they have to match charisma with me to try to go against my whims.

I'm well used to being the party's savior, but if in one session:

I make a new character.
I introduce the new character.
I cast every single spell he knows (excepting only four).

And they're already saying things along the lines of 'Oh, that's all you can do?'

Any tricks for weaning them off the expectation of being saved? Any especially good stories of saves?

[Kefkafreak]

This happened to me once. I had a Beguiler so optimized that I could destroy the final boss with a thought. I was aware of my power levels and often restrained myself and used support spells that helped the rest of the party have fun.

However, there many times when I just had to say "Sigh... I cast [insert save-or-you-lose spell] on the enemies" because we were nearing a TPK.