DM vs party question

[xyamius]

Current run down.

Party is now level 6 with 4 players and everyone has 2 characters each.

We are averaging a level every 3-4 encounters due to our DM is throwing encounters at us with high CR's.

We are however not getting usable loot nor are we able to buy or sell the useless stuff we have. When asked about loot we where advised that the party will have to figure out how to solve issues with just skills and what they can do and shouldn't be reliant on equipment. (Average party member loot value is around 3k gold for all use able gear on them.)

The DM is wanting to run us through Rappan Athuk and is using this to get us geared up to handle it. Is this a good way to get players ready for the paper shredder that module is rumored to be?

I'am asking since the DM has been advised about if you under equip a party and over feed them experience they will not be able to handle what you throw at them and that is even covered in the DMG for something to be mindful of.

Party set up is Ranger/Duskblade, Warlock/Cleric/Eldritch Theurge, Crusaders/Warblade/Swordsage, Rogue/Dread Necro, Cleric(DMM persist build),Wizard/Incantrix, Barbarian/Fighter and a Bard.

The party build covers pretty much everything and that is how we have stayed alive so well. Tank's we have the crusader, Barbarian and Cleric; Healing we have the Bard,Crusader,Cleric and Warlock; Traps/Tracking we have the Rogue, Ranger and Bard,(not including spell use from the casters); Ranged all have a ranged weapon, and the other primary support roles we have multiple covers. Cleric and Wizard are built for Buff/De-buff builds to power up the rest of the party and deal with making higher level CR threats easier to kill. Warlock has last minute ranged heals for when a party member is out of range for a touch and is about to go down along with the wizard has benign transference slotted to swap out party members as needed.

As a whole we are working very well as a group maximizing our options so we can clear faster.

Is being gear starved something we should really worry about? Asking this since we are level 6 but geared as about level 3-4 pc's and our DM has made it known to us that we will not be getting usable loot and to just figure out how to take on challenges better.

Last several fights have all been effective party level +3-5 we expend on average around 25-33% of our spells to heal and survive each encounter but most of the time we are near death as a whole party by the end of the fight.

We just finished a CR 12 battle that was 8xCR 3'c, 1x CR 5, 1x CR6, 2x CR 8's. (Orc's with character levels of Barbarian and Fighter with 2 Ogres one being an Ogre Mage.) Monsters fight tactically in every fight.

[illyahr]

You know, your party might just be too awesome. CR is based on a party of 4 using 25% of their resources. Your party of 8 is using 25% of its resources per fight so your DM is actually throwing you against even CR encounters.

The party has a lot of Tier 3 or better classes and your Tier 4s have established their niche roles fairly well. No one seems to be stepping on anyone's toes and most of your characters having access to abilities that help the group without the use of loot.

Honestly, you are in a better position than most game groups I've ever seen and I've been playing since before 3rd edition was a thing. Give yourself some credit. You guys seem to be doing very well.

[zlefin]

that battle looks like a cr 11 rather than a cr 12.
so it'd be effective party level + 3

at any rate, yes being short on equipment will be a problem, moreso as you get to higher levels, and especially as the lack of certain capabilities like flight can really hurt certain characters. do you get any cash/valuables in the loot, but don't hvae a way to convert them into good magic items? or just aren't being given much at all period?

[daremetoidareyo]

Take some crafting feats. Take some craft skills.

[Chronikoce]

I've always found that people on these forums put way too much stock in having appropriate wealth by level.

I personally think wbl is only vital when running a prepublished adventure.

My group (as a player) regularly operates below wbl and does just fine. The DM designed encounters to be interesting but they don't involve creatures that we have zero ways of dealing with (ghosts with zero magic for example).

As a DM my group is always effectively below wbl because they are the literal worst at managing their magic item inventories. They complained once so I tallied their wealth and showed them they had about 100k gold in consumables going unused (I think they all have the video game mentality of I should save this for later when it comes to consumables).

TL;DR

If the DM designs the encounters with the parties capabilities in mind then wbl isn't some absolute law that need be followed.

[Fizban]

You have 8 characters, 6 of which have casting. The last battle described had only 4 major opponents, and they were classed humanoids rather than scary monsters. The DM is "gearing you up," for Rappan Athuk, does that mean they want to train the players, or this party is actually entering the dungeon?

From what I know, Rappan Athuk is a megadungeon, and one of the major conceits of a megadungeon is you're not supposed to get any loot other than what you find. It's probably got lots of classed humanoids filling space. Your party is full of partial casters that don't need gear and wrecks classed humanoids. Sounds like everything's going to plan. The DM may come to regret allowing persist cheese, since a pre-published megadungeon is not going to be calibrated to that.