level requirements for items in 3.5

[kvothecomplex]

So im playing a monk/psychic warrior and im positive my DM has decided to kill me. Im doing insane amounts of damage and with inertial armor and shield (background allowed me to cast on myself 2x a day) im particularly difficult to hit. What a coincidence then that my DM always seems to break my AC of 25 and miss or deal considerably less damage on a hit to the rest of the party. He even scored 4 crits on me at our last session. All rolled behind a screen of course. Im looking into heavy fortification in hopes of surviving his onslaught and was wondering if a heavy fort item had a min level for me to equip. Whats the cheapest I can get something like this and keep in mind I need to stay centered so unfortunately no armor.

Any recommendations or thoughts are greatly appreciated. Help me keep this monster alive guys! Thanks all

Update: We are currently level 5.

[Buufreak]

This is not diablo. The only thing that limits your being able to use any item is carry capacity, potentially proficiency, and cost.

[HouseRules]

This is not diablo. The only thing that limits your being able to use any item is carry capacity, potentially proficiency, and cost.

However, there is a guideline.

Level 2: Masterwork.
Level 3: +1
Level 6: +2 equivalent special ability
Level 9: +3 equivalent special ability
Level 12: +4 equivalent special ability
Level 15: +5 equivalent special ability
Level 18: +6 equivalent special ability

Certain special abilities have enhancement equivalents...
You cannot get more than +5 enhancement before epic anyways.

[DeTess]

So im playing a monk/psychic warrior and im positive my DM has decided to kill me. Im doing insane amounts of damage and with inertial armor and shield (background allowed me to cast on myself 2x a day) im particularly difficult to hit. What a coincidence then that my DM always seems to break my AC of 25 and miss or deal considerably less damage on a hit to the rest of the party. He even scored 4 crits on me at our last session. All rolled behind a screen of course. Im looking into heavy fortification in hopes of surviving his onslaught and was wondering if a heavy fort item had a min level for me to equip. Whats the cheapest I can get something like this and keep in mind I need to stay centered so unfortunately no armor.

Any recommendations or thoughts are greatly appreciated. Help me keep this monster alive guys! Thanks all

Update: We are currently level 5.

If your DM really wants to kill your character, there's nothing item-wise or character-build wise that you can do to stop him. You can't win an arms-race with the guy that gets to design his own arsenal without any of the limits imposed on you.

So, I suggest you have a chat with your DM about the impression you're getting, as that's the only way you're going to be able to increase your character's chance of survival.

[Buufreak]

However, there is a guideline.


Which can be completely thrown out or overruled by fiat. Guidelines mean nothing at individual tables.

[Biggus]

However, there is a guideline.

Level 2: Masterwork.
Level 3: +1
Level 6: +2 equivalent special ability
Level 9: +3 equivalent special ability
Level 12: +4 equivalent special ability
Level 15: +5 equivalent special ability
Level 18: +6 equivalent special ability

Certain special abilities have enhancement equivalents...
You cannot get more than +5 enhancement before epic anyways.

Where's that guideline from?

[heavyfuel]

Seconding the fact that you simply cannot win a battle against the DM.

However, I think you should reconsider the assumtion that he's trying to kill you. AC 25 at lv 5 is good, but hardly extraordinary. Scoring 4 crits could have very well been sheer luck on his side, but maybe it's just statistics. DMs roll far more dice than players, so it's normal for DMs to roll more nat 20s than players. Naturally, DMs get a lot more 1s as well, but you don't see those, as they're simple misses.

Also, you're in the frontline, so taking hits and, therefore, crits, is in the job description. You should try to go for some sort of crit immunity, but at level 5 you're likely out of luck

[FaerieGodfather]

Which can be completely thrown out or overruled by fiat. Guidelines mean nothing at individual tables.

Guy thinks his DM is out to deliberately kill his character, and you think he's just going to waive WBL guidelines to keep him alive?

This is an OOC problem and it needs an OOC solution.

Perhaps, if the DM feels he needs to cheat to deal with your overpowered character... instead of trying to become even more powerful to compensate, you could knock it the hell off and try playing the same game everyone else at the table is playing.

[kvothecomplex]

Guy thinks his DM is out to deliberately kill his character, and you think he's just going to waive WBL guidelines to keep him alive?

This is an OOC problem and it needs an OOC solution.

Perhaps, if the DM feels he needs to cheat to deal with your overpowered character... instead of trying to become even more powerful to compensate, you could knock it the hell off and try playing the same game everyone else at the table is playing.

Knock what off exactly? I've cleared every build decision with the DM. He is the one who allowed me to take whatever feat I wanted for monk bonus feats when I told him over and over the PHB list specific feats to pick between. He is the one who allowed me to stack improved natural weaponry and improved unarmed strike and allowed me to go psionic giving me access to expansion. How am I the bad guy now when he allowed me to build a character that hits for 2d10 when expanded. Hell he even wanted to allow magic to stack with psionic so I could be expanded and enlarged at the same time. Now he seems upset that im dropping monsters left and right. I could be assuming to much but like I said the other players hit by the same monster last session were taking hits of like 4 or 5 and everytime he hit me it was for 11-16 and then 28 on a crit. The first few attacks were randomized and then suddenly I was the only one being attacked each round. He says the DM screen is for our benefit but I feel like if I die with it down at least I know it was legit.

[heavyfuel]

Knock what off exactly? I've cleared every build decision with the DM. He is the one who allowed me to take whatever feat I wanted for monk bonus feats when I told him over and over the PHB list specific feats to pick between. He is the one who allowed me to stack improved natural weaponry and improved unarmed strike and allowed me to go psionic giving me access to expansion. How am I the bad guy now when he allowed me to build a character that hits for 2d10 when expanded. Hell he even wanted to allow magic to stack with psionic so I could be expanded and enlarged at the same time. Now he seems upset that im dropping monsters left and right. I could be assuming to much but like I said the other players hit by the same monster last session were taking hits of like 4 or 5 and everytime he hit me it was for 11-16 and then 28 on a crit. The first few attacks were randomized and then suddenly I was the only one being attacked each round. He says the DM screen is for our benefit but I feel like if I die with it down at least I know it was legit.

So you're both at fault. Maybe the DM thought he could handle it and wanted to let you have nice things. You still should've build to the level of the party. Just because the DM allows something, doesn't mean you have to grab it.

Seriously, go talk to him one on one (as in, not in front of the other players) and ask him if he'd like you to tone it down. Maybe retrain some feats that shouldn't work in the first place Imp Natrual Attack and whatever it you got for your bonus monk feats.

[Buufreak]

Guy thinks his DM is out to deliberately kill his character, and you think he's just going to waive WBL guidelines to keep him alive?

You seem to be taking this in a completely opposite direction as my point being made to someone else entirely, but that's fine.


This is an OOC problem and it needs an OOC solution.

Clearly.


Perhaps, if the DM feels he needs to cheat to deal with your overpowered character... instead of trying to become even more powerful to compensate, you could knock it the hell off and try playing the same game everyone else at the table is playing.

I'm dying to know what you think he is doing that is so far out of left field that he needs a trained team of snipers aimed at him 24/7.

[FaerieGodfather]

I'm dying to know what you think he is doing that is so far out of left field that he needs a trained team of snipers aimed at him 24/7.

By his own admission, in the OP, he's doing more damage than anyone else in the party and thinks the only way the DM can hit him is by cheating.


Knock what off exactly? I've cleared every build decision with the DM. He is the one who allowed me to take whatever feat I wanted for monk bonus feats when I told him over and over the PHB list specific feats to pick between. He is the one who allowed me to stack improved natural weaponry and improved unarmed strike and allowed me to go psionic giving me access to expansion.

So you're saying that he gave you a fairly broad latitude to customize your character outside of the letter of the rules, and that means it's all his fault that you made a character far more powerful than level-appropriate challenges or your own party members. You're just an innocent victim in all this, being unfairly targeted even though you've done nothing wrong. Now that the DM is cheating to defeat your perfectly legitimate character, you just need some magical items that are too expensive for your level to get your edge back.

That about sum it up? Because you need to knock that off, too.

Neither of you has handled this situation remotely like an adult so far. One of you needs to be the first to try.

[Buufreak]

By his own admission, in the OP, he's doing more damage than anyone else in the party and thinks the only way the DM can hit him is by cheating.

Equally, by his own admission, every opportunity to take some sort of option, the DM hand waved it. As stated, this is very much an OOC problem. The problem being the DM set little to no ground rules, said to ignore any and all guidelines placed by the book, and then is overcorrecting in game.

[FaerieGodfather]

Equally, by his own admission, every opportunity to take some sort of option, the DM hand waved it. As stated, this is very much an OOC problem. The problem being the DM set little to no ground rules, said to ignore any and all guidelines placed by the book, and then is overcorrecting in game.

This is also true. There are problems on both sides here, but I think there are three relevant points:

The OP doesn't think they've done anything wrong.
The OP came here asking for advice on escalating the problem.
The OP can only change their own contribution to the problem.


I mean... it would be a lot better if we could talk to the DM, too. But any adult conversation the two of them have is going to have to include some changes to the OP's behavior and attitude or it's not going to work out. Without knowing the DM's side of the story, the only thing we can really say to them is "resolve OOC problems OOC" and "think about the implications of rules changes before allowing them".

[OGDojo]

heres the thing, the DM doesn't have to "Cheat" to kill your character, he rules, runs, and made the world your in. if your character is too powerful he can take away your items, kill your character outright (NPC with Rogue levels with a high stealth/stealth based skills can easily coup de grace a pc) Cheating would be putting an NPC in the game that breaks all the rules, you know a level 1 character that can do 3000 damage because of a weapon that was passed down to him by god for the simple reason of killing your character.

Now that i have that out of my system. 4 crits on the front line? HA lucky, im a DM and i have a player who built a level 8 character that 1 shot a siege beetle... ya know, the things that are built to take on ARMIES... dies in less than 6 seconds. can still die to a disease. an AC tank can still be ****ed up by magic, a rouge can fall prey to a trap. you had a bad day STOP BLAMING YOUR DM!!

[HouseRules]

Where's that guideline from?

Minimum Caster Level for Crafting.

The guideline is not for a character to have big six of every item.
Their party should have at least 1 at those level, because they are capable of crafting them at such levels.
Since each +1 spreads across 3 levels or there about, each character should fulfill 2 slots of the big six for each level.
Of course, most parties are not top notch with their magic items, just like most party are not optimized.