D&D 3.5 queries - Drow/Gestalt/Spell Points/Batman

[Kobold-Bard]

Ok I have a few queries, so I figured I might as well ask them all at once.

1. Are their any abilities/items that counter the Drow's Light Blindness?

2. If I am playing a Gestalt Psion and go into Thrallherd, can I use my other side to take levels of Psion to make up for the lost Manifester Levels?

3. Is there a good Power Points variant for spells that anyone knows of? I have heard bad things about the UA Spell Points system.

4. Making casters/manifesters take non-lethal damage = level of spell/power used. Does this seem like a realistic way to balance them (I have two Batman's in my current game and the other character's aren't getting a look in without me working hard to neutralise the Wizards.

I think that's everything. Thanks in advance for any help.

[kamikasei]

1. Are their any abilities/items that counter the Drow's Light Blindness?

Sundark Goggles, from Sandstorm I think. 10gp.
There's also a feat called something like Daylight Adaptation, possibly from Races of the Dragon or Drow of the Underdark.

2. If I am playing a Gestalt Psion and go into Thrallherd, can I use my other side to take levels of Psion to make up for the lost Manifester Levels?

Yes.

3. Is there a good Power Points variant for spells that anyone knows of? I have heard bad things about the UA Spell Points system.

Psionics.

Spells just aren't designed for points and need to be totally overhauled to work properly with them. There's no quick-fix patch.

4. Making casters/manifesters take non-lethal damage = level of spell/power used. Does this seem like a realistic way to balance them (I have two Batman's in my current game and the other character's aren't getting a look in without me working hard to neutralise the Wizards.

It might work for you, but generally these kinds of solutions a) punish players for using their abilities or b) just make it so that the wizard is useless most of the time until the one occasion per session where he dares risk a nova.

What you want is for casters to be able to do cool things without trivializing encounters or overshadowing the rest of the party. This is a matter of encounter design, restraint and sportsmanship on the part of the players, helping those with weaker classes to optimize a bit better, sensible limitations and nerfs on the worst spells, and possibly suggesting alternatives to wizards (psions, warmages/dread necromancers/beguilers, binders, fixed shadowcasters etc.).

Two Batmen should not render the rest of the party irrelevant unless they want to and are jerks about it. Set up encounters and problems so that they can solve them with their magic (not "finishing fights with one spell" but doing things like teleporting around obstacles, that sort of thing; creative use of utility spells), and the rest of the time they can support and buff the rest of the party. Design enemies with the expectation that the wizard will use some trick to hamper them greatly or totally eliminate the main foe; make sure the rest of the party have something to do after that first shot is fired.

[Kobold-Bard]

Thanks, I expected something like those to be more expensive.

As for the wizards, I'm only a temp DM because I'm not great at it. Thanks for the advice though, I'll try to use it.

[Gorbash]

4. Making casters/manifesters take non-lethal damage = level of spell/power used. Does this seem like a realistic way to balance them

Not really, since Batman Wizards don't tend to take damage anyway, they'll have enough HP that they won't even need to change any tactics. So, the only thing you're doing is, like Kamikasei said, punishing them for playing their class.

Just revise your approach against them and hit their weak spots.