Question: Class Balancing ?

[Legacy_Tonden_Ockay]

               

Hi all

 

I was just wondering if there was a level at which most of the classes were some what balanced. I know classes in this game are not balanced and was not made to be balanced.

 

The reason I am asking is that I would like to put a level cap on a mod I am making. The idea behind this would be to keep most of the content I make for the mod to always be useful.

 

Anyway I wasn't sure if there was a point where casters got far stronger and where that tipping point was. I know back in the day with 2nd Ed PnP D&D level 9 or 10 was a good point to stop at.

 

I would just like to get some thoughts on this because I have only played one or two classes to like level 10 in NWN. There for, most of you should know far more then I do on this.

 

Thanks for your time. 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shadooow]

               

1-20 basically

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_The Mad Poet]

               

I'm not 100% about NWN, but there is a style called E6 out there for DnD which pretty much has it that all classes stop progressing at character level 6. So 2 ftr, 4 wiz, or whatever. The idea is that around level 6 is where each class is about where it needs to be to 'Come into its own'. High AB classes like fighter and barbarian get their second attack, wizards and sorcerers get their 3rd level spell or spells, and rogues have enough sneak attack to do well enough in a fight. The idea is that Level 6 is strong enough to defeat what could be considered normal opponents, ya know 1st level fighters and the lot, in quite a few numbers while a number of them still remain dangerous, but they aren't high level enough that they can skate by encounters like liches, mind flayers, and the like. An Iron Golem is still a really tough and scary fight. NWN is a bit different because it would take a lot of scripting to do what E6 does after level 6 for progression, but I liked the idea so much I originally made my server a 1-10 level only. It maintains that sense of danger when a lich isn't just part of the spawn set for an area.

 

However I found something out. Level 1-10 is much better on paper than it is in NWN. E6 kind of assumes its the age old PnP, once or twice a week game. I couldn't get the XP low enough to slow progression where it didn't feel like a truly mountainous climb level by level in NWN. Plus I can't replicate the E6 ideal perfectly. After a long amount of testing I decided to up to 15th level. This gave my players more room to level up with prestige classes and other builds, which are fun to do even in an RP server. It also let me expose them to still very dangerous opponents while not going overboard that I have to stack them against six vampires and a sock monkey lich just to give them a taste of mortality. 

 

The only other thing I might want to point out is that unless PvP is something your going to be seeing a lot of class balance is good enough as is IMHO, at least in the first 20 levels, like Shadooow said. I wouldn't stress too much thought about it.

 

Hopefully my experiences might give you insight into whatever you choose to do '> Happy gaming.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tonden_Ockay]

               

So are you saying that the classes are more balance at level 6? But its just that players hit that level too quick in NWN?

 

I seen one server had their level cap set at 8. However they made it so you did get XP from kills. You only got XP from exploration.

 

If I new at what level classes seem to be the most balanced at then I would try and work with the XP system.

 

I just know that I don't want to go in and start tweaking each class and trying to balance them. That would just be too much work and you will never get them 100% balanced.

 

So to me it seems like it would be better to find the level that seems to be the best sweet spot and go with it.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_werelynx]

               

If you are designing single player then you could balance the game with party of henchman as well.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tonden_Ockay]

               

No I'm working on a module/game world that mostly friends and family will be playing. So I would be hosting it online.

 

I just didn't want to make a cap at a level that would make some classes far stronger then others is all.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rogueknight333]

               

The "sweet spot" for 3rd Edition D&D characters, when they are typically most fun to play, is generally considered to be from roughly level 5 to level 15. This is when characters have enough power to do a lot of interesting things, fight truly formidable monsters, and are not easily killed off simply by a fluke of bad luck, yet at the same time have mostly not yet started acquiring abilities that have the potential to be game-breakingly powerful.

 

That would be the period when the classes are as well-balanced as they ever are. Keep in mind though that balance is affected by a lot of environmental factors, like the magic level of the module, the severity (or lack thereof) of resting restrictions and so forth, not simply by character levels (though that does make a difference: in general, warrior-type classes tend to be stronger at lower levels, and spellcasters get ever more powerful at higher levels).

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tonden_Ockay]

               

Thanks " The Mad Poet " and "  rogueknight333 " for the insight on what levels seem to be the most balanced for 3rd ed. That said I guess I need to pick a level some where between level 5 and 15. I will have to give that some thought. I was going to use a script that would only let you get your hitpoints and spells back from a rest every 8 minutes or so. This would also cut back on unloading on something and resting real quick and doing it all over again.