Managing Power Levels

Creating the cost to every adventure is important for any Game Master. Most Game Masters have discovered at one point or another that suddenly the players are virtual gods in the world and the only way to challenge said characters is to have the Gods come down from the sky in person.

As a result most really cool items in most role-playing games have a fuel gauge and get used up as time goes by. In Dungeons and Dragons, most magical items have a limited number of uses called charges. In Cyberpunk 2020 there is a potential loss of control for characters that get too many cyber enhancements.

Not all goodies from the previous adventure have to survive this one. Luke Skywalker lost his lightsaber at the end of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. The lightsaber was not destroyed, it was simply lost because of how Luke was beaten. This would work even for an item that could not be destroyed. Wear and tear can reduce the effectiveness of gear without forcing the players to give it up immediately, although this wouldn’t work on invulnerable items it would work on virtually anything else. A magical sword is blasted by a spell designed to destroy it. The sword makes its saving throw, but as Game Master you are well within your rights to say that even though the sword survived the blast, it loses some of its enchantment defending itself.

Games like Palladium Fantasy’s Rifts have more difficulty because although techno- wizard items have a gas gauge, it is refillable, and many other power items have both unlimited fuel and are invulnerable to boot. Games like this require that a Game Master manage things in a more creative way. Losing gear has already been suggested as a method of getting rid of overpowered items. Having a player give them away as a bribe or to otherwise further the story, but be certain that this is done carefully lest the players get angry.

Items are not the only form of power. Players can become unstoppable powerhouses with or without weapons and gear. The Monk of Dungeons and Dragons, the most Psychics and Wizards, martial artists of all shapes and colors are all characters that can be hard for a Game Master to prevent from becoming overpowered.

Some damage can be permanent however, and when a character’s power is derived from the self, that self can be damaged. Scars and old war wounds can permanently weaken a character. The loss of a limb can limit combat effectiveness (though not necessarily destroy combat effectiveness). The loss of an eye can hurt and archer or sniper. The loss of a finger can make spell casting take longer as the caster must now perform the gestures differently.

When doing such things, it is best for the Game Master to do two things. First, introduce a character who has suffered such a permanent injury so that it is in the player’s minds well in advance. Second, always make such an injury the result of great heroism or great villainy, or a horrible failure attempting great heroism or great villainy. Great stupidity is acceptable as well, although far less fun for the players, but they generally accept it as the cost of being an idiot.

Social power is important as well and can be more difficult to manage if the Game Master isn’t thinking about the consequences of a Player Character marrying the heir to the throne. But actions taken by the character can injure friendships and alliances and make such social connections as much of a liability as they are a benefit. Also remember that allies can ask for help and that influence is a two way street.

Power burnout and hidden costs are another excellent way to bring an over powered player character back into balance. A player might discover that his magic item steals his health to activate its magic if used too often.

On a different note, the player discovers that the mentor she chose to improve her combat skill expects her to act as a proper student and be obedient and follow orders. Perhaps the secret magical rite that the player massaged the rules to get now has his character targeted by the order which defends said rite.

The point is not to punish the players. That is divisive and mean spirited, the point is to keep game balance. The player can keep the cool thing if the Game Master is able to make certain that it does not unbalance the game. Certainly cool things should allow the player to accomplish more with their character than before, but that only forces them into more difficult challenges.

A bigger pond to play in, means bigger fish.