Weapon upgrades

[Le gob]

Hi,
Our characters eventualy got some scrips to spend and started to look at the weapon upgrades. We have a good blacksmith and a toolkit to craft them if needed.
The fatemaster isn't too happy with them, as they cost nearly nothing, adds huge bonuses like  to hit and damage or flat damage increase, and have no tradeoff whatsoever.

Did you use it? Do you think they are balanced? And if not, what would you modify?

[Grymmie]

I may be viewing this incorrectly, but there seem to be a number of things your FM takes issue with that the player characters are attempting.  Maybe there's more of a core issue at work here, like different views on what kind of game the FM wants to run vs. the kind of game the players want to play in.  Did you guys do a Session Zero theme/plot planning session at all?

And if I am seeing this wrong, then I apologize.  Certainly not trying to assume, only help...

 

[Le gob]

Our FM wants our characters to stay close to what the miniatures in the Malifaux wargame can do. 
The rgp gives a lot more possibilities, but if something would be completely insane for a henchman or an enforcer, we can't do it.
So basically, we can't go off the charts in terms of damages, and most magicals spells are prohibited.
A majority of our players have a tendency to take what's best in terms of efficiency, so the FM forbids what's too powerful.

[bedjy]

there seem to be a number of things your FM takes issue with that the player characters are attempting.

 They are attempting that they cannot die, they are attempting that they one shot any opposition, they are trying to reach the limits the game offers. I do not want to answer to insane with more insane, i want them to explore the game and be happy to be challenged.

They are like kids in front of a sweet box, they'll swallow it whole and be sick with it. I just want them to enjoy the world, the fluff and all the possibilities. To do so, I have to limit the amount of sweets they eat at the same time

But don't worry for them, when i'm trying to balance something, they just do something insane with something else

[bedjy]

And by insane I mean something a master of the Miniature game would never dream of !

Like a teleportation manifested power as a (0) stacking rams each turn with a blast spell with critical strike (before v2). The character was lvl 1, he could shoot 3/4/5 ignore armor & Hard to wound, he had critical strike. 4 jumps later he shots twice a turn for 7/8/9 (ignore armore  & H2W)

I will not add the teleportation spell could bring his friends with him.

So i said stop.

The second spell he tried did a lot fewer damage (2/3/4) with the root+push combo and slow, so 5/6/7 slow at lvl 1.

So i said stop

And the list goes on ! ( and i'm not talking about the karate augmented with 4 attacks a turn hitting for 4/5/6 at lvl3)

So yes, i forbid what's too powerfull. It's a pleasant game (world, fluff and all) but it's not balanced... once i admit it, i just act accordingly.

[Grymmie]

Sounds like you've got a good handle on it all!  Always makes things clearer hearing all sides of any situation.

That said, it does sound like its a wise thing to watch how far bonuses and modifiers are pushed, if there are not strong safeguards in place.  As I said in another thread, I am very new to this game (not RPGs in general, been gaming and GMing for nearly 40 years), but I do not yet know the ins and outs of this system.  So, hearing this is actually helpful as it gives me insight to some of the wackiness that could occur if I don't pay close attention.

 

[EnternalVoid]

To be honest considering the information I would say suggestions are meaningless then in this case.  Not saying anything is wrong with your game but considering group and Fatemaster I doubt anyone will be able to offer you a reasonable response because to put it simply "We are not there".  It seems like a case where you have to know the group and Fastmaster and see the interactions to give any sort of advice or thoughts.  I mean I have not ran into problems like this despite dealing with power gamers, but that is likely because I know my group and I know how to handle them.  Simple put I have not has quite the backlash.  I mean these are guys that have played Rogue Trader with me before, I have never seen a system nearly so abuse crazy.  And I have a decent number of years under my belt in gaming at two decades.  It might be because I don't let Manifest Powers be outside reason *after all the mage's talents have built in starting limits with TN* and I demand they make sense *Why would a tank suddenly develop a teleporting spell?  Manifested powers are manifestations of a character inner self, not a choice of the fated*.  Same with time and gear.