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[Sowelu]

Don't host overpowered games in D&D, seriously. Most of the high end D&D stuff is terribly broken, not just balance-wise but fun wise.

D&D works best when the players have to deal with constant risk, overcome their limitations, and struggle to achieve some specific goal.

Yeah, my experience with higher level parties is that they only work when players are attached to them.  At low level, it's fine to chuck some weak skeletons and wimpy goblins at them, and kobolds who actually don't use tactics.  Sometimes the players might do stupid things and lose their characters, but hey, it's low level, they know their limitations for the most part, and it's well-balanced for that.

At high levels, throwing easy encounters at your players DOES NOT WORK.  It's no fun, it's time-consuming, and nobody gets anything out of it.  This is because high level encounters are full of high-risk, high-reward stuff.  If you make it so easy that serious risk is removed, you skip right into the "no risk at all, monsters instantly annihilated" zone.  But if you start off high-level, you can't throw hard things at them, because they're not really into their characters enough to think long-term just yet.  If you expect a campaign to last three months, then something that has a 10% chance of killing you off isn't too bad, compared to a campaign that's been going a couple years and that you expect to go for a couple more.

Uh...I'm not making sense.  But basically, high level play is balanced for highly conservative play.  People who are new to their characters will not play them conservatively.  Therefore, if you start at high levels, it's either too easy or too risky.

[GlyphGryph]

As DM, your primary goal is either to tell a story, or to make sure your players have fun (preferably both).

If a player is going to ruin that, you stop him. It's that simple. If he's abusing the rules to get what he wants, tell him he's pushed the envelope to far, and he can't have it.

I've seen D&D DMs regularly ban classes, races, abilities and entire books to insure a better game experience.

That. Is. Your. Job.

If he's going to make the game less fun for the other players, you stop him. It's that simple. He's going to push you and push you until you put your foot down, so put it down now.

Give him a certain amount of points to spend on his personal shit, tell him thats all the points he gets, and when he approaches you with an idea tell him how many points it will cost him. Don't rob him of all his power and decisions, but let him know that you're not going to ruin your game just to calm his ego.

[Neonivek]

The thing is that he isn't actually breaking any rules with his character

He is just creating a world story with ultra powerful objects basically with a "For me only" practically pasted on them.

The game isn't even going to start on his place because he created it to be full of stupid demons with insanely powerful items of powerful power.

I figure it would be like those games where someone says their character is royalty where... sure your royalty... but you don't get anything for it other then storytelling.

[Sowelu]

The thing is that he isn't actually breaking any rules with his character

Being the GM means that you get to say "Breaking the spirit of the rules = breaking the rules".  Start it early, too, before it becomes a normal thing.

[Virex]

The thing is that he isn't actually breaking any rules with his character

He is just creating a world story with ultra powerful objects basically with a "For me only" practically pasted on them.

The game isn't even going to start on his place because he created it to be full of stupid demons with insanely powerful items of powerful power.

I figure it would be like those games where someone says their character is royalty where... sure your royalty... but you don't get anything for it other then storytelling.

Tell him he can't get his stuff till the party visits his world. Then don't visit his world till the part is ready. Problem solved.

[Fayrik]

Tell him he can't get his stuff till the party visits his world. Then don't visit his world till the part is ready. Problem solved.

Double solved...

...I'm just being mean, sorry.

[Gorjo MacGrymm]

One thing I always tell players is that at first they are just idiots with swords.  They dont start as heroes.  The point of the game is to become a hero.  I cant let them be cool/powerful until they earn it.

IMO tho, first thing that happens, sword is stolen by more powerful demon (or more powerful and angry angel) who kicks the shit outta that players character.  Then he can quest to get it back.

As DM, your primary goal is either to tell a story, or to make sure your players have fun (preferably both).

Fun being the key.  Glyph is wise.

I've seen D&D DMs regularly ban classes, races, abilities and entire books to insure a better game experience.

Gnomes.  Fucking hate them.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Player1:  I have ths idea for this little race that digs underground and builds things.
DM:  Oh, you mean Dwarves?
Player1: No, Gnomes!
Player2:  I have this idea for a fey magical race with pointy ears and special casting ablility.
DM:  Oh, you mean Elves?
Player2:  Go, Gnomes!
Player3:  I have this idea for a small race of people who are tricksters.
DM:  Oh, you mean Halfings?
Player3:  No, Gnomes silly!
DM:  Sorry, Gnomes were wiped from the face of the planet by a combined army of Elves, Dwarves and haflings, out of sheer principle.  Pick another race.

ThatThis. Is. Your. Job:
If he's going to make the game less fun for the other players, you stop him. It's that simple. He's going to push you and push you until you put your foot down, so put it down now.

Wise indeed.  Very wise.

[nenjin]

Consider this: what's going to get more mature play out of your players? Giving them powerful characters they didn't work to get, or giving them characters they level into their power, so they get invested?

I'm not totally trying to dissuade you from running a high level campaign. But like Glyph said, that critical element of danger and caring about their characters is what stops players from acting like douches. High level campaigns where you start out powerful tend to lack both those things.

[Truean]

Yes and the problem with powergaming morons is that they say, "The rules allow it!"

Then they change the rules. This is why fly got nerfed between 3.0 and 3.5. This is why lots of stuff got nerfed. If you abuse the rules because you can manage to get away with it, then the rules change to stop your abuse. Life adapts to prevent your abuse unless you somehow prevent that adaptation, which in this case you can't. Thinking a couple moves ahead, it's required....

[Neonivek]

Is level 10 a high level campaign? because I don't want to run a high level campaign.

I thought level 10 was sort of the point where the players start having real power.

[GlyphGryph]

D&D power levels are just as much if not moreso about "stuff" as they are about actual character levels.
The setup you've got effectively increases the power level by quite a few levels, really, what with worlds and equipment tailored to their guys.
The character this guy is making sounds to be effectively lv15 or more.

Even then, I was under the impression that level 6 was closer to the "players start having real power" point. Lv9 or 10 seems to be generally agreed to be the gateway to "high level" play, where the characters are renowned heroes and can take on ferocious monsters on their own, while lv20 or so is the gateway to "epic" play, where they start traversing planes as a matter of course and can probably destroy an entire city on their own if they were in the mood.

If you really want a higher leveled campaign, I'd recommend starting at a lower level but giving experience bonuses up to your "desired" level to give the players some time to ease into their characters.

From some D&D rulebook:
""Heroic" for levels 1-10, "Paragon" for levels 11-20, and "Epic" for levels 21-30."

In my own experience:
1-4 : Adventurer (Low Level) - You are just getting started, but are capable of some pretty impressive feats.
5-9 : Hero (Mid Level) - You are known nationally, maybe beyond, for your exploits.
10-14: Champion (High Level) - Few in this world operate at your level, and you're likely known far and wide for your skill.
15-19: Demi-God (Low-Epic) - You are beyond what a mere mortal can ever dream of becoming, like Hercules, your feats are simply supernatural.
20-24: Ascended (Mid-Epic) - You travel between worlds slaying the most powerful creatures that exist with ease.
25-30: God (Epic-Epic) - No description needed.

[nenjin]

9th level in D&D is known as name level. In older versions of D&D, that's when fighters became warlords, thieves became guild masters, and Wizards started getting magic that could seriously shake things up.

In my book, life beyond 10th level kind of exists off the rule books because so many D&D mechanics start to go kerplooie. You start hitting the Thac0 cap. A 1 damage roll on a dice still comes out to 10 damage total after strength and magic items. Players start getting powers and abilities that allow them to really affect the world. (Wish, henchmen, dimensional gates, ect ect ect....)

So to me, 10th level is high level. Epic level campaigns....well, my experience is that saving throws become the thing players fear the most, not monsters. You have to start adding penalties to their checks or giving monsters abilities that can cut through their 60 HP and other acquired defenses.

To me, the best parts of D&D happen between levels 1 to 9. Beyond that, it's always been the roleplaying that has kept a campaign going, not the ability of the rules to keep things interesting or balanced.

[Neonivek]

The game completely breaks down at epic levels.

One of the few things 4e did well is actually having high level play... playable.

[nenjin]

Unfortunately, it did that by making all die systems open-ended and scaling. They turned D&D into WoW, and gave D&D WoW's problems: the value of things becomes meaningless under an open-ended system. Magic items, particularly, the bread and butter of 2e D&D, become less interesting because they all exist on a well-described power scale and there's no mystique.

Same thing with character performance. When characters just get passive bonuses every level to keep them concurrent with the monsters.....it's stopped being a roleplaying game and becomes a video game that you can talk to other people while you play.

D&D high level gameplay may be broken, but I still find it more interesting than 3e's MOAR DICE philosophy.

[Neonivek]

Yeah but I am tired of games with extensive high level play that is all useless especially since it costs quite a bit of money. (DAMN IT SCION!)

Also I like RPGs with fun gameplay elements too.

Note: Scion is a three part series. By part 2 the game is completely broken beyond repair.