Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Nicholas the Paladin 07-07-06, 04:43 AM	Hi everyone, I'd like to talk about one of my most glorious but also 'bad' moments. I had a personal (10th lvl, Pal/Cl/FoRaz) little quest in which I had to free a group of lower level paladins from the clutches of a 14th level anti-paladin (blackguard). Eventually I found the baddy and battle started. We exchanged some scratches and got seperated by his henchmen. At that point we started casting some spells. He did some more summoning and I started to buff myzelf. Most important: - Divine sacrifice (sacrifice 10 hp to gain 5d6 damage on a blow: I think SpC) Then it happened. I got a clear path towards him and started to charge.... During the charge I cast 'Rhino Rush' (swift action, SpC: do double damage on one hit when you charge) I used My smite evil (and used 'divine might' and a magical ability from my greatsword)...ánd I use my 'retribution domain' power of maximizing one attack per day (yes!) I hit....I calculate....and do 152 damage ! I kill the anti-paladin in one blow. :nonono: Even I was surprised... I thought it would be effective,,,...but I never though it would be thát effective. Everyone was without words and the DM was ****** that his pet-blackguard got cut into two pieces. Now I feel a munchkin.
draco1119 07-07-06, 04:46 AM	Snip. Oops. :D
Zillah 07-07-06, 04:48 AM	um...are you kidding? you are not a munchkin. you used ALL your resources into one hit. what do you expect? if the DM wanted to, he could have pull something out of his a$$ and made the blackgaurd have more HP. but you should not feel bad. hell you should feel like a pimp. :D at 10th level 152 damage is hard to do! you should not limit yourself. you used what you had and played fair. let the DM suck it up. now he knows that you can handle more
Kresalak 07-07-06, 04:51 AM	hell you should feel like a pimp. Err... I don't think killing an anti-paladin in one blow has anything to do with being one who procures the services of prostitutes...
Zillah 07-07-06, 04:54 AM	Err... I don't think killing an anti-paladin in one blow has anything to do with being one who procures the services of prostitutes... :ayyyy!: :rofl: :bounce: :pile: omg that made me cry laughing. you get the point :D
Shaggy_Shaggs 07-07-06, 05:01 AM	Hey, if a guy used one or more loopholes to massively inflate income from his Profession (pimp) skills, and dumped all that gold into top of the line equipment, it might very well help with killing antipaladins quickly. :smirk: Also, if one of his girls were sick and the antipaladin were duped into... well, one blow might very well kill him, slowly.
draco1119 07-07-06, 05:10 AM	Also, if one of his girls were sick and the antipaladin were duped into... well, one blow might very well kill him, slowly. :rofl: :mage: :whatsthis: I think I'm going to go wip the tears from my eyes now...
Nicholas the Paladin 07-07-06, 07:03 AM	Also, if one of his girls were sick and the antipaladin were duped into... well, one blow might very well kill him, slowly. man, your posts really make me feel even worse :weep: :raincloud No one in my group will take my roleplaying serious anymore: - Me: I try to convince the guard that he should let us through...I say to him "bla bla etc" and I roll a diplomacy check - fellow player: "Oh man, just do 152 damage and get it over with." :D
Archangel62 07-07-06, 07:19 AM	man, your posts really make me feel even worse :weep: :raincloud No one in my group will take my roleplaying serious anymore: - Me: I try to convince the guard that he should let us through...I say to him "bla bla etc" and I roll a diplomacy check - fellow player: "Oh man, just do 152 damage and get it over with." :D Now you're exaggerating, you put all your oomph behind one hit, the way it looks it's something like this roleplay wise "Gods of good and right, give me the power to strike down this doer of iniquity!" And the gods answered in spades. Your character could easily roleplay feeling blessed by his god or gods for that victory, and if you're really that concerned you could easily justify not trying that again, you had time to buff but may not be so lucky again, also your gods might not be so easily giving next time.
Zillah 07-07-06, 07:32 AM	eh suck it up. even though there is nothing bad. just keep playin like you didn't do it. that way you don't turn into an RP big headed paladin. be happy. just think about what you could pull at like 15th level
Nicholas the Paladin 07-07-06, 07:36 AM	please don't take my post thát seriously... I didn't :D
Bruunwald 07-07-06, 12:40 PM	Being a paladin means having a lot of buffs that can be activated simultaneously in a single round, but that have limited use per day. In your case, you put as many of them into a single blow as you could. Had your attack failed somehow, you might have found yourself in a precarious position, with some of your best stuff used or partially used and wasted. You lucked out and it made for a spectacular moment. I've seen plenty of these player moments in my twenty-five years DMing. On occasion I've been disappointed in so quickly losing a good NPC. But I've never held it against the player. I think a good DM ought to work hard to challenge his players, but not because he wants to defeat them. He should do it because he wants to see precisely these moments. Moments of incredible luck, skill, courage, all that good stuff. Old Viking saying... well, from The 13th Warrior, anyway: "Luck may often enough favor a man, if his courage holds." Once again, high risk brings commensurate reward. That's the game. It's a beautiful thing.
kelvinaw273 07-07-06, 03:09 PM	I'd agree, you shouldn't feel like a munchkin - smiting evil is what a paladin is all about. You smote, you won. Had you missed, your fellow players would likewise never let you live it down.
TarlSS 07-07-06, 05:05 PM	Uh. Didn't you say you spent several rounds buffing yourself and you exchanged 'some scratches' ? That's not one blow, that's err, several blows followed by a finishing move. In my day, that was how fights were supposed to work. Legit. Next?
Rian Lightblade 07-07-06, 05:55 PM	Being a paladin means having a lot of buffs that can be activated simultaneously in a single round, but that have limited use per day. In your case, you put as many of them into a single blow as you could. Had your attack failed somehow, you might have found yourself in a precarious position, with some of your best stuff used or partially used and wasted. You lucked out and it made for a spectacular moment. I've seen plenty of these player moments in my twenty-five years DMing. On occasion I've been disappointed in so quickly losing a good NPC. But I've never held it against the player. I think a good DM ought to work hard to challenge his players, but not because he wants to defeat them. He should do it because he wants to see precisely these moments. Moments of incredible luck, skill, courage, all that good stuff. Old Viking saying... well, from The 13th Warrior, anyway: "Luck may often enough favor a man, if his courage holds." Once again, high risk brings commensurate reward. That's the game. It's a beautiful thing. You took the words right out of my mouth Bruunwald, except for the 25 years DMing part, I only have 19 years under my belt as a DM. Still, right out of my mouth, even the 13th Warrior quote. Well said! :tiphat: And Nicholas, well done lad! Well done! :clap:
Pegasos989 07-07-06, 07:01 PM	Most important: - Divine sacrifice (sacrifice 10 hp to gain 5d6 damage on a blow: I think SpC) Then it happened. I got a clear path towards him and started to charge.... During the charge I cast 'Rhino Rush' (swift action, SpC: do double damage on one hit when you charge) I used My smite evil (and used 'divine might' and a magical ability from my greatsword)...ánd I use my 'retribution domain' power of maximizing one attack per day (yes!) I hit....I calculate....and do 152 damage ! I kill the anti-paladin in one blow. :nonono: So, what did I forget to count? 10 from smite evil 5d6 from the sacrifice 1d12 from the greatsword Lets assume 4 bonus from STR I assume +2 holy weapon so +2+2d6 I am not sure what divine power does, but I assume 10 to damage for the sake of example... So, all doubled should come the maxium of 20+60+24+8+4+12+20 would be 148... This assumes that divine might does give 10 to damage before doubling tho... But this assumes all d6s are rolled as 6 and d12s as 12... So how exactly did you do that much damage? :O EDIT: Holy shi-- Yeah, just notced the maximizing domain thingy... My next character will be a paladin :P
Kresalak 07-07-06, 08:19 PM	152 is honestly nothing. I can do far far better. Paladin/Cavalier Charge with a valorous lance and deadly charge and rhino's rush for x7 damage. Power Attack and Leap Attack for +40, with Shock Trooper to keep your attack bonus. PA bonus damage is +280. All else is just x7 normal damage. On a crit you get PA +360, all else x9.
Cadfan 07-07-06, 08:48 PM	You don't double bonus dice. I don't know what the math was that got you that damage. But I do know that you do not double bonus dice of damage. This means that the 5d6 from sacrifice would not have been doubled.
Whisper_Swiftblade 07-07-06, 09:13 PM	you made an effective PC. There is not shame in that, otherwise we would all play commoners. Bravo
Rivelstraz 07-08-06, 07:48 AM	The damage from Sacrifice would have been 5d6 (or 30, I really don't know if Retribution power would max it, I don't have the books at hand to check its kind of damage) but never 60. And if you had a holy weapon(or similar), it would have been 2d6 or 12, never 24. I'm afraid the Black Guard is crawling on his grave...
Vaelan 07-08-06, 08:04 AM	Paladins do not normally have access to domains. How did you gain access to the Retribution domain?
Nicholas the Paladin 07-08-06, 08:21 AM	Paladins do not normally have access to domains. How did you gain access to the Retribution domain? I am a Paladin/Cleric like I said in my first post. The damage from Sacrifice would have been 5d6 (or 30, I really don't know if Retribution power would max it, I don't have the books at hand to check its kind of damage) but never 60.. The retribution domain let's you make damage from one attack do maximum damage. It says: ".....you may make a strike of vengeance with a melee or ranged weapon. If this attack hits, you do deal maximum damage. You may use this ability once per day." It's all part of the attack.... you max it. Seems simple to me. You don't double bonus dice. I don't know what the math was that got you that damage. But I do know that you do not double bonus dice of damage. This means that the 5d6 from sacrifice would not have been doubled. We had this small discussion too. But we eventually that thiss is only the case with 'critical hits.' Rhino Rush the spell says: "THis spell allows you to propel yourself in a single deadly charge. THs first charge attack you make before the end of the round deals double damage on a succesfull hit." Seems simple. You took the words right out of my mouth Bruunwald, except for the 25 years DMing part, I only have 19 years under my belt as a DM. Still, right out of my mouth, even the 13th Warrior quote. Well said! And Nicholas, well done lad! Well done! . :clap: THanks man, I needed that the point is: With all this damage I place myself outside the group. It's a social thing. I am already seen as the strongest and with this attack I further reinforced this belief. Last night the others already said: "give Nicholas one BBEG and we deal with the other BBEG." :P
Vietnow 07-08-06, 12:57 PM	First question, how do the other players characters even know what happened. Maybe I'm just nitpicking but they shouldnt be roleplaying any unbalance in power. Even if the other players in your group say something along the lines of you doing 152 damage at 10th level or being able to kill a lot you have a few options. One of these is dealing with the characters not the players. If the other characters in the game are acting distant, fearful or intimidated (or any such emotion that is damaging roleplaying) then you can either take advantage of it (not advisable as it creates a lot of tension) or seem to give offerings to your god for granting you such power when it was truly needed. The second of the above makes it clear to both players and characters that your character is not able to deal so much damage every battle, all battle and doesnt affect your own roleplaying as it is quite logical for a paladin/cleric to do this anyway. To deal with the players then quite simply talk to them. It is suggested to everyone but seriously talk to the DM first and see his opinion on the matter. Personally I wouldn't penalise a player just for doing lots of damage, I know my group deals a lot of damage and so do the BBEGs. It's a part of the game. After speaking to the DM talk to the players and sort of say that you decided to pool all your paladiny resources into one attack and it paid off and that it'd help everyone if they stopped making comments like the others because it's affecting the game. If they ignore you then do 152 damage to them as well (joke).
Rivelstraz 07-08-06, 01:48 PM	The retribution domain let's you make damage from one attack do maximum damage. It says: ".....you may make a strike of vengeance with a melee or ranged weapon. If this attack hits, you do deal maximum damage. You may use this ability once per day." It's all part of the attack.... you max it. Seems simple to me. Why do you leave out the first part of the power description? The one it says you must be hit by that enemy in the round before. Your post says: "Then it happened. I got a clear path towards him and started to charge...." after saying "We exchanged some scratches and got seperated by his henchmen. At that point we started casting some spells. He did some more summoning and I started to buff myzelf. So you weren't hit by the Blackguard the assault before, so you couldn't use Retribution. Seems simple to me.
Taeldrin Laesrash 07-08-06, 02:12 PM	Just tell your DM it was sheer dumb luck, and that the same kind of thing could happen to a PC. You may have a bigger issue if the group can't take you seriously, although it may calm down after a while.
Missing Minds 07-08-06, 02:28 PM	Nick, if you are feeling that bad.. You never said if you had won the init or not. What would have happened to you if the Blackguard nailed you first? What then? You said he was doing more summoning. It then became X against 1. Just what all ended up being summoned? (I'm curuios. ;) ) It seems as if you did a bit of your math wrong with the doubling for a crit. (been there, done that, don't feel bad.) Because the DM accepted that, well.. it was stroke of luck for your hero that day. And I doubt it will ever happen again so nicely. ;) If you can't get your fellow players to knock it off a bit, why not take a game or two break? Through I wonder if their teasing you like that is also backhand sign of respect of what you were able to accomplish. Its said that the average commoner wants to be like the rich, famous, and powerful. Well, with the 3.x rules the paladin no longer has to tithe to his/her church anymore so they can be all three.
Senevri 07-08-06, 03:13 PM	This is my reading: "We exchanged some scratches So you weren't hit by the Blackguard the assault before He just said he was. It seems as if you did a bit of your math wrong with the doubling for a crit. I didn't see a mention that it was a critical hit. It's hot in here... T_T
Rivelstraz 07-08-06, 06:01 PM	This is my reading: He just said he was. We exchanged some scratches and got seperated by his henchmen. At that point we started casting some spells. He did some more summoning and I started to buff myzelf. Then I got a clear path towards him and started to charge..... /That's what he said, in bold and italic the important parts. He got some scratches at the beginning of the fight. Retribution only works if you were hit in the past turn (or actual one if he goes first). / He doubled for Rhino Rush, that guy got it wrong, but he still has a point. Some stuff shouldn't have been doubled. Yes, it's hot, and it smells like...munchkin?
Neverwrong 07-08-06, 06:11 PM	Never feel bad about killing anything with the word "Paladin" in the title (Except Angelo Santo Paladino,'Cause i like him). Just say something cool like:" Where are your dark gods now, foul betrayer!" or some equally pretentious crap. Seriously, it's thinking like that thats the reason why kittens don't have wings anymore.
Nicholas the Paladin 07-08-06, 06:38 PM	Why do you leave out the first part of the power description? The one it says you must be hit by that enemy in the round before. I left out that part because I thought it did not matter. THe first part says:"If you have been harmed by someone in combat, you may strike....... against that individual on your next action." Does this mean that actions need to follow each from one turn on the other? I didn't think so. If it is, I might have made a mistake. But actually that is not the point of me starting this thread. We exchanged some scratches and got seperated by his henchmen. At that point we started casting some spells. He did some more summoning and I started to buff myzelf. Then I got a clear path towards him and started to charge..... /That's what he said, in bold and italic the important parts. He got some scratches at the beginning of the fight. Retribution only works if you were hit in the past turn (or actual one if he goes first). / He doubled for Rhino Rush, that guy got it wrong, but he still has a point. Some stuff shouldn't have been doubled. Yes, it's hot, and it smells like...munchkin? I have the feeling this thread is going the way I did not intend it to go. It is turning into a rules debate. In my long experience with (2nd and 3rd ed) D&D, rules seem to be clear, but aren't always. We talked about it in my group and came up with this conclusion (of course this was before I calculated). THe point of this thread is that even if you turn some rules inside out and interpretd them differently (lets says I did 'just' 90 damage) than I did, I'm still the strongest of my group ....and sometimes it starts to bother me. Somtimes I'm left in the position that I almost need to 'apologize' to my fellow players for being much more effective. You know, they're my friends and they need to feel like they matter too. I think it's time for a little talk. Thanks a lot guys.
Vietnow 07-08-06, 06:55 PM	Now I think it depends entirely on the characters in this case. In my opinion ive aways viewed paladins as powerful as people. They are meant to be divine soldiers of a god against evil. Therefore they aren't going to be weak are they. Now I think that apologising to the group is the wrong way to go. Simply because you have done nothing wrong. What you have done is build a character that is very effective against evil characters with one hit that can be used a finisher and can still stay alive in the rest of the combat. Good on you.
Andrew 07-08-06, 07:16 PM	The first thing you have to do if you feel that something is too strong is go over all of the rules again carefully. Doing that, we see that... a) the Retribution domain power has to be used on your next action, the same round after your opponent harms you in combat b) bonus dice of damage aren't ever supposed to be doubled c) there's a question if bonus dice are supposed to be maximized Try a session or two throttling back to the first two at least, and see if you still feel unbalanced. If you're going to apologize for anything, apologize for taking the most favorable interpretation of the rules. With a straight reading of the Retribution power, it should be really rare that you can use it on a charge like you did. I am not trying to be critical, however I can't both tell you not to feel bad about your good performance and support table rules that generate unusual performance at the same time. Leave what was played played, play clean in the future, and it will average out.
xlivid 07-08-06, 07:27 PM	You fight You win You get XP Enjoy the ride..
Horseshoe_Hermit 07-08-06, 08:09 PM	Err... I don't think killing an anti-paladin in one blow has anything to do with being one who procures the services of prostitutes... You're right... They'd come to you, and, they'd be more like groupies than prostitutes. The Paladin of the group got serious emo for a sec' and took out the BBEG. That's what Paladins do. You are supposed to fill a powerful leadership role. You lead by example. Remember that in order to be a Paladin, you have to do all that Paladin-y stuff. The code of conduct. You may have superior abiltiies when it comes to fighting evil, but you have no non-fight abilities (aside from your command of authority with Charisma abilities), and your effectiveness to fight not-evil is pretty much like that of a lower level Fighter. You also cannot do any of the tricky things that Wizards and Rogues do, since you have to be so criminally upfront about your intentions ("Release the hostages, or we will begin a series of procedures which will make you do so, beginning with an attempt to influence your mind..... now. And you're only gonna get more wrath!!!") If it makes you feel awkward in a humble sort of way, you did a goob job picking your class. Roleplay those feelings into your paladin PC. If it makes you feel awkward in an embarrassing sort of way, then quite the opposite: I don't think Paladin is for you.
Rivelstraz 07-08-06, 08:17 PM	Perhaps I've gone a bit overboard, but I feel you did an exaggerated amount of damage with your own interpretation of rules. Now, being more effective or less effective than your mates is something that can and happen, and there's nothing wrong. But again, I think that the damage came from a bad interpretation of certain things, like retribution power or doubling the damage from a spell bonus (sacrifice) I'm sorry if I have "ruined" your thread. I'll just leave it.
Kresalak 07-09-06, 12:24 AM	Don't worry about being too powerful. You're a 10th level paladin; you already suck, you just don't realize it yet.
Vaelan 07-09-06, 08:14 AM	I am a Paladin/Cleric like I said in my first post. You edited it after I asked the question. You fight You win You get XP Enjoy the ride.. I agree, since it followed the relevant rules.
Rogue_Jedi_99 07-09-06, 11:25 AM	2 points 1. The Anti-Palidin could have had a specialization he could have used on you next time he had a chance to hit dealing an ungodily number of points of damage and your DM likely wouldn't have blinked at doing it. 2. The second thing is you mentioned this guy had minions. If they were any good the DM could had them seeing you slay their leader rush you to avenge his death. Since you used most of your power abilities on that one shot they could hand quite a fight.
IbanezNinja 07-09-06, 09:47 PM	If you are playing a cleric/paladin, you are already way less powerful than you could be, as a straight cleric can do way more then than a paladin can in the first place, so it's not like you are using some crazy char op build. That and your dm should have known your capabilities beforehand, and if he didn't want the blackguard to be oneshotted, he should have appropriatly prepared. All in all, you did nothing wrong and really should feel ashamed about anything.
CaineTheInsaine 07-10-06, 11:11 AM	yet you feel bad for it? Was it by the rules as interpreted by your table? (I doudt very strongly your DM took your announcment of 152 points of damage on face value. I wouldn't of, and as such there is no rule violation, because of Rule 0) Yes. Was it fun and exciting? Yes. Then ya done a good thing. I had a group where the Centaur ranger did 7 attacks a round, and averaged, AVERAGED, 150 points a round. That was 12th level.. she once took out a Mature Adult Red Dragon by herself in a single round... by the rules, and probally far from optimized.. no, you have done well my child, and the Force is with you.
Kradlo 07-15-06, 07:07 PM	The first thing you have to do if you feel that something is too strong is go over all of the rules again carefully. Doing that, we see that... a) the Retribution domain power has to be used on your next action, the same round after your opponent harms you in combat b) bonus dice of damage aren't ever supposed to be doubled c) there's a question if bonus dice are supposed to be maximized Try a session or two throttling back to the first two at least, and see if you still feel unbalanced. If you're going to apologize for anything, apologize for taking the most favorable interpretation of the rules. With a straight reading of the Retribution power, it should be really rare that you can use it on a charge like you did. I am not trying to be critical, however I can't both tell you not to feel bad about your good performance and support table rules that generate unusual performance at the same time. Leave what was played played, play clean in the future, and it will average out. While it is rare for the domain power of Retribution to be used in a charge, it can happen. Example: your opponent damages you with a ranged attack or ranged spell. You respond with a charge, and deal him horrendous hurt. The bonus dice are not doubled, trebled, etc., in a charge, nor are they doubled (etc.) in a critical hit. As for the bonus dice being maximized, I'd certainly say that they are. The Retribution domain granted power states clearly, "you deal maximum damage." You only get to used it once per day, and you can only use it after being harmed by an opponent on your next action. Keep in mind, you still have to hit your opponent. I've seen clerics with the Strength and Destruction domain use both granted powers in the same round. Big boost of Strength plus a Smite for lots of damage, only to have the player roll a miss on the D20. If you made some errors in calculation because of misinterpretation of some of the rules, don't fret about it too much. Your GM can always come up with another BBEG to take his place. That next villain may have a combination of feats and abilities that put the hurt on you, so do be careful.
Azrael The Dark 07-19-06, 05:46 AM	Somtimes I'm left in the position that I almost need to 'apologize' to my fellow players for being much more effective. Next time play a Commoner. :D
Krelios 07-19-06, 08:02 AM	I left out that part because I thought it did not matter. THe first part says:"If you have been harmed by someone in combat, you may strike....... against that individual on your next action." Does this mean that actions need to follow each from one turn on the other? I didn't think so. If it is, I might have made a mistake. But actually that is not the point of me starting this thread. I have the feeling this thread is going the way I did not intend it to go. It is turning into a rules debate. In my long experience with (2nd and 3rd ed) D&D, rules seem to be clear, but aren't always. We talked about it in my group and came up with this conclusion (of course this was before I calculated). THe point of this thread is that even if you turn some rules inside out and interpretd them differently (lets says I did 'just' 90 damage) than I did, I'm still the strongest of my group ....and sometimes it starts to bother me. Somtimes I'm left in the position that I almost need to 'apologize' to my fellow players for being much more effective. You know, they're my friends and they need to feel like they matter too. I think it's time for a little talk. Thanks a lot guys. It does matter... 10 from Smite, +5d6 from Sacrifice (avg 17), plus 2d6 from greatsword (avg 7), plus 7 from STR (including divine power), +2 enhancement, +2d6 holy (avg 7). After being hit by the Blackguard you next action was to cast spells and move away so you can't use Retribution. You double you static damage (but never double additional dice), so you did (10*2)+17+(7*2)+(7*2)+(2*2)+7, or 76 points. That's impressive, but it's not 152. You should apologize to your players for accidentally cheating, not for "being much more effective."
Rerednaw 09-16-06, 01:24 PM	152 is honestly nothing. I can do far far better. Paladin/Cavalier Charge with a valorous lance and deadly charge and rhino's rush for x7 damage. Power Attack and Leap Attack for +40, with Shock Trooper to keep your attack bonus. PA bonus damage is +280. All else is just x7 normal damage. On a crit you get PA +360, all else x9. I'm sorry but where does Valorous enchantment come from? And deadly charge? I know that Rhino's Rush is Spell Compendium. Leap Attack and Shock Trooper I found in Complete Warrior. I was actually considering a charging build: halfling on a riding dog :)
Rerednaw 09-16-06, 01:35 PM	I have the feeling this thread is going the way I did not intend it to go. It is turning into a rules debate. In my long experience with (2nd and 3rd ed) D&D, rules seem to be clear, but aren't always. We talked about it in my group and came up with this conclusion (of course this was before I calculated). THe point of this thread is that even if you turn some rules inside out and interpretd them differently (lets says I did 'just' 90 damage) than I did, I'm still the strongest of my group ....and sometimes it starts to bother me. Somtimes I'm left in the position that I almost need to 'apologize' to my fellow players for being much more effective. You know, they're my friends and they need to feel like they matter too. I think it's time for a little talk. If you are in a good group, striking the killing blow on the BBEG in a single hit should not detract from the game. This is where epic stories begin. "Surrounded by the chaos of furious conflict his soul filled with righteous fury the holy knight suddenly saw an opening appear in the melee as if a beacon from the divine shone the way. Spurring his trusty mount, the paladin raced across the field of battle, his eye focused on the dreaded dark knight..." And so on. I'm sure there will be moments for the other party members too. My little level 2 wizard changed the course of a battle against a templated treant with a single level 1 spell. Nobody on our side complained I was too effective. Who (class/lvl makeup) is in your party?