PrefaceThe CR system assumes a tanky Fighter, sneaky Rogue, blasty Wizard, and combat healy Cleric using a 25 point buy and only mild optimization. (How mild is your judgment call.)
I know the CR system is wonky.
Crabber has torn apart unwary parties, but was trivialized in a game I DMed by a Wizard's
web spell he just happened to prepare.
As an optimized Psion, I've soloed a fight meant to kill my party. It was 10 level 8 characters in
energy missile formation vs. our level 7 party. I was nearly out of PP after that. (Go go Kalashtar Psion with a buncha Power Link shards from
Magic of Eberron 115!)
As an optimized Wizard, I probably could've soloed
The Red Hand of Doom. Having my
Hood cohort helped immensely, though. (Assume for a moment that cohorts aren't part of the main character in this case.)
The QuestionsAssume for a moment all classes and 3.5 material is allowed, but spells, spell-like abilities, powers, and psi-like abilities can't be used. Supernatural abilities are OK so long as they don't duplicate other forbidden material. Thus, Inspire Courage, Wild Shape, and supernatural martial maneuvers & stances are OK, but spells made into supernatural abilities via Dweomerkeeper are banned.
Psionic creatures can still become psionically focused, but can't use their psionic abilities. They can still use supernatural abilities requiring the maintaining or spending of psionic focus, like the feats Up the Walls and Deep Impact.
Magic and psionic item creation are allowed so long as these items don't duplicate banned material. Maneuver-granting items are OK. +1 Keen Kukris and +5 Mithril Full Plate are OK. A Ring of
freedom of movement or a Wand of
cure light wounds are banned.
Alchemical items are generally OK since they don't duplicate banned effects. Assume all officail alchemical items are mundane (not magical nor psionic).
1: Assume the ban is only on player character races and templates; specifically, anything with no level adjustment. Also assume races & templates with a level adjustment or racial HD are banned.
2: Now assume the ban is on everyone. (Beings with divine rank 1 or higher are unaffected.) What changes?
Combat Style Changes-On the PC side, combat relies more on hitting things hard instead of forcing saves vs. Fail. There are fewer crowd control effects in general. If only the PCs are hindered, I expect a need for a lot more character sheets and I expect characters to reach a max level far lower than 20, after which Team Monstar simply wins.
-Combat is debatably more lethal. If Team Monstar can use spells and SLAs as normal, things get even more deadly.
-Crusaders in Martial Stance whacking the ground or their foes provide the best healing. Debatably, this hasn't changed.
-There's probably less rocket tag. Uberchargers like
Hood are the new rockets.
-Alchemy is a viable investment. Tanglefoot bags are still uber.
-Devotion feats (Travel Devotion, etc.) can't be used due to them being spell-like abilities. Reserve feats would work if you had the ability to fuel them.
-Martial adepts are still uber.
-Factotums are less uber, but still have everything but Arcane Diletttante.
-Clerics
still have Rebuke Undead. It's possibly more uber because of fewer counters.
-Druids
still Wild Shape, but Natural Spell is useless.
Likely World Changes-The game in general becomes more lethal. If the only way to get revived is to appease a deity, more people will do so.
-Martial adepts are still uber.
-Factotums still get Cunning Surge. (Imagine Cunning Surge can be used any number of times per round, limited to your Inspiration Points. They'll probably set high jump records and movement records in general.)
-Crusaders become the game's best healers. Just use Martial Spirit and beat up the ground or some ants and your party returns to full health.
-Tanglefoot bags are uber for entangling people.
-Alchemy in general is a weak replacement for what was lost.
-Rebuking Undead is
still uber.
-Teleporation and planar travel become a lot rarer, even more so if not even typical Outsiders can
greater teleport at will. Portals and spelljammers seems the only non-deific ways of reliable planar travel.