Is this a problem?

No, really. Is it a problem? Let’s take it farther than good rolls: let’s say that you have a group of individuals that flat-out cannot be hurt by magic.

GM frustrations aside, that could be a really compelling story. What happens to them, in a high-magic setting? How quickly does word spread? Is there an element of celebrity to this?

Does someone need them for some usually-lethal ritual? Good or Evil aligned, does it matter? If I’m Joe Warlock, I’d kill to have someone who _cannot_ be hurt by magic. I can finally finish Grand Ritual X!

And again, I concur with the sentiments above. How do you deal with someone who cannot be hurt via magic?

Hit them with a stick. You could, if you were feeling saucy, put a nail in the stick, or something. Maybe sharpen the tip.

But it’s not necessary.

Rather than view this as a problem for you, why not let it follow its course, and see where it takes the characters, what problems it might create for them?

Just a thought. Hope that you’re having fun – AD&D is a fickle mistress, but there’s worlds of enjoyment to be had.

:D

1. If the GM is at war with the players, something has gone horribly wrong. Figure out what that is and repair it.

2. In AD&D, new spells could still be researched. “Improved” versions of spells that are two levels higher but no longer a saving throw might well appear if the PCs are well known heroes whose ability to resist the effects of a spell is notorious.

3. The heroes might become immune to magic, but I’d bet their families, lovers, friends, and allies won’t. A clever villain might make something of this.

4. Not all threats are spell-based. Villains might well protect themselves by moving their lairs or chosen arenas to nearby (or distant) planes, whose environments themselves are inimical to life, but not actually magical in themselves.

5. Be sure that this isn’t just a GM’s petulance at powerful players, or you may find yourself alone at that table next Saturday night. GMs have a lot of power, but all of it is at the consent of the players, who are not obligated to appear.

6. Make sure what you choose to do is actually fun for everyone involved. Fun does not mean easy.

Given that a DM has limitless power and an infinite array of choices to challenge his players with, I fail to see how it can possibly be “too good”. Just keep throwing tougher stuff at them until balance is achieved.

The important thing to remember is this: your players invested a lot into making their character’s magic resistant, and so magic resistance is a defining part of their character image. Just as the player of a mighty barbarian with maxed out strength is going to expect you to put stuff in front of him to rend limb from limb, these players deserve to get a thrill out of their character’s magic resistance. Throw a ton of magic at them, let them watch it bounce harmlessly off, and bask in the joy of their triumph. Once it’s firmly established how tough they are, that’s when you spin the “armor-piercing magic” plotline into your campaign.

Offer up a little foreshadowing, then wham: the world’s getting invaded by an amped-up magical army whose powerful enchantments routinely burn right through magic resistance and apply huge penalties to saving throws. While all of your PCs’ once formidable allies are falling like wheat before the scythe, it’s up to our heroes alone to fight through the hordes of darkness and cripple the power source behind them, so that the invaders can be taken down. Assuming the campaign continues from there, let them bask in their glory a while, then re-boot the nasty power source somehow and start it all over again.

“Game balance” in an RPG serves no real purpose but in estimating how hard you can push the PCs without breaking them, because that’s what storytelling is all about: an exercise in flirting with disaster. If the basic assumptions behind your game aren’t supporting that flirtation, it’s time to change them. But unless you’re running a horror game, do it in such a way that makes the players feel empowered.

I am a “sneaky-realist” GM. If my PCs are supposed to come up against a Wizard with WHOPPING Intelligence or a Cleric with WHOPPING Wisdom they will use their strengths to get around the PCs.

Spell Casters may try the “Blast them off the planet” method and then the next spell will be Stone to Mud or something else… Evards Black Tentacles to entangle the spellcasters and give the fighters a hassle. Summon Goons. Make people have to do Balance checks. And so on and so on. It should be a massive hassle to get to the BBEG… even when you rock up in the throne room.

Most of my PCs learned to fear the band of 8 kobolds in the small wood… because while the traps were haphazard, badly made and not fabulously dangerous… they were a pain in the ass as the kobolds kept running and sniping from amongst the trees.

NEVER be afraid to remind your players that “Jim-Bob The Destroyer of Worlds has the intelligence of a shoe and will most likely be kissed after that pile of Displacer Beast poo…”

Short-term:
Also if they’re immune to some spells… use alchemy. Or psionics, or saving-throw-less spells. Or anything except that which they are invulnerable too. Mechanical traps. Dungeons made of jello. Tricking or controlling the PCs into fighting one another…. volontary sacrifices for the greater good (be aware some players may balk at this)

Long-term : All the above are merely *tactics*, and you should also be thinking strategically. The situation is only going to get worse as the PCs progress (and you should avoid slamming them with progression-denial tactics, as this kills player-enjoyment of just about everything). You need a long-term balancing factor. Eventually shutting down this PC team and starting over may be a more healthy alternative if you can’t find one. N.B. Mikes and Johnn suggestions cover almost everything, so there’s hope yet :)