|
My guess is that the GM is a veteran of an older playstyle. One where magic items are rarer and both more valued and less necessary. So the GM is either new to 3.X/Pathfinder or never learned to adjust his playstyle to match. You can do a lower magic item game, but you have to know what you are doing.
On the other hand, you shouldn't be fighting that many foes that do ability damage at level 5.
Whatever the case is, the GM needs to learn to be less stingy with his items, or less harsh with his monsters.
I don't think it's necessary to throw the blame immediately on being an old timer. Most of us old timers here got to Pathfinder through 3.x. And besides that, those sorts of DMs/GMs (though we all have stories about them, myself included) were more rare than you think. They just stand out more because they were so hardheaded and bloodthirsty.
The OP hasn't mentioned the age of the GM anywhere that I noticed. The guy sounds more like your standard control freak to me.
A "old time" could be stingy with the characteristic increase items, staff and wands and a few other items, but +1 weapons? +1 rings?
They were everywhere in the old adventures.A fighter with a +1 weapon was staple for the end of your first adventure and normally that was at most level 2 (remember, the characters would grow in level at a slower pace).