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What everyone really wants this Christmas.
(startrek.website)
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this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2023
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I just like starting at level 20 and using the epic level handbook because I love planar exploration, and the lore of the game generally requires being massively powerful to do shit like that or even explore space (which is way cooler than space IRL).
So many other DMs I talk to don't even want to deal with groups above level 12 or 13 because they get too powerful and they start having trouble balancing things against all the options the party has available to them.
Which edition are you playing? From what I can find, the Epic Level Handbook was 3e.
For people playing 5e, yeah, the game just breaks down around level 13-15. One of the funny things is that WotC has clearly recognized this is a problem, because they've implemented a solution... which is to just not publish high-level material. They just gave up on it.
3/3.5e is the only one with epic leveling that I'm aware of. Even back before 4e, it was pretty common to not go very far above level 12 or 13. I've seen articles in Dungeon magazine that discuss this problem as far back as AD&D. That's where we get things like Tucker's Kobolds.
Yeah, that's what I was wondering. Most of the criticisms of high-level play come from 5e players, which is fair, since it's pretty much not supported. But I also remember the high-level books from my 3e days!
I haven't had personal experience with it, but I know BECMI D&D supported it. I think the lower tiers (Basic and Expert) are more popular than the latter (Companion, Master, Immortal), but still.
If it were me, I'd find it easier to change the lore so you can do planar exploration at lower levels than to deal with all the mechanics and balancing of level 20 characters