D&D changes every 5 levels by design...

[RFisher]

High level opponents dish out enormous sums of damage, too... so it kind of balances out.

It still changes the feel of the game. He didn't say the game became imbalanced because of this change, just different.

However, as far as an adventure goes, my destination is almost always determined by the DM who will also determine how many random events will occur from A to B (Always only ONE!). All teleport or Plane Shift really does is knock out some random encounters.

In some campaigns I run: The players choose the destination. The journey is the adventure. The destination is just a nexus between adventures. If the PCs had teleportation, the Lord of the Rings campaign I ran would have been significantly different & shorter.

 

[Quartz]

It seems to me that Ryan Dancey is assuming single-classing. It seems to me that the game changes with the availability of spells. Basically about every other spell level. The game changes when characters first get fireball, lightning bolt etc. Then Raise Dead, Teleport, Plane Shift. Then Resurrection and Limited Wish. Then Shapechange, Gate, and Wish. On the warrior side, things change when they start getting the fancy weapon special qualities which look cartoony, like Shocking Burst or Flaming.

 

[buzz]

It still changes the feel of the game. He didn't say the game became imbalanced because of this change, just different.

Right, he just said it was different from earlier editions.

Out three-year-old campaign is in the 15th-16th level range right now, and, honestly, PC death is way more common than it was pre-10th. Of course, our DM is a tactical genius, so staying alive is a tall order.

 

[scourger]

Anyway, I also think it's good idea simply because mega-campaigns like Shackled City seem to be asking for a huge commitment from the play-group. E.g., my Saturday crew is playing Age of Worms; given our typical schedule, we estimated that it'll take us three years or so to play through the whole thing. And this leaves aside the fact that the odds we'll stick it out for that long are pretty slim.

Yeah, I started The Shackled City and only got through 2 adventures in about 6 months of weekly play.

 

[scourger]

I wonder how long people expect a campaign to last?

In our group most games/campaigns last about 6 months. The it's time for a break. Some come back later for more. Most don't.