Power Level of Characters Will Decline

[Roman]

Although we still don't have a direct answer on the power levels of characters in the 4th edition relative to previous editions, I think that with the information that has become available since we started asking this question, we can now safely say that a character of a given level will be less powerful than a character of an equal level in the 3.X edition. This is because it seems the various landmark abilities and spells that WotC considers problematic have been removed from the game and others have been shifted to higher levels. Note, please that I am stating this in a neutral manner, merely as an answer to a long outstanding question of power level in the new edition.

 

[Szatany]

We do have an indirect answer - it was said that levels 1-30 in 4e will correspond to levels (IIRC) 4-15 in 3e. So low level characters will be more powerful than their 3e brothers but high-levels characters will be somewhat weaker.

 

[Xethreau]

And people say everything is getting so much more powerful!
*BUWAHAHAHA!*

 

[morbiczer]

We do have an indirect answer - it was said that levels 1-30 in 4e will correspond to levels (IIRC) 4-15 in 3e. So low level characters will be more powerful than their 3e brothers but high-levels characters will be somewhat weaker.

Wasn't it also said, that high level ("epic") characters will be able to take on gods? will this mean that 4E gods are only as powerful as 3E 15th level characters?

 

[jasin]

We do have an indirect answer - it was said that levels 1-30 in 4e will correspond to levels (IIRC) 4-15 in 3e. So low level characters will be more powerful than their 3e brothers but high-levels characters will be somewhat weaker.

Do you have a source for this?

I seem to remember reading that 1-20 in 4E will roughly correspond to 1-20 in 3E, with 21-30 in 4E being equivalent to 3E Epic, only functional.

 

[Szatany]

Do you have a source for this?

I seem to remember reading that 1-20 in 4E will roughly correspond to 1-20 in 3E, with 21-30 in 4E being equivalent to 3E Epic, only functional.

Sorry I don't keep links but it was in the first few days since the reveal of 4e, something like 2 months ago?

I never seen a quote that levels will be equal between editions.

Wasn't it also said, that high level ("epic") characters will be able to take on gods? will this mean that 4E gods are only as powerful as 3E 15th level characters?

It was, but we know nothing about the gods and we don't know if players will be able to kill them, kill their avatars, banish them somewhere, we don't know a thing.

 

[Reaper Steve]

We do have an indirect answer - it was said that levels 1-30 in 4e will correspond to levels (IIRC) 4-15 in 3e. So low level characters will be more powerful than their 3e brothers but high-levels characters will be somewhat weaker.

I think you are mixing two issues.
The statement about 4E being like 3E levels 4-15 referred to the 'sweet spot' where all the math worked. It did not mean that 3E 4-15 = 4E 1-30.

I think that 4E 1st levels will be much more capable than 3E first levels, but then their progression will be much more gradual. Even though there will be more levels, and something new for the characters at every level, their overall power won't grow as fast as it did in 3E.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

We do have an indirect answer - it was said that levels 1-30 in 4e will correspond to levels (IIRC) 4-15 in 3e.

I believe this is all a misinterpretation. I recall being said that a sweet-spot of play in 3e was observed to be between levels 4th and 15th-ish. And also said that in 4e the sweet-spot will extend from levels 1 to level 30.

The sweet-spot equivalence was not the same as power level equivalence.

 

[Szatany]

You're both right, I probably misinterpreted. IMO the actual power level will be next to impossible to directly translate with a simple formula because, on one hand, bab, caster level, and other things will progress more slowly, on the other hand class abilities will be much more powerful at high levels, and on the top of that high level wizards will loose some omph they had in 3e and fighters will gain new unique abilities similar to Bo9S. So the power level conversion will vary wildly from class to class.

 

[Roman]

Well, the mathematics is completely different, so power cannot be compared on that basis, but it can be compared based on at what levels characters gain landmark powers that give tham game-transforming options. It is true that most if not all of those powers are magical in nature: flight, wildshape, invisibility, teleport, and so on.