Kahuna Burger said:
1) omnipotent but not omniscient.
2) Bigger fish to fry.
3) Personal connections.
4) Not Exactly How We Would Have Done It.
Good stuff, Mr. Burger. I'd add some thoughts about my own campaign, that might be useful.
1) Generally, it's low level. The average soldiers is a War1. Wiz5 is a respected guy, because he can sling fireballs.
2) C'est la guerre. There's a war on, so all resources are overtaxed. Everybody fights, nobody quits. At lower levels, the PC's deal with minor problems where the militia has been called off to war and there's no one else to do it. At middling levels (by which I mean 3rd or higher), they start to get assignments from the military/nobility and merchants who have heard of them, stuff like taking back a tower from the enemy or rescuing a merchant caravan. At high levels, they get important missions, like a diplomatic mission to far away (roadshow adventure). Missions to acquire MacGuffin's for the war effort always seem to fit.
2) The important high level NPCs are almost all retired PC's from previous campaigns in the same area. Their abilities are large, but by no means unlimited, and they have day jobs already:
-- Radric the Ranger is patroling the borderlands, occassionally checking in at the Keep
-- Balnagore the High Priest of Heimdall is based in the capitol city castle, healing the war wounded and guarding the city. Few know just how powerful he is, though, as it's essentially a state secret. He doesn't leave the halls of healing, as he's always busy there.
-- Dernhelm the paladin reincarnated as a gold dragon keeps human form and sleeps in the gate room at the bottom of the capitol city castle, guarding both ways -- holding the last ditch escape valve and making sure no more "visitors" stumble through unannounced.
-- Blastym the mage is working on magic items and cannot be disturbed.
-- Gildor the mage and other friends from the group that killed Lloth are far, far away in their castle across the plains -- linked by gate theoretically, but never seen in decades.
If the current party gets in trouble, they can get aid by sending a messenger, but it never seems to be an easy or quick trip. And therefore the cavalry -- actual human War1 cavalry, once with the dragon in human form -- shows up AFTER the night's battle is over.