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Was Gandalf Just A 5th Level Magic User?
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<blockquote data-quote="Pauper" data-source="post: 7696600" data-attributes="member: 17607"><p>The point of the article is to illuminate that Gandalf is considered powerful based on reputation, when the things he actually does in the story aren't terribly powerful by D&D's method of measurement, save for a few exceptions where the abilities used can be attributed to Gandalf's magic items rather than his innate abilities. Gandalf's demonstrated abilities become the baseline we use to establish the power level of entities in Middle Earth. For those who claim that Gandalf goes through the whole epic deliberately using underpowered abilities, I have to ask, isn't there any situation where he'd be inclined to let loose if he could? When his own life is in danger when fighting the balrog? When helping to fight the assault on the gates of Minas Tirith? When his own safety or the safety of those he cares about are on the line, don't you have to assume he's using the best abilities he can?</p><p></p><p>From there, I'm more inclined to agree with those who say 'a balrog can't be that powerful, since it can barely defeat a 5th level magic-user while dying itself'. Likewise, neither Frodo nor Bilbo have any experience before setting out on their own adventures. Both hobbits rely heavily on the magic sword Sting for their combat prowess, such as it is, rather than any inherent fighting skill.</p><p></p><p>So basically, JRR Tolkien was a Monty Haul DM.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Pauper, post: 7696600, member: 17607"] The point of the article is to illuminate that Gandalf is considered powerful based on reputation, when the things he actually does in the story aren't terribly powerful by D&D's method of measurement, save for a few exceptions where the abilities used can be attributed to Gandalf's magic items rather than his innate abilities. Gandalf's demonstrated abilities become the baseline we use to establish the power level of entities in Middle Earth. For those who claim that Gandalf goes through the whole epic deliberately using underpowered abilities, I have to ask, isn't there any situation where he'd be inclined to let loose if he could? When his own life is in danger when fighting the balrog? When helping to fight the assault on the gates of Minas Tirith? When his own safety or the safety of those he cares about are on the line, don't you have to assume he's using the best abilities he can? From there, I'm more inclined to agree with those who say 'a balrog can't be that powerful, since it can barely defeat a 5th level magic-user while dying itself'. Likewise, neither Frodo nor Bilbo have any experience before setting out on their own adventures. Both hobbits rely heavily on the magic sword Sting for their combat prowess, such as it is, rather than any inherent fighting skill. So basically, JRR Tolkien was a Monty Haul DM. [/QUOTE]
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Was Gandalf Just A 5th Level Magic User?
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