D&D 5E Martials v Casters...I still don't *get* it.

[Crimson Longinus]

Yeah, the issue is that if level 20 Wizard gets to be Doctor Strange, then level 20 fighter cannot be Conan or it is blatantly imbalanced. D&D casters are far more powerful than casters in most fantasy fiction, whilst martials are relatively mediocre. If casters only had pretty limited magic like for example in the Middle Earth, then that could be balanced with martials remaining 'normal people' even at high levels.

 

[Garthanos]

No thanks. You can play gods if u want. Most on that list aren’t even demigods. But I’ll play conan and Elric at 20th level without the need for playing Hercules and Thor.

That list was from the player's handbook of 2e AD&D, and significant numbers of the first part of it about half were very much considered a demigod. Thor is indeed not on the list however Siegfried is often presented as an earthly incarnation of Thor being guided towards divinity (by Odin in some stories). Heracles spent most of his stories just a demigod and before that perhaps just thinking he was mostly just an exceptional human having never met his father, and yes eventually transcended to be a god.

 

[Minigiant]

Well in my game he is and probably many others.

And that's why the thread is 50 pages.

Everyone is working off different mindscapes because only spells are written down and given levels.

Because at my table he's level 14-15 so that the evil sorcerers can be level 20.

 

[Garthanos]

Yeah, the issue is that if level 20 Wizard gets to be Doctor Strange, then level 20 fighter cannot be Conan or it is blatantly imbalanced. D&D casters are far more powerful than casters in most fantasy fiction, whilst martials are relatively mediocre. If casters only had pretty limited magic like for example in the Middle Earth, then that could be balanced with martials remaining 'normal people' even at high levels.

The closest myths and legends seem to have to the D&D casters (excluding comic book superhero realm) which I have found is from Celtic Myth not Greek Myth not hardly anywhere else but with Lugh Lamhfada and the Tuatha De Danann sorcerer/druids same storyline as Cu Chulainn.

 

[Don Durito]

I think if I was making a D&D edition I would make the regular game finish at level 12 (or maybe 14).

The other levels would be in the Epic Level Handbook and I'd make clear that they are optional as a whole because characters of that power dramatically change the nature of the game world and are more appropriate for a 'mythic' setting than a traditional fantasy setting.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Well in my game he is and probably many others.

Can Conan fight a dozen T-Rexes?

 

[Sithlord]

Can Conan fight a dozen T-Rexes?

As well as any other 20th level barbarian with a 20 strength. Which is not at all. I think you want to play mutants and masterminds with Superman instead of dungeons and dragons.

 

[Garthanos]

My apologies. I thought you were describing an action that was not a maneuver in an earlier post.

No but I can understand how you might have assumed that the original person that described it did not specify too many details about how it would be implemented my desire is very much to give the martials more special things that not on everyone can do this list they might even have a level limit or cost extra attacks and similar to do.

 

[Sithlord]

No but I can understand how you might have assumed that the original person that described it did not specify too many details about how it would be implemented my desire is very much to give the martials more special things that not on everyone can do this list they might even have a level limit or cost extra attacks and similar to do.

Just create new battle maneuvers. I wish they would come out as often as new spells did for
Wizards.

 

[Don Durito]

There's always been this thing that certain characters are 20th level because that's the highest level you can be.

Like the king of the Barbarians in Greyhawk or Scarred Lands is 20th level just because of the idea that barbarian kings could be overturnned by a challenge by combat.

Or the archmage is 20th level because that's how far the dial goes.

If the dial went to 10 then they'd all be 10th level. In BECMI there were more levels (36) in which case the most powerful wizards were that level.

The only reason to make Conan 20th level is because you want him to be the biggest badass in the world and that's how you measure badassness.