D&D 5E What high-level spells could warp society?

[ezo]

Definitely not the intent. Being a Tier 4 (17+ level) character would be like being an esteemed neurosurgeon or an Ivy League lawyer who argues cases before the Supreme Court. They're around, but they aren't common, and they're in a social class all their own.

Rather, 20th level just means that someone has arrived into the "real influence" tier of society, where the movers and shakers of society start to take an interest in you

So, with this in mind, I'll try to break this down:

1st-Level Medic: I know what a band-aid is and how to use it.
3rd-Level Medic: I know to apply antibiotic if needed before the band-aid.
5th-Level Medic: I know basic first-aid, covering more serious things like burns or splinting a broken bone (Boy Scout maybe?)
10th-Level Medic: EMT
13th-Level Medic: Family Doctor
15th-Level Medic: General Surgeon
17th-level Medic: Specialist
20th-Level Medic: Well-known in my field of specialty
EPIC-Level Medic: Doing ground-breaking research successfully, Nobel candidate?

Basically, around level 8-12 your are a qualified professional at what you do. A guard (police-person), etc.
Level 13-15 you are "more than typical", such as a Detective (instead of a "Beat Cop"). You've had additional training and/or experience.

Is that sort of along the lines you're going for??

I'm kind of going for that vibe in modern thrillers where there's a bunch of shadowy groups of super-skilled people who are all vaguely aware of each other's existence. A Tier 4 character is someone who's now ready to play in the big leagues.

Yea, it's basically "E20". The town doesn't get threatened by a manticore, that's a problem a few farmers can take care of.
A flight of fiendish manticores is more of the standard "sound the alarm and find some adventurers" threat.

So, like I said, the farmer's son can fend off a normal wolf. Get his dad and a few other farmers for the manticore.

I am seeing this more like a direction 1:1 ratio of level:CR. A 3rd or 4th level group of farmers can handle a CR 3 manticore.

The game starts with the characters maxed out (or nearly so, I might start at 18th or 19th), and the focus of growth is gaining epic boons and legendary/artifact power magic items.

Sounds fun, I would think maybe 17th (you just hit tier 4) and let's see how you do.

 

[TwoSix]

So, with this in mind, I'll try to break this down:

1st-Level Medic: I know what a band-aid is and how to use it.
3rd-Level Medic: I know to apply antibiotic if needed before the band-aid.
5th-Level Medic: I know basic first-aid, covering more serious things like burns or splinting a broken bone (Boy Scout maybe?)
10th-Level Medic: EMT
13th-Level Medic: Family Doctor
15th-Level Medic: General Surgeon
17th-level Medic: Specialist
20th-Level Medic: Well-known in my field of specialty
EPIC-Level Medic: Doing ground-breaking research successfully, Nobel candidate?

Basically, around level 8-12 your are a qualified professional at what you do. A guard (police-person), etc.
Level 13-15 you are "more than typical", such as a Detective (instead of a "Beat Cop"). You've had additional training and/or experience.

Is that sort of along the lines you're going for??

Pretty much, although I might have it narrow a little more quickly. Making the jump from Tier 1 to Tier 2, or from Tier 2 to Tier 3, is not easy. Numbers are approximate, but I'm thinking ~90% of people max out around level 4-5, and most of those who make the jump max out at levels 8-10. Maybe around 1% make it to level 11, and every level past that is a challenge. Only maybe .1% of people make it to level 17.

But in a world with populations in the hundreds of millions, possibly billions, even .1% is a lot of Tier 4 characters.

 

[Quartz]

Rather, 20th level just means that someone has arrived into the "real influence" tier of society, where the movers and shakers of society start to take an interest in you.

Take a look at Sepulchrave II's Chronicles of Wyre. It's not quite what you want because normal people are still normal levels but the PCs now contend with epic-level friends and foes and wield real influence.

 

[TwoSix]

Take a look at Sepulchrave II's Chronicles of Wyre. It's not quite what you want because normal people are still normal levels but the PCs now contend with epic-level friends and foes and wield real influence.

One of my favorites! Definitely an inspiration for epic-level play.

 

[ezo]

Pretty much, although I might have it narrow a little more quickly. Making the jump from Tier 1 to Tier 2, or from Tier 2 to Tier 3, is not easy. Numbers are approximate, but I'm thinking ~90% of people max out around level 4-5, and most of those who make the jump max out at levels 8-10. Maybe around 1% make it to level 11, and every level past that is a challenge. Only maybe .1% of people make it to level 17.

I think it might feel a bit too stunted to max out most people around 4-5 but maybe not. About 1 in 1000 people are medical doctors (ranging the gambit from general practioner to specialist), so those would fall into tier 4 at your 0.1% more or less.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I think it might feel a bit too stunted to max out most people around 4-5 but maybe not. About 1 in 1000 people are medical doctors (ranging the gambit from general practioner to specialist), so those would fall into tier 4 at your 0.1% more or less.

Besides, doctors are hardly the only high-level profession out there.

 

[ezo]

Besides, doctors are hardly the only high-level profession out there.

True, but they work as an example. There are hundreds of high-level professions, but with the curve this concept is creating, that isn't a problem since we're talking level 17 and higher.

 

[Reynard]

I think the prevalence of magic has much more impact than its power level. Eberron is a good example of a setting where magic is ever-present but not necessarily super-powerful.

You suggested that town guards are 9th-10th level. that similarly suggests that everyone who does work in "defense" is of similar levels: you have 9th or 10th level clerics, rangers, paladins, druids and wizards/sorcerers running around in society on the regular. And in the shadows, their dark counterparts like assassins, thieves, warlocks and cultists will be similarly leveled. This says that magic will be extremely prevalent. So we are kind of back to Eberron.

 

[TwoSix]

Besides, doctors are hardly the only high-level profession out there.

Sure, and we're still talking a world in which your standard villager will have between 20-30 HP, and a decent fraction will have access to cure wounds and lesser restoration. And the village wise woman will probably have access to greater restoration and raise dead. A specialized doctor isn't quite as important.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

The greater the wish, the greater the chance for misfortune…

What would happen if we all could drive fully armed tanks to work?

There would be a lot of mishaps, craters and widows/orphans.

And a few fewer fast food restaurant franchises