kheris said:
That could be true, but I read it as "You won't be seeing massive power spikes, just gradual increases." Which is to say that your lv 30 characters will still be truly epic, but the move from 20 to 21 won't unleash a violent torrent of power and riches upon them, it'll be just like going from 19 to 20 or 3 to 4, as opposed to the current Epic rules.
That is my interpretation as well. I think that the goal is to have the sweet spot now found at levels 4-14 in 3E apply to all levels.
I have had fun with Epic level play, and I think that there should be room for it in the rules. One of my biggest grumbles about the Epic Level Handbook is that it seemed tacked on to the system and did not flow seemlessly from the existing rules. Indeed, the epic level spell system was very different from what was in the books. What I expected was something that would fill me with a sense of awe about what characters could accomplish, perhaps being finally able to equal wizards like Mordenkainen or Elminster. Instead, I often felt as if I had ordered one dish at a restaruant and received another one.
Now, you can still have a mid level character class plane shift and still have it be a paragon level adventure. (Heck, one of the strengths of Planescape is that characters of all levels were able to adventure in the Planes. Also, the first planar adventure in D&D, Q1 -- Queen of the Demonweb Pits, was for characters with levels in their teens.)
Not all epic level adventures have to be "silly." See Sepulchrave II's story hour for an adventure that is epic in level and scope, and yet had strong roleplaying and exploration of philosophical concepts. We could do with more silliness like that, as well as silliness like Elric, Corum, Conan, or other powerful heroes. Indeed, mythology includes heroes who are advised by the gods, or sometimes can challenge gods or fearsome monsters on behalf of the world? Should not a D&D character be able to rise from a local hero to someone whose name in that fantasy world will be spoken in the same way that people once spoke of Cuchulainn, Hercules, Odysseus, Gilgamesh, or other heroes? The D&D game over its incarnations has had many things for epic level play. Or should only a Mordenkainen, a Tenser, a Robilar, or an Elminster have the ability to become among the mightiest Indeed, I hope that 4E is about options -- including people being able to have different styles of adventures. My philosophy is that the rules should be a base to build on, and a DM always should have the power of saying NO.
