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<blockquote data-quote="Laeknir" data-source="post: 6494284" data-attributes="member: 33994">Personally, I agree that there's a problem with too many epic heroes and lvl 20+ NPCs just hanging out in every single tiny village in the Forgotten Realms.&nbsp; Sure, it's a high magic setting.&nbsp; And sure, Elminster and the goddess-children power team are out solving the truly big problems.&nbsp; Or maybe you treat them as locked in an arms race standstill with big baddies.&nbsp; But all of that really DOES have an impact on gameplay.&nbsp; It really does.Elminster and the powerpuff girls are ALWAYS going to be more powerful, they're always going to know more than you, and heck, they've even been instructed to create and &quot;plant&quot; magical treasures in ancient ruins that have been farmed for millenia by the other twenty million lvl 20+ NPCs before you.It's a lot like playing in Lord of the Rings setting.&nbsp; People do that, but it's not a hugely popular setting because quite literally the metastory has been entrusted to and accomplished by Tolkien's main characters.&nbsp; You are always going to be in the background as a minor schmoe for as long as they publish &quot;epic power&quot; novels.&nbsp; In Tolkien, the big stuff has all been done, you're just a tourist.&nbsp; Same with the Realms, Elminster and crew and probably his numerous pals and buddies are always going to make you feel like a tourist.Compare with Greyhawk, where the Circle of Eight might know a few special secrets or clues, but they aren't heroes and they're certainly not starring in some epic save-the-world story every 1-2 years in some novel.&nbsp; They're also not really a super-team.&nbsp; Mordenkainen has his own interests, studies, politics, and so on and doesn't pair up in some kind of superhero team every Tuesday after scones.&nbsp; He might -maybe- help you with a point of lore or some helpful item, but since he's not a hero he will make you pay for it with coin or service.&nbsp; Conversely, if Elminster has heard about a world-level problem he's probably going to push you out of the way to go solve it.It's not just THAT they're in the setting, it's about WHO they are and what they're known for in the novels.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Laeknir, post: 6494284, member: 33994"] Personally, I agree that there's a problem with too many epic heroes and lvl 20+ NPCs just hanging out in every single tiny village in the Forgotten Realms. Sure, it's a high magic setting. And sure, Elminster and the goddess-children power team are out solving the truly big problems. Or maybe you treat them as locked in an arms race standstill with big baddies. But all of that really DOES have an impact on gameplay. It really does. Elminster and the powerpuff girls are ALWAYS going to be more powerful, they're always going to know more than you, and heck, they've even been instructed to create and "plant" magical treasures in ancient ruins that have been farmed for millenia by the other twenty million lvl 20+ NPCs before you. It's a lot like playing in Lord of the Rings setting. People do that, but it's not a hugely popular setting because quite literally the metastory has been entrusted to and accomplished by Tolkien's main characters. You are always going to be in the background as a minor schmoe for as long as they publish "epic power" novels. In Tolkien, the big stuff has all been done, you're just a tourist. Same with the Realms, Elminster and crew and probably his numerous pals and buddies are always going to make you feel like a tourist. Compare with Greyhawk, where the Circle of Eight might know a few special secrets or clues, but they aren't heroes and they're certainly not starring in some epic save-the-world story every 1-2 years in some novel. They're also not really a super-team. Mordenkainen has his own interests, studies, politics, and so on and doesn't pair up in some kind of superhero team every Tuesday after scones. He might -maybe- help you with a point of lore or some helpful item, but since he's not a hero he will make you pay for it with coin or service. Conversely, if Elminster has heard about a world-level problem he's probably going to push you out of the way to go solve it. It's not just THAT they're in the setting, it's about WHO they are and what they're known for in the novels. [/QUOTE]

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