D&D General Adventurers in Faerun-The Book of Low and Mid Level Adventures?

[Rushbolt]

If 3rd party producers won't make high-level adventures due to the possibility of limited sales... why would you think Wizards of the Coast would be happy to do it instead? Because they should create material for small groups of the playerbase just out of the goodness of their hearts? Do they not care about limited sales too?

I wasn't saying devote the whole product to it. It would probably be about 15-30 pages out of the whole book. I didn't even say most of the adventures should be high level. Just some of them. The book will sell either way because people want the campaign information.

 

[Stormonu]

I've generally found anything around about 15th+ level adventure-wise needs to be custom-written for the game you're running because the stakes tend to be so high at that point and you can't depend on the characters following some "average" power point designers would try to write for.

Also, put me down as another who starts planning the end of their campaign when the characters hit 9th, usually petering out by 12th max.

 

[Zardnaar]

I've generally found anything around about 15th+ level adventure-wise needs to be custom-written for the game you're running because the stakes tend to be so high at that point and you can't depend on the characters following some "average" power point designers would try to write for.

Also, put me down as another who starts planning the end of their campaign when the characters hit 9th, usually petering out by 12th max.

That ir it has to be a deathteap dungeon or lots of no type effects. Anti magic, dead magic, level 7-9 spell traps etc.

Level 13 is where things start becoming why bother.

 

[bedir than]

Back in the day. CMI part of BECMI didnt sell as well.

All the big selling AD&D adventures are mostly low level. Exceptions are Tomb of Horror and a Drow one.

Paizo has also commented on it. I dont think their APs go to level 20.

Alot of game designers have also mentioned it over the years. Dungeon editorials as well iirc.

It predates 5E.

So not WotC as previously stated

 

[Rushbolt]

Maybe there should just be a basic version of D&D that only goes to level 10-12. The posts I am seeing here make it seem like the game is just basically broken past that point. The PHB could be about half the size and far less intimidating to new players. Also, the classes would have far less information. Fewer spells would need to be written, and it would bridge the gap between the starter sets and the full game. I learned with Mentzer Basic, and it was so easy to follow that little booklet.

 

[Mort]

Maybe there should just be a basic version of D&D that only goes to level 10-12. The posts I am seeing here make it seem like the game is just basically broken past that point. The PHB could be about half the size and far less intimidating to new players. Also, the classes would have far less information. Fewer spells would need to be written, and it would bridge the gap between the starter sets and the full game. I learned with Mentzer Basic, and it was so easy to follow that little booklet.

I'm happily DMing a group through 18th level currently. The game works fine, as long as you accept that things are different, the stakes must be different etc.

It requires more effort on the part of the DM and, as importantly, more effort on the part of the players as there are more moving parts.

I would have loved to see at least some 1-2 page high level scenarios. Sure writing high level adventures is difficult, but writing high level scenarios and encounters isn't THAT hard, and that's what these are.

Individual high level scenarios and encounters that can be dropped in to any campaign (with just a but if work and reskinning) world actually encourage more people to try high level DMing as at least some of the work would be already done.

 

[Reynard]

Back in the day. CMI part of BECMI didnt sell as well.

All the big selling AD&D adventures are mostly low level. Exceptions are Tomb of Horror and a Drow one.

Paizo has also commented on it. I dont think their APs go to level 20.

Alot of game designers have also mentioned it over the years. Dungeon editorials as well iirc.

It predates 5E.

Do you think the market is essentially the same as it was 30 years ago?

 

[aco175]

My players hit level 12 and finished the arc and now are free to pursue what they want. I'm having a problem making things for this level to both challenge them and make it fit with the world. A bandit attack on the road with 50 bandits instead of 5 and I'll throw in a mage with a elemental as the leader. At some point c'mon.

I'm making a story with them, but we also like combat. Suddenly the Goblin Woods has no goblins and is filled with giants, meh.

 

[Reynard]

My players hit level 12 and finished the arc and now are free to pursue what they want. I'm having a problem making things for this level to both challenge them and make it fit with the world. A bandit attack on the road with 50 bandits instead of 5 and I'll throw in a mage with a elemental as the leader. At some point c'mon.

I'm making a story with them, but we also like combat. Suddenly the Goblin Woods has no goblins and is filled with giants, meh.

This is one of my big pet peeves about how 5E handles levels and challenges, despite the benefits of the flat math.

A part of 1st level characters heads off through the terrifying Spider Forest to explore the old "haunted" Dwarven mines. An in game week later, they are returning at 3rd or 4th level and the Spider Forest is at best an annoyance. Especially at low levels the PCs gain levels way too quickly for even a moderately curated setting to make any sense. The illusion is a soap bubble.

At higher levels, either you have the problem quoted above, or PCs that are forced to be disconnected from their home base so that can adventure in level appropriate areas.

I often wonder if we could have a workable D&D with much, much flatter power ramp.

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

I was just looking at chapter 1 of the Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerun book. I noticed they printed 50 short 1-2 page adventures for various places, factions, and regions for Dungeon Masters. That seems really helpful. None of the adventures are over level 13. That's not really helpful.

The vibe I get from the books is one of getting new DMs and players on the road to adventure as swiftly as possible.

I definitely see your point about DMs needing some kind of higher level content. And I wonder if WotC considered adding one or two higher level adventures, only to decide not to.

As to why, I figure if you put just one 13+ level adventure in the Adventures book, then just about every campaign using the book is going to aim at using that one adventure. And since the sourcebook is geared towards only a handful of specific regions in the Realms, which region should host the adventure?

So possibly they didn't add a high level adventure because it wouldn't fit with the sourcebook's theme and intent?