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Message: <blockquote data-quote="InzeladunMaster" data-source="post: 1491092" data-attributes="member: 9774">Magic items, mostly.  I have been especially unhappy with DnD's magic system for quite some time, wanting it to have more consequences.I've noticed that in Conan, if you surivive, you used your skills and strategies.  In DnD, if you have enough ornaments, you will survive.  Skills are useful at low levels, but at high levels, they are virtually useless because one can enhance them almost to infinity.  Powerful swords and weapons decrease variety and strategy... and interest.  Running combat in DnD is mostly done by routine.  Running combat in Conan has been a fascinating experience.  Jump skills, swimming, etc...Charlie's character took off after an assassin who decided he wanted to live and the assassin ran off the dock to swim away.  Charlie's character just jumped off the dock and grappled him in the water, slitting his throat.  No magic, no teleports - just brute strength.Charlie's character later intimidated a 16th level character (13 levels higher than his!).  This character knew he could be run through just as easily as the next guy (ask his cohort.  Bob's character slew a 9th level character with one savage blow!), so he took off (even a pirate can't dodge too well sitting in a tavern booth)!  In DnD, a sixteenth level character would have had magic belts, magic swords, magic boots and other ornaments that would have made him quite secure in laughing at the low level guy.Unfortunately, magic items are intrinsic to the CR system of DnD.  Without the magic items, one cannot hope to defeat many of the monsters.Another thing I like about Conan, it solves the accumulation of goodies.  With each new adventure, the characters start out with whatever equipment I think they should have in that environment.  If they need a magic item for an adventure, I can give it to them.  It will be gone by the next adventure.  There are no 'Christmas Tree' characters in Conan. Give a low level character the equipment usually given to a 20th level characters, and that low level character will fair pretty good against high level monsters and will be all but invincible to low level characters.  DnD really breaks down at high levels, where the characters without magic are toast.Judging by the last couple of games of Conan, even high level characters should fear the low level guys, especially if they gang up on them.  That pirate they fought was tough, but hardly invincible.  Judging by the play-test, where we used some 16th level characters, the game should still be fun even then.  (I am suspecting part of the reason I am still enjoying the online game is because there are no wizards or sorcerers in the party - yet if there were no Ordiss Ool level characters in the world, who could stand up even to them?)The Conan system managed to solve most of the things I found frustrating in DnD.</blockquote>

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