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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CruelSummerLord" data-source="post: 3254781" data-attributes="member: 48692">This was said in response to something I posted on another thread, about how 6th level being exceptional and magic items scarce, as EGG wrote in the late 1970s, were major factors in shaping my views on D&D.  It was pointed out by another contributor that 3E/3.5 is designed to allow players access to many magical items, and that imbalances occur if the DM messes with this.  This makes me wonder-were previous editions actually more flexible in their styles of play?  You could play with miniatures or without, could ramp up the power level and still find suitable opponents, could turn down the power level and still have appropriate challenges-but now, with magic items much easier to manufacture, and even seeming to be a necessity these days, and powerful monsters routinely having CRs over 20, I wonder whether it's even possible to enjoy a lower-tone style of play anymore.  Kingdoms of Kalamar and the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, with their predominance of characters under 20th level, seems to suggest that you can still have enjoyable adventures without powergaming, but I can't help but feel that I'd have to take several hit dice off some of the more powerful monsters (reduce the number of hit dice for giants from what it is now to around 8-12, so they can have class levels without having their CRs go through the roof, reduce the hit dice for a monster like the ocean strider from 36 to, say, 12), or drastically cut down the magic item counts and levels of various NPCs (Elminster is "only" a 27th level wizard, Red Wizards only sell potions and scrolls at their magic shops, 10th level is the benchmark for 'exceptional', few if any Epic-level abilities not specifically plot-related, etc.)  So, in a nutshell I'm wondering if it's possible to have that kind of "toned-down" campaign without screwing everything up?  If I seem like a bitter old-timer, I'm actually not: I'm only 24.  I must admit that I hate the idea of magic being a cheap commodity (the DMs' Option: High Level Campaigns book featured a drawing of a wizard pushing a shopping cart down an aisle, examining various magic wands available in a bin), and find the sheer numbers of variant races/templates/fusions bewildering (if dwarven innkeepers bar customers just for being elves or humans, and mercenary guilds deny membership to certain people because they are women, elves or halflings, what chance does a person who is so obviously unusual have of thriving in a world where racial and sexual discrimination are a very unfortunate but very real part of life?), to say nothing of prestige classes (I prefer to take the existing classes and make role-playing/ability variations as needed).  So, in this day and age, am I completely out of step?  Is there still any place for non-powergamers around the game table?</blockquote>

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