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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ry" data-source="post: 3575966" data-attributes="member: 8314">Epic Progression after 6th levelHere are my Epic 6th level rules, which Khuxan called Ry20.  I have playtested the system extensively with my crew, and I can say that it works as intended.    <a href="http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=99034" target="_blank">Previous discussion</a> indicated that this approach has some appeal for others, so I've revised it to show it here on free RPG day.Do you have complaints about D&D's high level play?  Sure you do.  Well, don't go burning those rulebooks just yet, because there's a secret game hidden inside of D&D.This game has fewer rules, lower magic, and it is quick and easy to prepare.  But you don't need 3D glasses or a degree in cryptology to find this game.  With a single rule, you too can find the secret game hidden inside D&D.The Rule:Character progression from level 1 to level 6 is as per D&D.  Upon attaining 6th level, for each 5000 experience a character gains, they earn a new feat.  Note: Feats with unattainable prerequisites under this system remain unattainable.[sblock='Benefits']1.  Very fast play at every level of the campaign.2.  Focus on planning, not levelling.  To defeat the black dragon Zolanderos, the CR 10 terror of Staunwark Island, the heroes will need help, special resources, and information.  I want to further encourage party-directed adventuring, and if the heroes want to take on something 4 to 6 CR above them, then that's what they will require.3.  A low magic game that everyone knows how to play.4.  Never a need for meaningless encounters.  The players can be involved in a dozen or so major combat scenarios (perhaps more than one encounter each) and have proven themselves and made a major accomplishment.  See Lord of the Rings movies, or most fantasy novels.5.  Classic monsters stay classic throughout the campaign; Chimeras and Aboleths start scary, and stay scary.  Dragons are always exciting encounters.6.  Even legendary heroes remain mortal; while a 6th level fighter who has taken toughness several times can take on a good mob, he isn't invulnerable.  The sorcerer's 6d6 fireballs are phenomenal, but not so powerful that he can destroy a village and not fear retaliation.7.  Quicker prep.  Make a 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th version of a sorcerer, and now you have a whole sorcerous dragon-cult that can last you through your whole campaign.8.  You can put what you've learned of the rules to good use.  It's hard to know every 4th through 9th level spell out there; they're the ones we see the least.  But we've seen 0th through 3rd level spells many, many times, and mastery over them is relatively simple.[/sblock][sblock='Using outside feats']To provide lots of selection and preserve the fun of character building, I allow all WotC books as sources of extra feats.  I also allow feats from Phil Reed's <a href="http://www.roninarts.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=482" target="_blank">Book of Unusual Feats</a>, and the <a href="http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?products_eldritch" target="_blank">Books of Eldritch Might</a>.  Other feats would be approved on an ad-hoc basis, but so far I've never run into players that have been unhappy with this selection.[/sblock][sblock='Conviction']This is a totally optional rule that I find goes very well with the Epic 6th level rules, and I use them in my game to reduce lethality and make sure that the PCs are the stars of the show.This rule also runs very smoothly when <a href="http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/unearthedRolls.html" target="_blank">Players Roll All the Dice</a>, which I recommend for all campaigns, Epic 6th level or not. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />ConvictionPlayer Characters have a pool of Conviction, which functions like Action points.  All PCs get 5 Conviction.  Conviction is replenished whenever the party has a night of complete rest.  A character can use 1 Conviction re-roll any d20 check they make, or to make an opponent re-roll any d20 check made against them.  2 Conviction points can be spent to take an extra move-equivalent action on the player-character's turn, 3 conviction for a standard action, and 5 Conviction for a full-round action. When a player spends Conviction, they're saying "Hey, this is important to me.  I want my character to have been the one that pulled this off - or at least, put everything into trying."The Death FlagAs an Immediate action, a player character can choose to raise his Death Flag and gain 5 Conviction instantly (even if this brings their total Conviction pool above 5).  When the death flag is raised, the normal rules for death apply.  If the death flag has not been raised, then the character, if killed, is treated as reducing the player character to 1 hit point above death.  The Death Flag can be lowered by spending 5 Conviction.When a player raises the Death flag, they're saying "This is worth staking my character's life on."[/sblock][sblock='Level Adjustments']If you use races with a level adjustment, the 6th level cap is a big issue.  Use the point buy rules in the DMG as follows:LA Points+0   32+1   25+2   18+3   10+4   00[/sblock]</blockquote>

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