Have we lost our sense of wonder about 30th level LeShay fighters in Scarred Lands?

[Victim]

However much this was meant in jest, I can actually buy this argument about loss of wonder.

You could say that powergaming is now more an exercise in constrained optimization, rather than grabbing the most overpowered stuff. Is being a LeShay really worth the level adjusment? Maybe you should switch to a Fighter 18/Ranger 10/Barbarian 2 to get more skills and special abilities? Did you take enough misc attack bonus items to be able to hit Epic monsters?

You can't grab a powerful race with no penalties, slap a bunch of levels on it, and then expect to rock anymore. The standards are higher.

 

[Yellow Sign]

Yep in my games all the players are bound, gaged, and blind folded during the entire session.

Oh wait.........your talking about D&D............never mind.


YS

 

[Knight Otu]

Pants, you are the penultimate munckin group. Experts have d6 hit dice and can pick their skills. What the hell kind of uber-RIFTS D&D game are you playing?

Who's the ultimate one, then?

 

[Pants]

Who's the ultimate one, then?

Anyone who allows adepts or warriors into their games.

 

[shilsen]

Anyone who allows adepts or warriors into their games.

Oh please - that's just an internet myth! No DM worth his salt would be crazy enough to allow that in his game.

 

[Nightfall]

I'm just allowing the Titans to come crush down all foes.

 

[Knight Otu]

Oh please - that's just an internet myth! No DM worth his salt would be crazy enough to allow that in his game.

And don't get me started on that aristocrat class!

 

[kigmatzomat]

I suspect the OP didn't play up to 30th level.

Fact is, there's not much sense of wonder surrounding any set of mechanics; wonder is based on flavor. Characters grown in a petri dish of optimized mechanics tend to be pretty blah, regardless of the magical doohickies. It's all about the personality.

My game is 20th level now with the characters starting at 1st level. I give out treasure according to the DMG wealth guidelines and use the bog standard XP charts and awards. A newly decanted character would be more optimized, probably, but would lack the years of slow simmering in an open-ended plot.

If you want a sense of wonder, find a game where the characters' decisions have an impact on the game world and play one character with a great concept for a couple of years.

The wonder comes from realizing that the game can just keep going and going and going and going....

 

[pedr]

And don't get me started on that aristocrat class!

I had an I feel dirty inside moment in a Living Greyhawk game recently where our party nearly got our behinds handed to us by an aristocrat. OK so it was an aristocrat with a potion of invisibility, a Quall's Feather Token (Whip) and Elixir of Fire Breath (I guess you have to spend all that money on something) but still....!

 

[Imruphel]

(snip) I play in a game where everyone starts out with 4 10's and 2 11's for ability scores (-4 to one random ability score so it's not overpowered). Everyone's a human too (cuz those damn demihumans are too powerful) and everyone starts off at venerable (though, no bonuses to mental ability scores cause that would be overpowered). (snip)

You do realise that you have just described my first DM from 25 years ago!