howandwhy99
Adventurer
Noticing that the playtesting report mentions only 5 characters (the encounter baseline) at levels 2, 4, 6, & 8 and none higher started me thinking.
What if the game plays by levels of 10? That the balancing mechanics are based on a 10 level spread and then gradually shifted upward numerically each time a division of 10 was surpassed? It would need to be fairly smooth numerically at the breaks, but the basic number of powers, spells, talents, whatever would remain within a reasonable number for players to remember and play well.
Such a possibility would aim towards personalizing game preferences and simplifying ever higher, past 30 level play.
What I mean is: no edition of D&D has forced leveling mechanics. XP totals have almost always been flexible. The only exceptions I can think of are spells with XP costs limited to uses/level, which have been removed. (not to mention level loss)
With such a system, groups could start and play only Heroic (or Paragon, or Epic) games and advance as fast or slowly as they desired with entrance to the next tier always an option.
In one of the blogs or reports I remember reading about the designers considering a common MMORPG technique of base 10 statistics (1, 10, 100, 1000..) and then deciding to go another route. I think this is a good indication of how they are thinking in regards to the game changing as levels increase and then building towards those changes. (Aside: base 10 stats was one of the features of the scalable mass combat system I was creating.)
To the second benefit, scaling past 30 would be merely be more transitions to higher 10 level tiers. More powers, spells, options, etc. would need to be defined as to what consitutes play at these levels, but the numerical balancing concerns would remain relatively the same.
What doesn't work in this system, IMO, would be 4hd, 1st-level characters (& 11th, 21st, etc.), but I have never found any WotC confirmation on bringing this SAGA element to 4E. I think that is a rumor and a specific change for Star Wars because of 3d6 blaster damage.
I would really like this change in the rules as I could redesign the Wish spell back to 5th level, advance as slowly as my group desires, and define Heroic as being as "epic" as we so chose. HPE may work fine as an assumed campaign setting assumption, but I'm guessing these assumptions can and will be flexible as well. I.e., if your world is DarkSun or the like, then begin play with all PCs and NPCs at the Paragon or Epic tiers.
What if the game plays by levels of 10? That the balancing mechanics are based on a 10 level spread and then gradually shifted upward numerically each time a division of 10 was surpassed? It would need to be fairly smooth numerically at the breaks, but the basic number of powers, spells, talents, whatever would remain within a reasonable number for players to remember and play well.
Such a possibility would aim towards personalizing game preferences and simplifying ever higher, past 30 level play.
What I mean is: no edition of D&D has forced leveling mechanics. XP totals have almost always been flexible. The only exceptions I can think of are spells with XP costs limited to uses/level, which have been removed. (not to mention level loss)
With such a system, groups could start and play only Heroic (or Paragon, or Epic) games and advance as fast or slowly as they desired with entrance to the next tier always an option.
In one of the blogs or reports I remember reading about the designers considering a common MMORPG technique of base 10 statistics (1, 10, 100, 1000..) and then deciding to go another route. I think this is a good indication of how they are thinking in regards to the game changing as levels increase and then building towards those changes. (Aside: base 10 stats was one of the features of the scalable mass combat system I was creating.)
To the second benefit, scaling past 30 would be merely be more transitions to higher 10 level tiers. More powers, spells, options, etc. would need to be defined as to what consitutes play at these levels, but the numerical balancing concerns would remain relatively the same.
What doesn't work in this system, IMO, would be 4hd, 1st-level characters (& 11th, 21st, etc.), but I have never found any WotC confirmation on bringing this SAGA element to 4E. I think that is a rumor and a specific change for Star Wars because of 3d6 blaster damage.
I would really like this change in the rules as I could redesign the Wish spell back to 5th level, advance as slowly as my group desires, and define Heroic as being as "epic" as we so chose. HPE may work fine as an assumed campaign setting assumption, but I'm guessing these assumptions can and will be flexible as well. I.e., if your world is DarkSun or the like, then begin play with all PCs and NPCs at the Paragon or Epic tiers.
