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To run high level adventures, I think you have to have certain conventions common to the fictional action and fantasy genre:
1. The Competent Villain: High level villains have been around a long time. They have dealt with many of the spell combinations your players will throw at them and probably spend alot of time thinking about how to counter. Your DM should do the same. He should sit around like he is a villain contemplating spell combinations and combat tactics that might possibly be used against him and how to counter them.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that a DM spend alot of time thinking out villain strategy. There are alot of ways to give a villain an advantage without employing brute force or giving patently unfair special powers to the villain. There are lots of ways to deal with scrying and teleport
2. The Villains Goal: It is really important that your high level bad guys have some kind of goal besides just sitting around waiting for the PC's to attack. The villain's goal is the whole reason why the PC's are coming after the villain in the first place. A high level villain's goals are more complex than lower level villains. They have more power to carry them out.
The goal will control the villains actions, but the player's will have to figure out the villains goal and how to thwart it. A Dm should not always may the villains goal stop simply by killing him at high level, or it becomes a question of has more brute force. The villain's goal should also be something that they can accomplish.
3. Non-combat Situations: High level play should involve a certain level of poilitics and socializing. Straight combat becomes real tedious at higher levels with lots of powerful healing and defensive measures and high hit point fighters swinging back and forth until someone goes down.
Not to mention, a high level hero is often friends with kings and other high level prominent figures in the land. They may be called upon to settle disputes or attend royal or civic functions. Clerics should definitely be expected to help their churches.
A king fighting a war against a neighboring kingdom may send messengers to the local 20th level Paladin to help him handle this situation. The Paladin may have to go and deal with the situation to avert a war or lead it.
High level play should involve more than just hack 'n slash or it could real boring and surreal (aka your character being ressurected many times).
These are just some of the things I take into account as the PC's rise in level. I take them into account on a lesser scale at lower level, but such factors become much more important as the characters reach a level where annihilating an invading orc (or even giant) army is quite within their capabilities.
To run high level adventures, I think you have to have certain conventions common to the fictional action and fantasy genre:
1. The Competent Villain: High level villains have been around a long time. They have dealt with many of the spell combinations your players will throw at them and probably spend alot of time thinking about how to counter. Your DM should do the same. He should sit around like he is a villain contemplating spell combinations and combat tactics that might possibly be used against him and how to counter them.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that a DM spend alot of time thinking out villain strategy. There are alot of ways to give a villain an advantage without employing brute force or giving patently unfair special powers to the villain. There are lots of ways to deal with scrying and teleport
2. The Villains Goal: It is really important that your high level bad guys have some kind of goal besides just sitting around waiting for the PC's to attack. The villain's goal is the whole reason why the PC's are coming after the villain in the first place. A high level villain's goals are more complex than lower level villains. They have more power to carry them out.
The goal will control the villains actions, but the player's will have to figure out the villains goal and how to thwart it. A Dm should not always may the villains goal stop simply by killing him at high level, or it becomes a question of has more brute force. The villain's goal should also be something that they can accomplish.
3. Non-combat Situations: High level play should involve a certain level of poilitics and socializing. Straight combat becomes real tedious at higher levels with lots of powerful healing and defensive measures and high hit point fighters swinging back and forth until someone goes down.
Not to mention, a high level hero is often friends with kings and other high level prominent figures in the land. They may be called upon to settle disputes or attend royal or civic functions. Clerics should definitely be expected to help their churches.
A king fighting a war against a neighboring kingdom may send messengers to the local 20th level Paladin to help him handle this situation. The Paladin may have to go and deal with the situation to avert a war or lead it.
High level play should involve more than just hack 'n slash or it could real boring and surreal (aka your character being ressurected many times).
These are just some of the things I take into account as the PC's rise in level. I take them into account on a lesser scale at lower level, but such factors become much more important as the characters reach a level where annihilating an invading orc (or even giant) army is quite within their capabilities.
