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<blockquote data-quote="Imre" data-source="post: 3421716" data-attributes="member: 36183">The bias against high level play in Wizards publications is undeniable.&nbsp; Once you hit epic levels, many of the rules formalisms break down.&nbsp; The issue that is the biggest for me is NPC power level.&nbsp; I've already houseruled that magic items have to use a slot, so no Bagful of Stones That Let Me Do Whatever; and that the &quot;non-standard&quot; bonuses cannot be put on permanent or semi-permanent items (sacred, luck, etc).&nbsp; This closes the gap somewhat.One issue that gets a lot of attention is ECL.&nbsp; Anyone who has played a creature with an LA greater than 4 and/or a lot of racial HD eventually has to face the fact that they are way behind the curve, at least when it comes to a combat-driven style of play.&nbsp; At high levels, the ECL rubric is completely useless.Enough setup, now the punchline:An issue that I never see addressed is something like &quot;reverse LA&quot;.&nbsp; A creature's LA is designed to account for the increase in relative power and influence that its abilities will have when in the hands of a PC.&nbsp; However, the converse is ignored.&nbsp; The versatility of a wizard, the ability to rage 5 times per day, etc mean nothing in the hands of a &quot;generic&quot; NPC.&nbsp; Many of the class features that increase a PC's ECL are worthless to an NPC.&nbsp; (This obviously isn't really an issue for monsters, just NPCs built from PC classes.)&nbsp; The only time I've seen this brought up is in the ELH where they suggest that you consider an NPC as two levels lower for its CR.This kind of quick and dirty rule just isn't enough.&nbsp; As the wealth gap widens, NPCs fall further and further behind.&nbsp; When it comes to NPC &quot;bosses&quot;, I've taken to giving a bonus feat or two or something of the like.&nbsp; This, however, is a bit unfair to the players.Have any of you addressed this issue in your games?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Imre, post: 3421716, member: 36183"] The bias against high level play in Wizards publications is undeniable. Once you hit epic levels, many of the rules formalisms break down. The issue that is the biggest for me is NPC power level. I've already houseruled that magic items have to use a slot, so no Bagful of Stones That Let Me Do Whatever; and that the "non-standard" bonuses cannot be put on permanent or semi-permanent items (sacred, luck, etc). This closes the gap somewhat. One issue that gets a lot of attention is ECL. Anyone who has played a creature with an LA greater than 4 and/or a lot of racial HD eventually has to face the fact that they are way behind the curve, at least when it comes to a combat-driven style of play. At high levels, the ECL rubric is completely useless. Enough setup, now the punchline: An issue that I never see addressed is something like "reverse LA". A creature's LA is designed to account for the increase in relative power and influence that its abilities will have when in the hands of a PC. However, the converse is ignored. The versatility of a wizard, the ability to rage 5 times per day, etc mean nothing in the hands of a "generic" NPC. Many of the class features that increase a PC's ECL are worthless to an NPC. (This obviously isn't really an issue for monsters, just NPCs built from PC classes.) The only time I've seen this brought up is in the ELH where they suggest that you consider an NPC as two levels lower for its CR. This kind of quick and dirty rule just isn't enough. As the wealth gap widens, NPCs fall further and further behind. When it comes to NPC "bosses", I've taken to giving a bonus feat or two or something of the like. This, however, is a bit unfair to the players. Have any of you addressed this issue in your games? [/QUOTE]

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