How EPIC is Epic-Level Handbook?

[barsoomcore]

I ask this because I'm needing really epic-level characters. People who can send walls of fire roaring across miles of desert, tumble mountains with a wave of their hands, convert an entire race into undead guardians, and so on.

I have these sorts of folks in my campaign right now, and basically let them do whatever I figure they ought to be able to do. My PCs are all comparably wimpy right now, so I can get away with it. But the plan of the campaign is that these clowns are eventually going to acquire this sort of power, and I'm hoping that ELH is going to accommodate that. But the more I hear about it, the more I wonder if it really well.

So: How epic is the Epic Level Handbook? Anyone know? Want to speculate?

 

[Crothian]

Hard to really say. It is supposed to support, in theory, all levels. So, a person could be 50th level and have a 20th level spell slot that they fill with a heavy meta magiced wall of fire. I don't know if it's possible at that point, I'm guessing.

I think what you want done will be possible. You can look in the rumors section of the main En World page for much info on the ELH.

EDIT: Fixed the Heavy meat magic, which is a very interesting idea. Nice big T-Bone that's been soaking in a garlic maranade all day and then thrown on the grill. I hate dieting.....

 

[Oogar]

I know that it was a typo, but I really want Heavy Meat Magic.

 

[Darkness]

... convert an entire race into undead guardians ...

Well, I guess that is more of a job for Deities and Demigods than for the ELH.

 

[gfunk]

IMO, a lot of the AD&D + 3E D&D high-powered supplements from Wizards (and formerly TSR) have focused mostly on making uber PCs. Basically, characters who can dungeon crawl to the n-th degree. One notable exception was the supplement for Dark Sun, "Dragon Kings." In the intro to the book, the author points out that they truly tried to give the text an epic feel. Also, the wanted to make PCs who were, literally, able to change the face of the planet. To this end, a lot of the high level spells can literally change the landscape and augment (or destroy) armies. Many of these spells required complicated rituals that took days to complete.

Here are some examples of 10th level Wizard spells:

1. Enchanted Armaments
* Basically like Magic Weapon except you can cast it on your entire army

2. Life Extension
* Prolongs a mortal's life by one King's Age (77 years)

3. Mass Fanaticism
* Like Emotion (Rage) except you can cast it on your army

4. Prolific Forestation
* Can create entire forests (useful in a post-apocolyptic world)

5. Raise Nation
* Like Animate Dead except that you can animate skeletons from the remains of a long-dead civilization (up to 4,000)

6. Recruitment
* "The wizard summons all living creatures arond him who have ever drawn blood in anger . . . they immediately gather their weapons and come to the caster, awaiting his every military instruction for the duration of the spell." At 30th level the radius is 2 miles.

IMO, these spells have a truly epic feel, rather than simply "Improved Meteor Swarm."

 

[Crothian]

Dragon Kings was by far the best suppliment to deal with high level characters. I really hope they use some of those ideas or at least use it as inspiration in the ELH.

 

[EOL]

Here are some examples of 10th level Wizard spells:

1. Enchanted Armaments
* Basically like Magic Weapon except you can cast it on your entire army

2. Life Extension
* Prolongs a mortal's life by one King's Age (77 years)

3. Mass Fanaticism
* Like Emotion (Rage) except you can cast it on your army

4. Prolific Forestation
* Can create entire forests (useful in a post-apocolyptic world)

5. Raise Nation
* Like Animate Dead except that you can animate skeletons from the remains of a long-dead civilization (up to 4,000)

6. Recruitment
* "The wizard summons all living creatures arond him who have ever drawn blood in anger . . . they immediately gather their weapons and come to the caster, awaiting his every military instruction for the duration of the spell." At 30th level the radius is 2 miles.

IMO, these spells have a truly epic feel, rather than simply "Improved Meteor Swarm."

Most if not all of these spells could be duplicated by existing spells with sufficient levels of Meta Magic, which I think will be covered in the epic level book.

 

[Regdar]

Bah it's crap

Epic Book=Crap on a stick

 

[Olive]

so tell me, how can meta magic replicate life extension?

IIRC, Reynolds had said that there will probably not be 10th level spells...

 

[Volaran]

No tenth level spells, but if I recall, he said that the Epic book could be used for things like High Magic in FR. I would guess that while 10th level spells would not be part of the standard spell progression, there is going to be some kind of high powered magic.