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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 9608069" data-attributes="member: 4937">See, I disagree with the assumption here.&nbsp; Faerun is nothing like a typical fantasy world.&nbsp; When it was first introduced, my group balked at it intensely because it vastly increased the very thing you are talking about - &quot;How prevalent is super heroic power?&quot;&nbsp; Not only did Faerun about double what counted as high level, so that typical high level characters became 20th to 30th level, but it made high level characters much more common across the board.&nbsp; This extends to every facet of Faerun.&nbsp; The Faerun retired adventurer running a bar in a small town is a 10th level Lord who would be a big deal in any other setting but Faerun.&nbsp; Armies in Faerun aren't composed of 0th or even 1st level characters with a smattering of higher-level leaders, but 3rd, 4th or even 5th level characters led by proportionately higher-level characters.&nbsp; Everything is exaggeratedly powerful beyond any fiction really prior to that point, and most fantasy fiction in general.By contrast, speaking as someone who has read the Lord of the Rings 18 times, I think &quot;Gandalf is a 5th level Magic-User&quot; still holds up pretty well.&nbsp; It might not be entirely true, but it's certainly truer than &quot;Gandalf is a 24th level Magic-User&quot; or something of that sort.&nbsp; Gandalf is a unique Agathion with 7+7 HD and the ability to cast spells as a 6th level M-U is probably the limits of his power, but in Faerun terms this isn't a mover or shaker in world affairs but a pathetic sidekick that could get his butt handed to him by the average tavern drunk.&nbsp; That in my opinion isn't really sustainable or interesting.&nbsp; Faerun is a world filled to the brim and overflowing with DM PCs that are the protagonists of the world, and any player characters are just witnesses to their greatness.&nbsp; That's not interesting.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 9608069, member: 4937"] See, I disagree with the assumption here. Faerun is nothing like a typical fantasy world. When it was first introduced, my group balked at it intensely because it vastly increased the very thing you are talking about - "How prevalent is super heroic power?" Not only did Faerun about double what counted as high level, so that typical high level characters became 20th to 30th level, but it made high level characters much more common across the board. This extends to every facet of Faerun. The Faerun retired adventurer running a bar in a small town is a 10th level Lord who would be a big deal in any other setting but Faerun. Armies in Faerun aren't composed of 0th or even 1st level characters with a smattering of higher-level leaders, but 3rd, 4th or even 5th level characters led by proportionately higher-level characters. Everything is exaggeratedly powerful beyond any fiction really prior to that point, and most fantasy fiction in general. By contrast, speaking as someone who has read the Lord of the Rings 18 times, I think "Gandalf is a 5th level Magic-User" still holds up pretty well. It might not be entirely true, but it's certainly truer than "Gandalf is a 24th level Magic-User" or something of that sort. Gandalf is a unique Agathion with 7+7 HD and the ability to cast spells as a 6th level M-U is probably the limits of his power, but in Faerun terms this isn't a mover or shaker in world affairs but a pathetic sidekick that could get his butt handed to him by the average tavern drunk. That in my opinion isn't really sustainable or interesting. Faerun is a world filled to the brim and overflowing with DM PCs that are the protagonists of the world, and any player characters are just witnesses to their greatness. That's not interesting. [/QUOTE]

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