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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 5032291" data-attributes="member: 80487">My understanding is that in Arneson's Blackmoor campaign, 20th level meant mandatory retirement (and a celebratory dinner at Dave's expense). At least one player tried to avoid attaining that level with a character he wanted to keep playing!The Original set stated, "There is no theoretical limit to how high a character may progress," but clarified some key matters only up to 13th or 17th, while others remained ambiguous. Experience-point progressions beyond "name" level remained matters of inference for the original three classes, although made explicit for classes introduced later.I gather (mainly from Tim Kask, IIRC) that the added spell levels and such in Supplement I were meant mainly for the provision of exceptionally powerful NPCs. That demihuman level limits were pretty much raised by 1 across the board (before considering extraordinary ability scores) in AD&D is in line with what seems a general expectation of higher levels among PCs.From the earliest days of D&D right into the 1st ed. AD&D era, Gygax and Kuntz came out against "Monty Haul" campaigns because (for one thing) they quickly exhausted the range of power levels at which the game was really interesting. See, for example, the stats of various deities and demigods. On the other hand, I think they have stated that the published versions of their characters (Mordenkainen, Robilar, etc.) are considerably "toned down" from what actually developed in play.What I have mainly seen is "retirement" of characters to their domains in the early teens, from which they but rarely come forth to adventure. It becomes increasingly difficult to keep aggressive high-level characters alive, and hardly anyone really wants to get into a "wish war" -- especially with beings who have survived it for centuries already!YMMV, of course. Some people prefer high-level play almost exclusively, just as some prefer low levels. Most of the folks with whom I have gamed favor variety, with the "Marvel Comics mode" just an occasional indulgence -- when an appropriately epic undertaking arises.</blockquote>

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