D&D 5E Martials v Casters...I still don't *get* it.

[Flamestrike]

The issue is that you have to give a barbarian, fighter, or rogue an epic boon to look like a high level martial.

Im giving them those boons so they look like a literal Asgardian demi-god capable of going toe to toe with Superman.

 

[Minigiant]

Im giving them those boons so they look like a literal Asgardian demi-god capable of going toe to toe with Superman.

Understandable.

But you'd have to do that for every "epic level" martial character in media.

That's the part of the problem. If you stick to a simplistic system, you can't really scale up to epic levels except in a few very very narrow ways (AKA the Human Blender or Human Gatling Gun).

 

[Asisreo]

Roll20


She spammed that and a few programmed illusions, plus popping disguise illusions and geases on everyone in it.

Then she created a Simulacrum of Vision.

I haven't seen Wandavision but I was assuming it was closer to the comics. She is still more powerful than a Wizard because she did it to more than just a square mile area.

 

[Asisreo]

Understandable.

But you'd have to do that for every "epic level" martial character in media.

That's the part of the problem. If you stick to a simplistic system, you can't really scale up to epic levels except in a few very very narrow ways (AKA the Human Blender or Human Gatling Gun).

How would you propose to make a caster like Dr. Strange without any boons or magic items?

 

[Seramus]

I think I would prefer to be a 20th level Wizard who True Polymorphs into the Incredible Hulk.
That way, I'm still a 20th level Wizard when I'm not angry.

 

[Minigiant]

How would you propose to make a caster like Dr. Strange without any boons or magic items?

You can't.

But that's not my argument as you can create many great archmages from media without epic boons.

My argument is that you can't for epic warriors and can only barely for those in the 10-13 range... unless they are a blender or minigun.

 

[Asisreo]

You can't.

But that's not my argument as you can create many great archmages from media without epic boons.

My argument is that you can't for epic warriors and can only barely for those in the 10-13 range... unless they are a blender or minigun.

You can create many Heroic Fantasy heroes without epic boons, but I think its misleading to say you can create any character from media with only class features because D&D isn't really a 1-to-1 character replicator. Nobody can be Gandalf because Gandalf has literal immortality, but people try to equate D&D wizards with Gandalf as if they're meant to be the same.

What should matter isn't whether this player character is representative of this fictional character, but rather that they are both relevant within their fiction.

Even if Martials have no mystical powers that guarantees physical superiority outside combat, if they can still decapitate multiple hydra heads within 6 seconds, survive multiple meteor swarms within a day and not slow pace, and can solo an Adult Dragon encounter with raw strength and resilience. Even if its not "lifting literal tons easily," its still epic. And its epic in their area of expertise: combat.

 

[Flamestrike]

I haven't seen Wandavision but I was assuming it was closer to the comics. She is still more powerful than a Wizard because she did it to more than just a square mile area.

She cast it a few times.

 

[Flamestrike]

Understandable.

But you'd have to do that for every "epic level" martial character in media.

That's the part of the problem. If you stick to a simplistic system, you can't really scale up to epic levels except in a few very very narrow ways (AKA the Human Blender or Human Gatling Gun).

We're talking about one of the most powerful superheroes in the MCU here.

Its not like low level Wizards are emulating that kind of power either.

 

[Asisreo]

She cast it a few times.

She's definitely a nerfed version of herself. Though I think she's canonically weaker than Dr. Strange, Captain Marvel, and Thor by a considerable margin in the MCU. In the comics, her powers definitely rival those characters within a scale.