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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 9841382" data-attributes="member: 9254">I think Mearls is off the mark with his comment that "...high level 5e looks like high level 3e. Which means that it, like high level 3e, is hard to DM and play."What it looks like and what is are different things.  Yes, the spells/powers as written are pretty similar but there is a 400%-500% difference in resource constraints which absolutely changes play.Let's look at the "simple blaster" of 3e, the sorcerer, vs the flexible 5e wizard.5e wizard 20 gets one 9th spell slot and could know up to 6x 9th spells (without books/scrolls) and could prepare them all  IF they want 25% of all their spell flexibility tied up in 9s as they can prepare 25 spells (level+int bonus)A 3e sorcerer has  SIX (6) 9th slots and knows "only" 3x spells. But they  ALSO know 31 other spells and have 6 slots for all of those as well.  Yes, the spell preparation distribution is fixed by level but it's a huge number.The 3e wizard has fewer 9th level slots (merely 400% that of the 5e caster) but can have up to 4 different spells prepared, in the Vancian way.  The 3e wizard never really prepared "just one" for every spell so it wasn't really more flexible in the middle of a game-day, but they had more flexibility for specific known scenarios.There is zero way that 5e and 3e actually play the same with such a huge disparity in resources.  And this is born out IME by how rarely spells >6th are cast in 5e without angst.  Yeah, the 3e wizard would waffle over  casting their one Meteor Swarm leaving them only with Summon Monster IX, Gate and Wish (which they will only cast grudgingly).  5e casters sweat blood using that one 9th level slot.  Or they do the thing people complain about and use a singular go-to tactic which some GMs find boring.Can you imagine how much wailing and gnashing of teeth would have happened if 5e24 had given casters even a fraction of 3e spell power?  It would have been pitchforks and torches!Remember, I had a blast running 2e and 3e at epic levels.  I would do it again.  But I think the class power balance is much better in 5e (and I'd still probably add Bo9S classes to 5e).  And that is because 5e casters have so much less power, which impacts game play (in a positive way).</blockquote>

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