D&D 5E So, reading the DMG... 5e is E20

[ccooke]

Going by the guidelines in the DMG, a 20th-level character does not gain any further levels. However, the DM may at their discretion hand out Epic Boons at appropriate moments to fit the story, with advice suggesting that offering one every 30,000xp or so above the 355,000 needed to get to level 20.

Options for boons include:

• An ability score increase
• A feat
• An Epic Boon, including:
  • Turning a (melee weapon) miss into a hit once per short rest
  • +20 to one ranged attack once per short rest
  • An extra 9th level spell slot (only obtainable if you have 9th level slots)
  • An extra 40hp

There's advice on how these manifest and what sort of effects they have on their recipients, too.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Yep. You can play from 1st Level to Demigod-hood with the 5E core books.

 

[travathian]

Or wait until the Epic Level handbook comes out next year . . .

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Or wait until the Epic Level handbook comes out next year . . .

Sure. But you don't have to, which is nice. As someone who cut their teeth on AD&D in the late '70s & early '80s, where you really just had the core books, there's a kind of nostalgic satisfaction in seeing that.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

3.0 had rules like this that predated the epic level handbook... I think it was in the FR campaign guide.

 

[ccooke]

3.0 had rules like this that predated the epic level handbook... I think it was in the FR campaign guide.

But not in the core rules.

How well did they work? My 3e groups stick to 3.0-core plus the splatbooks (Sword&Fist, Tome&Blood, etc)

 

[Psikerlord#]

I'm really glad to hear about these kinds of options for 20+. Very cool indeed.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

But not in the core rules.

How well did they work? My 3e groups stick to 3.0-core plus the splatbooks (Sword&Fist, Tome&Blood, etc)

it was after x amount of xp you could choose to either gain a feat, or add a new spell per day or gain a +1 to hit

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The FR guidelines were quite good... the epic handbook rules were quite terrible...

 

[Wrathamon]

epic handbook was horrible and probably why we never saw more support for it until 4e.

I loved the epic destinies of fourth edition and would love to see that return and this actually seems like a step in that direction. You dont gain any more levels but you gain extras benefits as you make your way to your demigod hood.