Some high level play recommendations? (for players) *long*

[Mystery Man]

Well, as bad as it sounds, you might need to consider that your Players don't want to play High Level PC's. This isn't a slam against them, or you, it is a possible reality.

I can safely assume that they would rather play high level characters based on past conversations, and the character concepts they have lean towards that. But you know what they say about assuming. Now that my curiousity is up I'll ask.

Thirdly, demonstrate some of the tactics you are looking for the PC's to adopt. I would avoid the chastisement. Instead, have a friendly NPC request an assist. Perhaps somebody just made the wrong enemy and they are buffing up the defenses on their sanctum. Trusting the PC's, the NPC asks for some temporary bodyguard work while defenses are being prepared. Or the PC's might be asked to help go on the offensive. Maybe they are asked to help with the buff portion of a friendly groups scry-buff-teleport plan. Or even contribute to the assault. Perhaps a lower level NPC asks for help with a scry to find his runaway daughter? Since the PCs are so powerful and compassionate, he was hoping they would be able and willing to help him? There are many possibilities where the PCs can have the tactics pointed out without it being a degrading experience.

This is a great idea. Scry is a resource they don't normally have but can use along with many other things. If they're paid to find and use these resources and realize how useful they are, perhaps they'll choose them later on in the future. One thing I've come to notice (and this is just one person's strongly held opinion, others may disagree) is that the sorcerer while a cool concept, compared to a real wizard, is completely useless for anything other than smackdown. That or my players character concept needs to radically change.

Set-up fighting instruction schools, guilds, wizard colleges, etc. and have them give challenges for training. It could be even be accomplished via e-mail between sessions. The challenges could be constructed to require the use of their character's abilities to pass. This is a no risk way to help your players change their mind set.

This too is a great idea and I wish I would have thought of it before I sent them off to the middle of nowhere!

 

[Sir Elton]

This too is a great idea and I wish I would have thought of it before I sent them off to the middle of nowhere!

Doesn't Wizards' version of your Favored World have a Wizard's College in Silverymoon and Waterdeep?