D&D 5E What high-level spells could warp society?

[kigmatzomat]

I mean yes, it's true that elves live that long by default, but their whole sociology and ecology are centered around that. Elves seldom have kids and even more rarely set off to conquer the world. Plus, 'Clone' is likely seen as redundant to an elf since elves reincarnate after spending time in Arvandor. I kind of imagine Elves would find it gauche to cling to a single life by preserving it with Clone.

Arvandor is a Faerun specific thing. I don't see any mention of it in 5e core books. Its definitely not in Eberron or Krynn and pretty sure it's not Greyhawk.

So that particular view of elven society is setting specific, even within WotC lore. Their lifespan, trance, and physical maturity at 20 but reaching "adulthood" at 100 is universal. After that? Check the setting book or the DM, because it's probably going to change.

 

[kigmatzomat]

The rules only give us very limited ways to gain class levels, so if it still requires going on adventures and either killing monsters or achieving quests, it might not be possible for an entire village to get that many high level PCs, because there just aren't that many "quests" around.

I'm going to repeat what others have said, that 5e uses different rules for PCs and NPCs. Specifically, there are no rules for NPC advancement, NPCs may not even use levels, and yet NPCs can have capabilities greater than an level 1 PC, so we're past the days of Level-0 npcs.

This is all story/setting/DM driven*.

I will also point out that social challenges and environmental challenges exist in D&D and there is Milestone XP, so even a PCs can level without having gotten in brawls.

So it's perfectly in keeping with d&d 5e rules (or intentional lack of rules) to have a village where the median level-equivalent is 4.

*I personally am irked by this and prefer having some framework for npc competency, so I use 3e-style npc classes and plot milestones for their levels. For background characters, stage of life is sufficient. Then old farmer is more skilled than the young farmer.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That doesn't really answer my question. I am asking you how the rules you use represent physics, how the economies work, and how how combat is "not just for PCs." Specifically. What in LevelUp, for example, makes the rules more aligned with the physics of the world than 2014 5e?

That is a very long answer, and I'm not interested in writing an article here. I will say that Level Up's more granular approach to things like exploration, survival, skill use in general (particularly crafting), monsters, and things like the stronghold rules model a fantasy world in a way that better scratches my verisimilitude itch.

 

[MGibster]

The first three rules are to me the worst parts of 5.5. None of that is what I want.

What I've learned over the years is that D&D cannot be all things to all people. Maybe someone doesn't like that Paladins are open to characters of any alignment, someone else hates that Clerics can get divine spells from nebulous sources like "good" instead of a god, and there are still others who are disappointed because their species isn't available for player characters to choose. Given the millions of people who play D&D, you can't possibly please all of them all of the time.

It could be that D&D just isn't for you. And that's okay. Not everything is for everyone.

 

[Chaltab]

The first three rules are to me the worst parts of 5.5. None of that is what I want.

None of that is true of any edition of D&D! Even 3.5, the edition where 'Rules as Physics' was sometimes applied even by the writers, you ended up with nonsense like Locate City Bomb and Peasant Rail Guns if you took it too far.

I get being cheesed off at WOTC/Hasbro but objecting to those three conceits is bizarre.

 

[Micah Sweet]

What I've learned over the years is that D&D cannot be all things to all people. Maybe someone doesn't like that Paladins are open to characters of any alignment, someone else hates that Clerics can get divine spells from nebulous sources like "good" instead of a god, and there are still others who are disappointed because their species isn't available for player characters to choose. Given the millions of people who play D&D, you can't possibly please all of them all of the time.

It could be that D&D just isn't for you. And that's okay. Not everything is for everyone.

(Official) D&D used to be for me.

 

[Micah Sweet]

None of that is true of any edition of D&D! Even 3.5, the edition where 'Rules as Physics' was sometimes applied even by the writers, you ended up with nonsense like Locate City Bomb and Peasant Rail Guns if you took it too far.

I get being cheesed off at WOTC/Hasbro but objecting to those three conceits is bizarre.

You are welcome to disagree. I've made my preference in these areas clear many times.

 

[Chaltab]

They mean the combat rules don't apply to non-PC action.

That's not what the rules mean. They're that features that trigger when you hit a hostile creature with an attack don't necessarily apply if you're attacking a helpless creature or ally. It's a reiteration of 'Rules are not physics'. IE the 'bag of rats' trick.

 

[Laurefindel]

Arvandor is a Faerun specific thing. I don't see any mention of it in 5e core books. Its definitely not in Eberron or Krynn and pretty sure it's not Greyhawk.

So that particular view of elven society is setting specific, even within WotC lore. Their lifespan, trance, and physical maturity at 20 but reaching "adulthood" at 100 is universal. After that? Check the setting book or the DM, because it's probably going to change.

Wasn’t Arvandor a (elf) domain on the first layer of Arborea? I remember knowing of Arvendor from Planescape, didn’t know it was also in FR (though not surprising).

 

[mellored]

Doesn't need to be high level.

Suggestion in the hands of every teenagers could really warp things.
Mass Suggestions from every town crier and merchant trying to sell wares.
Also Geas and Modify Memory, though those have counters.

Suggest a few people cast Meteor Swarm on the neighboring sports team and Earthquake on their stadium.