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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ashockney" data-source="post: 4596787" data-attributes="member: 1363">Here's a few thoughts on high level play I've posted before from this thread:<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/126973-high-level-3-5-tricks-keeping-numbers-game-quick-easy-2.html#post2142377" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/126973-high-level-3-5-tricks-keeping-numbers-game-quick-easy-2.html#post2142377</a>How bad does it get? There are 49 conditions that affect combat and 144 modifiers to those conditions. You can't remember all of that in your head? Come on!  That's not even factoring in types of attacks, # of attacks, attack bonuses, armor classes and armor class modifiers, damage, and damage modifiers. I think you get the exponentially worse picture. There are some big opportunities to improve it. (For my fellow analysts and managers out there, yes, I actually process mapped D&D combat.)Suggestions: well, first and foremost, make sure your group is committed to making this work. It will truely need to be a team effort. Everyone will have to do a little more work to make things go more smoothly. Second, I've found an excel spreadsheet to be a DM's good friend. Finally, I recommend talking to your group about combining and limiting the hundreds of effects that can become a real pain to keep track of at this level. For example, what if all morale, luck, sacred, divine, competence, and size bonuses were combined into a more generic "buff" bonus, and these bonuses generally lasted for 1 combat. It makes life a lot simpler for everyone. It's not like the party or the DM will be lacking for ways, but it prevents everyone from being forced to cast 12 different spells and do hours of research to find that one optimal combination, and keep track of each modifier separately. Same thing goes for the myriad of defensive capabilities - armor class, resistances, immunities, cover, concealment, displacement, blinking, and damage reduction. It will become very complex, very quickly if it hasn't already. Streamline this as much as possible, using the same "simplicity" approach as with buffing. Near the end of the campaign, and as you enter epic, there should be pretty standard "defense arrays" available to your players, when in various states of preparedness.</blockquote>

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