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Community
General Tabletop Discussion
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Why is level 5-10 the "sweet spot" in D&D
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<blockquote data-quote="discosoc" data-source="post: 6865137" data-attributes="member: 6801554"><p>Magic, and similar effects start to really become a bit overbearing for most GM's after about level 10 or 11, due to the way that levels higher than that can so frequently bypass things we normally associate with as challenging. Lord of the Rings, for example, wouldn't have worked well as a story if Gandalf had access to teleports and massive damage spells quite like a d&d caster would.</p><p></p><p>Really, if you look at any fantasy story, it all takes place within constraints found in levels 1-10ish. Except for superheros, which have a firm grip on the level 20 style games. What's missing is the stuff between 10ish and 20. So the GM flounders a bit because he can't use the great encounter ideas he has knowing trivial things like travel and gravity really don't mean anything anymore.</p><p></p><p>Honestly, just look at pre-published adventures and campaigns to get an idea of just how pervasive the problem is. In 5e, we have about 3 campaigns that go up to about level 15, and even those last few levels are generally tied into the mad dash to the finish where the new power levels have limited ways of impacting day-to-day adventuring. Curse of Strahd goes to 10, if I remember right. But there's historically a ton of 1-10ish stuff out there.</p><p></p><p>So again, the next time you wonder why so many people love tier 2, just try and think about the last time you saw or read a fantasy story that involved level 15+ style magic and abilities. Odds are good it was either a superhero comic or the story focused on a "chosen one" type character who is truly unique in power (certainly not a group of 5 such characters).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="discosoc, post: 6865137, member: 6801554"] Magic, and similar effects start to really become a bit overbearing for most GM's after about level 10 or 11, due to the way that levels higher than that can so frequently bypass things we normally associate with as challenging. Lord of the Rings, for example, wouldn't have worked well as a story if Gandalf had access to teleports and massive damage spells quite like a d&d caster would. Really, if you look at any fantasy story, it all takes place within constraints found in levels 1-10ish. Except for superheros, which have a firm grip on the level 20 style games. What's missing is the stuff between 10ish and 20. So the GM flounders a bit because he can't use the great encounter ideas he has knowing trivial things like travel and gravity really don't mean anything anymore. Honestly, just look at pre-published adventures and campaigns to get an idea of just how pervasive the problem is. In 5e, we have about 3 campaigns that go up to about level 15, and even those last few levels are generally tied into the mad dash to the finish where the new power levels have limited ways of impacting day-to-day adventuring. Curse of Strahd goes to 10, if I remember right. But there's historically a ton of 1-10ish stuff out there. So again, the next time you wonder why so many people love tier 2, just try and think about the last time you saw or read a fantasy story that involved level 15+ style magic and abilities. Odds are good it was either a superhero comic or the story focused on a "chosen one" type character who is truly unique in power (certainly not a group of 5 such characters). [/QUOTE]
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Community
General Tabletop Discussion
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Why is level 5-10 the "sweet spot" in D&D
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