Making Epic Workable
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:02 pm
Initial Thoughts:
1. BAB and Saves continue to scale as is forever. The needed tweaks here are to make ressurection cheap and plentiful and to make some abiltiies availble where characters can just auto-succeed on a given save X times/day.
Reasoning: No longer punishes people for taking the same levels in different order; saves vary by +/- 20 at 4th level anyway; classes are "balanced" based on the BAB and saves they grant; monster HD grant BAB and saves as normal forever.
2. Totally remove epic items and all item purchase/creation. Instead all characters get a goody list where they can choose x magic items of each type at a given level, with x going up by one for each PC with a relevant item creation feat. Either run a short, fast-paced game, or have items lists "reset" at the beginning of each new arc.
Reasoning:Removes the price rewards for collecting obscure bonus types. Greatly simplifies bookkeeping.
3. Replace Epic Spellcasting with 10th-14th level spells. Have new epic spell levels gained every 4th level instead of every 2 levels.
Reasoning: Seriously, D&D works better on a prewritten grimoire and better-than/worse-than spell research guidelines than it does on vague pseduo-point style spell building system. Slowling the gain of new spell levels down means that 5 more levels of spells will last until 40th level and also means that there's no discrepency as to why 19th level Wiz+Clr+Drd don't get 10th level spells.
4. Use Epic Monsters out of the box, aside from conveting their DR ito 3.5 standard.
Reasoning: Makes my life much simpler if I can use plug and play monsters, especially if I am doing other adaptations.
1. BAB and Saves continue to scale as is forever. The needed tweaks here are to make ressurection cheap and plentiful and to make some abiltiies availble where characters can just auto-succeed on a given save X times/day.
Reasoning: No longer punishes people for taking the same levels in different order; saves vary by +/- 20 at 4th level anyway; classes are "balanced" based on the BAB and saves they grant; monster HD grant BAB and saves as normal forever.
2. Totally remove epic items and all item purchase/creation. Instead all characters get a goody list where they can choose x magic items of each type at a given level, with x going up by one for each PC with a relevant item creation feat. Either run a short, fast-paced game, or have items lists "reset" at the beginning of each new arc.
Reasoning:Removes the price rewards for collecting obscure bonus types. Greatly simplifies bookkeeping.
3. Replace Epic Spellcasting with 10th-14th level spells. Have new epic spell levels gained every 4th level instead of every 2 levels.
Reasoning: Seriously, D&D works better on a prewritten grimoire and better-than/worse-than spell research guidelines than it does on vague pseduo-point style spell building system. Slowling the gain of new spell levels down means that 5 more levels of spells will last until 40th level and also means that there's no discrepency as to why 19th level Wiz+Clr+Drd don't get 10th level spells.
4. Use Epic Monsters out of the box, aside from conveting their DR ito 3.5 standard.
Reasoning: Makes my life much simpler if I can use plug and play monsters, especially if I am doing other adaptations.