| Kliyo |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I would recommend taking a look at Epic6 guidelines.
https://www.myth-weavers.com/wiki/index.php/Epic_6
Essentially, it caps leveling at level 6, so things wont spiral out of control. This keeps casters confined to 3rd level spells, leaving anything higher to be best used as a plot point. Progression is made through feats: every 5000xp or so they can learn a new feat, increasing not so much in raw power but in versatility. Some class abilities can be easily converted into feats for this purpose.
On the other hand, hp and saving throws are left static (in the realms of 40-80hp and 4-10 st), leaving the players still vulnerable to a mob of guards (fighters lvl 1-3 with a named lvl5 NPC commanding them) without having to resort to other absurdly leveled characters to keep them in check.
Magic item scarcity plays well into this, making a simple +1 flaming sword the central piece of its own legend. And it works for monsters too, making that simple manticore THE MANTICORE of Bramblethorn Forest or whatever.
I've played this "variant" once and DM'd it another to good results. Admittedly, these were relatively short campaigns (10-12 gaming sessions), but I think it could have kept going for another story arc.
PS: In fact I'm planning an enlightment-era urban campaign using this, the wounds and vitality system, armor as dr and some lvl-dependent AC bonus.