It's easier and more reasonable to just use the E6/7/8 format which involves capping the levels. This gives you your "reasonable" limits with no human ever going over 21/22.
Or if you could just give them better better ability enhancement items, have those bonuses go up to +8, and +10. And let their racial maximums remain at 18
Our fantasy is too fantastic, let's bring it down with some realism. Phew, that's familiar, now I feel better!
This reminds me of the big craze for 3D movies. My reaction was akin to, "Hi, we see in 3D all the time. It's our default, so it doesn't take much to trick us into perceiving your movie that way without needing your Avatar thingy to huck a spear at our faces."
To me I look at it and think, "We walk through a world full of limitations and the game provides an outlet to permit one's imagination to fly, so screw limitations." Think of the guy who's wife nags him, his kids think he's a dork and his boss treats him like a waste of skin...then he comes to the tabletop and he is akin to a god for a few hours a week.
The DM is all powerful, so if you walk around with a 30 STR, they simply have to throw a couple more hobgoblins at you to make it a challenge (not a difficult thing to do since they have as many foes as they can conceive of).
If limiting scores is fun, then that's the formula for success, since I assume you play for fun.
Just my 2.3cp.
p.s. Yes conceive was placed there purposefully for both the mental process and the bumping of uglies.
The problem with uncapped stats isn't that there's too much fantasy. It's mainly a problem of single-attribute dependency vs multiple-attribute dependency with a bit of min-maxer vs non-min-maxer. Casters in particular tend to develop attack stats that outstrip other characters' defensive stats and that's bad for balance. It also over-emphasizes the utility of save or die/sit spells compared to damage spells.
I'm all for caps. I think there's stat inflation, particularly in strength and constitution, all over the place. I figure about 24-26 is the right range to cap a PC's natural ability +magical enhancements.
I agree, the only issue is single attribute dependency. Giving some classes a primary attribute that can reach the mid 40's if really pushed and then having other classes that require multiple attributes that are likely to stay below two thirds that value is a balance issue that is inherent in the game.
That's why the game needs support for improving more than a single stat.
I'm fond of a hybrid of the Conan and 4e systems. Every fourth level, you get +1 to one stat, and +1 to one of your racial stats. At 6th and every fourth level after that, you get +1 to all of your stats.
And no stat-boost magic items.
In our group we are running racial stats at the start of the game can't take you over 20, including the ability score increases you get every four levels. You can still use magic items, tomes, ect. to increase above 20.
I am considering doing this (considering, mind you), in my own campaign. But I wanted to talk it out here, and see what folks think, what it would effect, how it might limit existing rules, and what have you have. And to, frankly, see if other folks feel as I do. I mean, in the current rules, a 20th level Barbarian can possibly attain a Strength of 44 (18 Base, +2 racial, +5 level, +5 inherent, +6 enhancement, +8 rage), which lets him dead-lift 5,600 lbs (enough to dead lift a Ford Expedition, hold it over his head, and move 5' every round!).
If you're going to be tossing on the magic of five wishes and a powerful belt of strength, why not just make the belt also a heavy load belt and toss on muleback cords?
When fully 1/4 of that strength score is from powerful magic items and another 8 is from an otherworldly power, why are we all that concerned?
This is a fantasy game, after all. Mythic heroes should have unrealistic strength.