Designing for 21+
April 11th, 2011
As I mentioned last week (twice, no less), this week's articles are all devoted to "epic." There are lots of different kinds of "epic," of course, and while any of these various definitions is acceptable for Epic Week, and I can't speak for what my coworkers will be writing, I think that the main focus this week is going to be on epic levels, as that definition of epic is tied specifically to D&D, so it seems like the most appropriate thing to talk about. For those of you hoping for a discussion of the epic fantasy genre, well…maybe next time. Or, if you're lucky, maybe that's what tomorrow's Grave Plots will be about. Who knows?
So, for those of you who aren't aware, "epic" has a special meaning in Dungeons and Dragons, or, if nothing else, it has ever since the release of the Epic Level Handbook in the halcyon days of third edition (and I mean 3.0). In a nutshell, something is "epic" when it goes above the 20th-level mark. Of course, that was a lot more impressive back in the days when the game only went up to level 20, but even in 4th edition, where epic levels are a basic and expected part of the game (instead of above and beyond the realms of, well, what was possible in the core rules), carrying a game all the way to epic levels is still a pretty impressive feat.
Speaking for my own group, and my own personal experience, I know that the allure of epic levels is very potent. It's seductive, somehow: the vast amounts of wealth, and of power. The ability to do all sorts of things that you aren't supposed to be able to do. By the beard of Gygax, you can raise your ability scores with a feat! And that's not even touching on some of the really crazy things that you can do with epic levels, like all of those epic spells, which can now do literally anything you can dream of, as long as you can pay for it (and roll a high enough Spellcraft check). And it can be pretty intoxicating for prospective DMs, too. I know at least one person who spent hours and hours drooling over the Epic Level Handbook, dreaming up plots and schemes using all the CR 50 monsters therein. Ultimately, epic levels are really cool, because they allow you to do things that you can't normally do. Sometimes it's a matter of scale, and sometimes it's a matter of absolutely untouched horizons, but at the end of the day, epic levels provide a kind of freedom that you really don't get anywhere else (in 3.5/Pathfinder, anyway. In 4th edition, well…it's a little different. Things are bigger, and numbers are higher, but…there really aren't any new frontiers, to speak of).
Of course, that freedom can be dangerous, as well, and there are a lot of things to consider before rolling up an epic campaign (for those of you not aware of the concept, an “epic” campaign is one that starts in epic levels, or at least at a very high level, and has the bulk of the campaign take place at a level above 20).
First, DMs should be aware that epic-level play produces some epic-level headaches for DMs. Besides the fact that every stat-block becomes very complicated very quickly at these levels, and so prep-time increases virtually exponentially, you have to take into account that epic-level characters have epic-level options, and so the players are much more likely to wander off whatever path you beat for them. Unlike low-level games, it's not enough to simply put a ghost ship in the ocean and prevent all ferry traffic until it's been dealt with to ensure that the PCs go where you want, when you want. In fact, depending on how epic we're talking, precisely, the PCs may summon up a massive landbridge to make the crossing, though they would have to be doing it deliberately to show off, as teleporting will be old-hat at epic levels. Generally speaking, if you want the driving force of the campaign to be a story or plot of your own, epic campaigns aren't for you: at that level, the PCs run the show, and you really can't keep them from going wherever they want, whenever they want to.
Along the same lines, the very fact that the game is epic can eclipse everything else, as players find that the only thing that really excites them about the campaign are all these high-level toys they normally don't get to play with. That can be fine—especially if the whole point is to play with exotic toys that you normally don't get to play with—but some DMs will find it very frustrating that the players are more interested in what they can and can't do (and how many things are moving from the latter to the former) than in what the Dark Harbinger, or whatever epic level villain you have, is doing. I guess the bottom line is that if the appeal of your campaign is that it's epic, don't be surprised if the only thing your players care about is, well, epicness.
Really, though, the problem with epic campaigns is that they quickly spiral upward into ridiculousness, mechanics-wise. Even without talking about things like The Book of Comically Ridiculous CRs, even in the original Epic Level Handbook, you can feel the game's framework twisting and warping under the strain. At the end of the day, the system was really only designed to go so far, and pushing it much beyond level 20, from a mechanical perspective, starts to do some funny things to the game.
In fact, with the epic rules not seeing any real design or development attention since 3.0, it's about high time that they have another look taken at them. I've heard some rumors about epic Pathfinder rules, but I honestly have no idea if they're true or not. While I'm tempted to criticize the delay on Paizo's part, I'm forced to hold my tongue for two reasons: one, there's no reason why someone else can't make them, and it's not like NNW has released any epic rules for Pathfinder yet. And two, I imagine their reason for not releasing epic rules for Pathfinder are similar to our reason: we know that it's a big deal, and it won't be easy, and we want to make sure it's done right. Am I saying that we intend to release some kind of epic rule book in the future? Not really. I'm just saying that, unless we see something good from Paizo, it's definitely something we'd consider, once we have more time.
If we do wind up working with epic rules, the thing that I, personally, would like to take a crack at the most is epic spellcasting. Though the existing system is certainly interesting, and I like the spell seeds in theory, I think that the Spellcraft DCs are prohibitively difficult, especially considering that—in theory at least—a wish spell could cover a lot of these spells, at least in part. Though epic spells certainly shouldn't be handed out like candy, I think it's important to make them at least moderately accessible, as that's really all that spellcasters get at epic levels. This is definitely an "icing" issue, as far as the metaphorical cake of epic games is concerned, and the first item of importance is probably ensuring that dice remain relevant to the game, and maybe even finding a way to keep those stat-blocks from becoming super-complicated. Once that solid foundation is built, well…it's epic. The possibilities would be endless…
Join me next week, when I'll be discussing the different kinds of experiences games can be, and what designers do to influence that. In the meantime, don't take no for an answer: got out there and do something really cool. Be epic.