I’m Worried My D&D Party Will Reach Level 20 Too Fast, & It’s All 5e's Fault

One of the consistently difficult to rationalize aspects of is the disconnect between mechanics and fiction on what it means to level up as an adventurer, and this is exacerbated by the fact the heroes can go from level 1 to 20 in about a month according to the 5e rules. Older editions of have paced character levels differently, and prior to 3e each class leveled at a different rate. Some campaigns are full of high-level characters bearing the power of demigods, like, while rarely sees an NPC above character level 10.

Some 5e third-party variant systems have a lower maximum level, like and. DMs still need to ensure character level means something coherent in the game world.

Whether a game is in a or campaign world, or a homebrew setting, Dungeon Masters do need to be aware of whether they are running a high-magic world or one where spellcasters and relics are rare. They also need to determine how commonplace truly high-level characters are in the world and the roles they play. I could run, a setting where magic is commonplace and commodified but where high-level characters are outliers. Alternatively, I could decide that, a low magic setting, actually has a multitude of Tier 4 Fighters and Barbarians acting as near-mythological heroes.

Dungeons & Dragons required collaboration between the players and the Dungeon Master, but the players’ investment is capped by the DM’s enthusiasm.

Though DMing for high-level parties requires effort to balance encounters and other challenges, part of that effort needs to go into defining the role of a high-level hero in the campaign setting. A level 17 Wizard with access to the Wish spell occupies a different role in the world than a low-level student of the arcane. Ideally, the mechanics of a tabletop RPG aid immersion in the fiction of the game I am running. While many DMs deviate from the guidance in the, if I am running, I aim to run it fully as.

I have adapted to running with urgency in my narratives, where a ticking clock