D&D 3.5: Epic play, anyone?

[Lily_Nadesico]

A question out of curiosity for fellow 3.5 D&D gamers - how many of you ever entered the realm of epic-level play? I and my gaming group went there starting from two weeks ago, and we're having quite a bit of fun right now! Still no traces of REAL Epic-Level monsters in our games - but my brother, as the DM, will rectify this soon, if I know him... razz - but... yeah, it's still quite entertaining!

What are your epic-level experiences?

[enosan]

Never had any epic level play, mostly because every group that i've ever been in has different characteristics and end means.

However, if I understand epic level play correctly, you're now capable of challenging deities, and I would like to hear some of your DM's encounters. Like I was saying, my groups vary so much we've all had to split and go in different directions, one of my friends has obtained demi-god status with one of his characters.

I know it's off topic, just trying to see what epic level play is like myself.

[Brasten]

I have run and played in several epic and near epic games. Your DM should remeber that he can advance monsters to epic CRs.

In my case not only did I use the top end demon/outsiders but advanced them and surrounded the with minor minion chaff. The challenges are less in the combat but in dirceting the course of global or cosmic events. In my epic eberron game I basically unleashed three different factions major villinas, all atempting their own conflicting agendas. It was up to the players to balance their time between fighting these groups across the world, and if it had contiued across the planes.

The game I played in was much the same. We were pitted agaisnt an Epic Empire with a god like leader at it's head, and major epic luetenents under him. The DM was very free form and loved making and using odd monsters. His method of making things epic was to almost drown us in foes during encounters that were more then often 3 or 4 CR above normal.

As to taking on gods in epic. From Dities and Demi-God most are 60 HD characters (2 20 level classes plus 20 Outsider HD) and have many special abilities that even epic characters would be hard pressed to match.

[Slaughts208]

I played in a few epic games and wasn't really interested into returning to that style of play unless I reached that level from a low level game. Probably just because most of the DMs I was with didn't really know how to run them and alot of the challenges were just mere pushovers.

[Michael-OBrien]

This summer my group and I will be resuming an Epic game that we started this summer. we started at 18 and now we're up to 23. I must say that my favorite part was probably fighting 2 balors that were summoned by an 18th lvl caster I believe. XD Being the front line fighter, a 22nd lvl fighter to be exact, I of course died at the hands of the Balor critting on me with his vorpal sword. I died a total of 5 times up to this point. Other than that we were just taking on armies and such.

Fun Fact: Control Winds is an encounter ender.

with 22 lvls in fighter (I lost a lvl when there was a mishap resurrecting me and I became a Necropolitan for a little while) the combo of power atk and ladies gambit while two handing a weapon let you lay on the dmg. It really stacks up when you've got weapon spec, greater weapon spec, melee weap mast. slashing, and weapon supremacy <- the reason why I went straight fighter XD

I mean, traveling across an entire world and uniting nations against an ultimate evil is no bigs in an adequately equipped epic game.

Example: my +2 defending greater spell reflecting longsword and my +5 soulfire armor

The only draw back was that we were only allowed to have to items. It was a "fallen heroes" game. We died pre-game and had to recover our real bodies in order to get our items back. However, we were only allowed to have two items ::points to sword and armor:: At the start of the game we were really under powered and couldn't even take on things of our challenge rating because our wizard didn't have his spell book. The DM only allowed us 1 free action per round and only allowed 5 words spoken between characters in combat.

Lots of frustrating stuff but still really fun IMO

[Odysseus-Brother]

DMing an epic game is hard, but satisfying! I recently sent my first epic monster against my sister and my friends... and boy, was it a satisfying fight! My CR 21 White Slaad and a few Grey Slaadi against a six-PC party. One of the best fights we ever had!

Now, the challenge will be to think up new challenges for my gaming group...