[NAP] Rating High Level Adventures

With the deadline a mere day away and my inbox steadily filling up, I figured it would be worthwhile to go over my method of judging adventures for high level oldschool D&D and re-iterate some of the peculiarities of writing for this bandwidth. I believe I have done so before. Part of this exercise should be treated as exploratory: high-level play was a rarity even in the glory days of the hobby and has only dwindled as time has went on. I hope to learn as well as teach. Part of that preparation has been to run High level D&D for the better part of the year, as well as study both well known and obscure entries.

The mystery judge stands revealed: This year it is myself, the terrible Prince of Nothing.

What is High Level D&D?
For the purpose of NAP, high level D&D is D&D for adventures of level 9 and above, although participants may submit adventures of as low as level 7. There is no precise cut-off point for high level D&D, and what exactly constitutes high level play is going to vary by edition or personal interpretation. 9+ seems reasonable for OD&D and AD&D, while BECMI, with its comparatively weaker characters, might not truly be considered high level until the C series. The point is to differentiate it from the trinkle of adventures for levels 1-3, and even 4-6 (mid-level) that are the current norm in the OSR. At high level, characters possess considerable wealth, a possible stronghold, a loadout of magic items and numerous powerful abilities. They can expect to face the most powerful monsters in the monster manual, command armies, travel beyond the planes, encounter artifacts and might even deal with godlings and demon princes.

What differentiates High Level play from normal level play?

At the higher levels, the difference is not only one of hit points, damage output and low saving throws. High level play can be challenging to design for because of:
* Divination: High level characters can obtain information in ways that lower level characters can only dream of. Contact Outer Plane and Commune allow information to be plucked from the heavens. Scrying allows the party to locate and spy on their enemies with as little as a vague description or a name. Wizard Eye and Clairvoyance allows the party to scout ahead and avoid nasty ambushes. Find the path and locate object allows characters to discern the shortest route to an objective.
* Mobility: The GM has less control of the topology of the battlefield at higher levels. Characters can fly, levitate, air walk, spider-climb, and even pass through walls. Dimension Door and Teleport (although not risk free), allow characters unheard of mobility, and to retreat in and out of the dungeon at a moment’s notice. Obstacles and choke-points that would defeat even the most formidable parties can often be bypassed, circumvented or deflected.
* Endurance and Counter-measures: At very low levels, even a single unlucky sword blow from an Orc can mean a character is rendered hors de combat. A myriad of conditions such as curses, diseases, poison, level drain, petrification and paralysis exist to render the character temporarily or permanently disabled, often forcing a hasty retreat. At high level, the cleric has at his disposal potential cures and possible countermeasures against nearly all these forms of attack. Coupled with considerable amounts of healing, wands, potions and items such as the ring of regeneration, this enables high level characters to take for more punishment before they are forced to rest and recuperate. While the cleric is alive, raise dead means even death is of relatively low impact.
* Auxilliaries: Given enough time, characters can hire mercenaries, retainers, summon outsiders, raise the dead, make golems, fashion simulacra, conjure elementals and otherwise increase the number of combatants at their own disposal. Although such efforts are often not without risk, serious expenditure of time or monetary resources, a patient and sufficiently powerful party can wear down static defences by the use of such expendable combatants with relatively little risk to themselves.

The peculiarities of seperate systems multiply as levels increase, leading to significantly different forms of play at the high level bandwidth. Hopefully my playtime with AD&D, the most complex form of the three forms of oldschool D&D, will allow me at least somewhat comprehend by subtraction the playstyles of the other two.

Criteria for Exceptional Heroism
Besides my usual standards for rating adventures, and adherence to the contest parameters and stipulations, I will be looking at how well the adventures can deal with the increased capabilities of their intended players. For this particular NAP this comes down to three particular qualities:

* The degree to which the adventure has embraced the possibilities, wonder, potential and spirit of high level oldschool D&D
* The degree to which it has taken the aforementioned capabilities into account in that its challenge is not easily defused or rendered trivial by their deployment
* The degree to which the adventure has solved this problem by requiring their use, rather then blunting or diffusing their potency

As mentioned before, it is more satisfying to create hazards or obstacles that motivate one to utilize one’s exceptional powers, as opposed to forcing the scenario into a mould where the players must behave like unusually tough low level characters. This is not absolute: some degree of protection, immunity or nullification is expected and even desirable. One has no right to complain if one cannot Sleep spell his way through a low level dungeon, or use Turn Undead on a randomly encountered band of orcs.

One more day remains. Good luck gentlemen. The day of No Artpunk dawns once more.