*shrugs* The majority significant plot quests, though open to the lower levels much of the time, are in fact geared towards the upper scope of the level range. When you have some half dragon mutation of the green dragon cult that can rip Bjorn in half in 2 rounds, parlay with Milara to go into the tombs of Rofirien's old kings and battle some 1000hp+ AC 40-50 something ghost that kills more than half the party, try to defend Stone from a squadron of Tiefling sorceresses who launch something like 60 missiles before you can blink, then one has to realize that most of the widescale world plot quests are in fact geared for Epics. Sure, there might be an open level range, but that midlevel fighter isn't going to put much of a dent on the battlefield. But you kind of have to do that as a GM, since if you don't make something a challenge for the epics involved, their +50ish attack rolls and +13d6 sneak attacks kill the main baddie in under 2 rounds as well. And that makes for an anti-climactic quest finale.More RP and conversationally oriented quests focusing on puzzles and NPC relations seem to make for the best open-mix quests, since a 10th lvl character isn't going to explode immediately should he not solve a riddle. (or if he does, the epic level character has at least a comparable chance of exploding into failure gore as well!) Many times on quests involving reasearch or negotiations with important NPCs, it's the lower level characters' chance to shine alongside the epics, rather than 5 steps behind them. An 8th level bard with 16 charisma and maximized bluff skill is far more convincing than an 8 charisma 30th level fighter with none trained at all! Sure the latter might have a better reputation and is known by most in the world, but he still stumbles through social situations in comparison.But for the most part, if any large open quest involving the main plot is held which indicates a good likelihood of combat, I'd likely leave my levels 1-15 at home. They'd serve little else other than pretty blood stains on the battle field by the time the 1st Hellball or Greater Balor swept the battlefield. Maybe if they had a few skills that nobody else brought to the party, or if they had a universal useful talent, like bardsong or lots of healing available I'd risk it, but the fighter and rogue, being so AB dmg orientated is impotent when confronted with anything above a +3/20 DR that I could only hit on a crit.I usually lose interest in our PnP campaigns when the party level gets too high. Then it goes from a tale of a party of adventurers into some bogged down 20 minute per combat round flurry of attacks/round and magic variables, and most of the plots boil down to Dragonball Z showdowns with seemingly omnipotent alien or planar villains. Anything natually born of the earth would die in a blink at that point, and by then the players have devised so many insidious "I-Win" buttons that you need to make everything immune to almost everything, except one wee little achilles heel. And then that gets frustrating to the guy with the 50 AB who wants to kill everything on sight, or the Wizard who insists he can just wish himself into godhood or abuse Thayan circle magic and Mithals to create a massive death laser from space... *eyes Skabot*I do agree though, I wish there were more high level quests. Just it gets annoying when the range arbitrarily starts at 21st. Then you have some guy at 19th with 309 hp being told he's useless by the 21st level mixed class with 8 less ac and 140hp. Maybe if they started around 15-40 or 17-40. My main complaint about the quest level ranges typically available is that they're either too limited to the 1-13 range, or open level-ranged, but only winnable by those around a 21+ range, with everybody with less than 40 ac cowering behind them. Maybe some quests that were more 15-25 range.
When the PCs are squishing Necromancer Kings and tangling with Vecna's left-hand minion,
Had one find Vecna's actual LEFT HAND! Ahahah! That of course led to the epic owner of the eye and the wielder of the Sword of Kaas to chase him down and fly into a 3-way feud. A deranged death cleric and a vampire warlord, now that was fun. In the end the player tried to weild all three and failed his will save vs the sword, and wound up killing himself as it swung for bloodthirsty vengeance.The moral of the story? NEVER weild diametrically opposed sentient artifacts! No matter HOW powerful you are... a natural one is still a fumble! *evil laugh*