D&D 5E Nobody Is Playing High Level Characters

According to stats from D&D Beyond, above 5th level characters start to drop off sharply, and above 10th level, the figures are very low. The exception is level 20, which looks like it's probably people creating experimental 20th-level builds.

Some of them say 0%; this isn't strictly accurate, but levels 16-19 are used by an insignificant number of players. Interestingly, there are more 3rd-5th level characters than there are 1st-2nd level.

D&D Beyond has said before that under 10% of games make it past 10th level, but these figures show the break point as being bit lower than that. DDB used over 30 million characters to compile these stats.

 

[Eric V]

I think the game is a fine game and I can see how a lot of people like it.

I just prefer actual game choices and after level 3... Besides Feats and Multiclassing IF the DM allows them...

What are your actual game choices for when you level up? Basically if you want your character to do Anything, it's up to the DM to allow it or not.

It's just how this game is designed. That's all.

Not saying it's a bad design. It's just a preference.

LOTS of people prefer their choices made for them, and with 5e going after the casual crowd, this was a very important design choice.

 

[Anoth]

LOTS of people prefer their choices made for them, and with 5e going after the casual crowd, this was a very important design choice.

You have choices in every edition. It’s just how many. I don’t need alot of mechanical choices. I want RP choices. Do I choose to slay the dragon? Do i try to make an ally of a local warlord? Those are the important choices to me. Mechanics can get in the way of that. It can pigeonhole characters.

 

[Eric V]

You have choices in every edition. It’s just how many. I don’t need alot of mechanical choices. I want RP choices. Do I choose to slay the dragon? Do i try to make an ally of a local warlord? Those are the important choices to me. Mechanics can get in the way of that. It can pigeonhole characters.

Mechanics do not get in the way of the choices that you described above.

 

[Anoth]

Mechanics do not get in the way of the choices that you described above.

Yes they can. Too many narrow skills can pigeonhole characters. Same with feats.

 

[Eric V]

Yes they can. Too many narrow skills can pigeonhole characters. Same with feats.

No. People can always attempt what they want with their characters. If one chooses feats that hyper specialize instead of more broad bonuses, presumably that's the character they want.

No one gets caught with a character they don't want.

And none of the choices you described above are restricted to someone who chose feats.

 

[Anoth]

No. People can always attempt what they want with their characters. If one chooses feats that hyper specialize instead of more broad bonuses, presumably that's the character they want.

No one gets caught with a character they don't want.

And none of the choices you described above are restricted to someone who chose feats.

a fighter champion can attempt to cast a spell. It’s not going to happen. That’s a Pigeon hole I like. Some I like. Some I do not. And it’s like that for everyone.

 

[Eric V]

a fighter champion can attempt to cast a spell. It’s not going to happen. That’s a Pigeon hole I like. Some I like. Some I do not. And it’s like that for everyone.

Choices within classes =/= pigeonholes.

 

[Anoth]

Choices within classes =/= pigeonholes.

I would disagree. That is why there are systems without classes. And I do like some pigeon holes. That’s why i like class games. It just how much I want.

 

[jmucchiello]

Did you play older editions? Fighters in AD&D 1st Ed had NO special abilities aside from being proficient with 4 weapons and armor and the best hit die: d10. This did not pigeon hole them as tanks. They made choices throughout every gaming session. When the PHB was first released in 1978, it wasn't even known that fighters advanced in combat as fast as they did since the combat charts weren't printed until 1979 in the DMG.

Thieves in 1E made no choices as the leveled up. They just increased in their various thieving skills by whatever amount the PHB said. There were no mechanical choices.

Even Magic-Users did not have mechanical choices as they leveled up. They only gained new spells when they found them in the wild. The class did not automatically provide you new spells as you leveled up.

People played these characters for years without an issue and without feeling pigeonholed by their class. The fighter might be the face of the party. Or they could be the dour aloof type. They could philosophize over whether it is wrong to kill evil just because it is evil. Or think such talk is foolish.

TL;DR - RP choices are never really limited by class choices except in broad ways (you can't join the mage guild if you can't cast spells, although, if you made a sizable enough donation, maybe you could....)

 

[Wiseblood]

The game works fine at high level. I've done it.

It works. But to me feel like you jump the shark at level12-13. Then you have to jump sharks with lasers level 14. When 15 rolls around they are 60’ long mutant sharks that slumbered for millennia at the bottom of the ocean. Level 16 you find out that was just the larval stage of the sharks. Then you discover the world IS a shark and it died these sharks are the new beginning for the world.

The world itself began to lose cohesion some time ago. That is the problem I have with high level.


I may get over it though. If my motorcycle is fast enough.