Taking 20 Podcast - Ep 266 - High Level Characters

Episode Date: December 14, 2025

Running a high-level character (Level 11+) is a different animal altogether. Forget easy skirmishes and simple ability checks—you're now facing world-breaking threats.  In this episode I’ll give you some tips for running these legendary characters.   #rpg #ttrpg #dnd #pathfinder #gmtips #playertips #tabletop #roleplaying #highlevel Resources: Buy Me a Coffee! - ko-fi.com/taking20podcast www.taking20podcast.com  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/taking20podcast  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/taking20podcast  Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/taking20podcast.bsky.social 

This week on the Taking 20 podcast. Modify the battlefield or use the battlefield to your advantage. Change the conditions of the fight so the monsters are playing to your party strengths, not theirs. Thank you for listening to the Taking 20 podcast, episode 266. Some tips for players running high-level characters. I want to thank this week's sponsor, When I was a kid, I took my sister's dolls and I placed them in a line on the porch. I told her it was the barbecue.

Once again, I want to thank the generous donor and origin of this episode idea, Owen Winkler. If you have an idea for an episode, please send it to me on social media or via email, Feedback at Taking20 Podcast.com. I also want to thank Bill and Kurt Loy for their very generous donations to the podcast, and between the two of them, they've already covered about one-third of my podcast cost for 2026. I am humbled and honored every time someone donates their hard-earned cash to help cover the costs of running this little podcast. To Bill, to Kurt, to Owen, and everyone who donated this year, thank you so much from the bottom of my old, decaying, litch-like heart. I know times are tough

and it's hard to donate. Even if you can't, I appreciate the kind words and feedback of people who have reached out to me on social media or sent me an email to feedback at taking20podcast.com or contacted me in any other way. To all of you, thank you so very much. I'm so happy that you listen to my little semi-weekly ramblings. High-level characters are difficult to run and require a core set of skills and plans in order to run them effectively. Just like I did with the high-level campaigns episode two weeks ago, I want to begin with some common sense advice. If you are a newer player and you have any kind of choice whatsoever, it's generally better to start with lower-level characters,

way below level 11, until you're very comfortable with the game system and its mechanics. There are a myriad of reasons for this, but they mostly boil down to flexity. Lower-level characters are generally easier to play, easier to run. You have fewer spells, fewer abilities, and fewer options round-to-round or day-to-day. and that makes running these characters faster.

They're easier to play and result in a better gaming experience for everyone. Don't get me wrong. I get the draw of playing a level 20 wizard with deific level powers at her fingertips and take down flights of dragons with a wave of her hand. Absolutely. A ton of fun to be a god among the ants. I get it.

However, complexity as you go up in levels is not linear it's exponential. Level four characters don't feel twice as complicated as level two characters. They feel many, many, many times that. As your characters gain levels, they gain abilities and feats and class features and spells. They grow in power. And every level grants you additional possible action choices both inside and outside of combat. And very rapidly, the choices become a huge list. Let me cite as example, a character I'd just finished playing. It was a barbarian that also happened to be an awakened bear that had gained sentience.

At level three, for example, besides stride or move or strike or attack, he could rage, had natural senses, sudden charge, could trip without provoking attacks of opportunity, could spend an extra action to intimidate on any strike he made, and had assurance on intimidation rules. He also gained 15 feet to its movement speed while raging. By level 7, he could still do all those things, but could now also cause bleed damage on the second attack in a round, had conditional bonuses to speed and intimidation,

and now had a reactive strike attack of opportunity for my D&D friends out there. Also had conditional bonuses to initiative, weapon specialization bonuses to damage, and a modification to results of all of my fortitude saves. But Jeremy, you may be saying, That's not so bad. That's mostly math you can do ahead of time. Yep, I agree, but it was more complex than that by the time the campaign ended. By level 10, add in animalistic brutality, which gave you one of five possible modifiers to attacks that I would declare when I raged.

Group intimidation, damage resistance, terrifying howl to demoralize in a radius, and terrified retreat that made enemies who critically fail their saves flee from me for a round. And oh, by the way, this is a barbarian character, which honestly, as a class, is pretty easy with fairly limited options. Our next campaign starts at level 11, and the options for my cleric are staggering. I'm running that cleric, by the way, and there are, if my database is right, 365 spells to choose from. Cantrip through level 6. 365, and I can pick them every single day when I prepare my spells. If I took the time in real life to study one spell per day to make sure I understood it,

I wouldn't be ready to play this character for a full year. All of this to say, as your characters reach higher levels because of the increased number of options and the increased complexity, combat often becomes significantly slower than the quick skirmishes of early game. One of the main causes for this is decision paralysis by players as you try to find the optimal move or optimal choice round to round.

Early on, two to three options for actions you can probably rely on one to two that you use over and over. At higher levels though, you will literally have a dozen or more options every round of combat. Furthermore, higher level enemies

typically boast substantial health pools legendary resistances, a wider variety of immunities and special actions, turning each round into a tactical chess match, where both sides spend more time manipulating the battlefield, applying or removing status effects, and burning through resources before anyone's health bar really starts to drop appreciably. So let's start with some player tips for high-level characters that will be useful for all campaigns.

When you hit levels that are considered high or epic level, to call 11th level and higher. As I said, the complexity of your character explodes. Even though the characters are complex with a myriad of options available to them, my first piece of advice would be to know your character, and I mean know them cold. At low levels, you may be able to get away with skimming your abilities each round. Oh, I can't remember exactly what power attack does. There aren't many of them that you actually play. I mean, you use these abilities a lot, and you can absorb the way they work almost by osmosis. At high levels, however, your turns can take longer, your options are more numerous and the stakes are much higher.

You need to know exactly how your character features work, how they interact with other abilities, and when you should use each one. To be absolutely blunt, if your turn comes around and you aren't sure what to do and have to study your abilities again, you probably should have done that previously and kind of you're wasting the table's time, checking your passive abilities or a common. spells range. If you're not prepared, at high levels you can get paralyzed by the options. And not only in combat, but also when building your character or preparing your daily abilities and spells. By being prepared, you're not dragging the game down while you pour over options, trying to decide what you're going to do. No matter what, knowing and understanding your character's abilities, when to use them, and how they work will help keep the game moving,

even at higher levels. But if you are going to run a high-level character, let's keep this consistent with previous episode. Again, higher level being level 11 and up. It's a different kind of game, and as a player, you need to change your approach when compared to those easier, lower-level games. If that means, by the way,

you need to make a cheat sheet of your abilities, then do it, make it, create a Google Doc or spreadsheet or wiki or whatever you need to do that has a short description of the ability. I mentioned my barbarian. One of the more complicated abilities that character had was an ability called animalistic brutality that I mentioned earlier.

If you look that ability up that when you go into a rage, you give your weapon one of the following traits for free. Backswing, forceful, parry, raising, or sweep. What do these traits do for a weapon? You can't remember what they do. Do what I did and add them to your character notes document. Backswing gives you plus one to your second attack if the first one misses. Forceful gives plus two to damage.

Perry lets you spend an action to gain a bonus to AC and so forth. I couldn't remember all of them off the top of my head, and I didn't want to make my tablemates wait while I looked it up. Oh, we're fighting two small constructs. I should probably use raising or back swing. Um, I'm not sure of... That would be awful for all of my fellow players around the table. So do what you have to do to know your character, spells, abilities, etc.,

down to the Nat's eyelash level of detail. But Jeremy, I have 21 different spells, and I can't remember all the details for all of those spells. To that, I would say, create a spreadsheet with an important details about the spells, the range, number of targets, the damage it does, saving throws that are needed, etc. But Jeremy, that sounds like a shit ton of work,

and I don't want to do that. Okay, you lazy bastard. Then I'm going to say, do this. At a minimum, know the abilities and spells you use often. I mean, know them backwards, forwards, and in Mandarin Chinese. Know their mechanical effects, and especially when to use them. Almost every character I've ever run and every character I've ever seen has a go-to combo. Maybe it's a specific sequence of attacks or a few key spells.

You stride and strike, attack and bonus attack, stealth and attack from range, whatever it is. Practice it, master it, when initiative is rolled, just like when you're playing chess and sitting down at the table, you should already know your possible opening moves. You should know what you're going to do or at least have a short list of your initial activities for your character. The claret casts bless. The sorcerer is going to cast magic missile or wall of fire. The fighter is going to close with the batty and raise her shield, whatever it is, having your opening actions ready and knowing them well, You are doing your part to keep the game moving. Now, let's talk about tips for running your high-level characters further into combat. Combat at high-levels is brutal, complex, and often cinematic.

Mistakes during high-level combat will be much more consequential. At level two, you choose the wrong weapon to attack with, okay, it results in your cleric maybe taking some damage. At level 12, that same mistake can mean your character is knocked unconscious, turned to stone, mind-controlled, banished to the nine hells, ground into a port by the batty, or maybe turned into a purple sheep with an intelligent score of one. I know, Trina, I know you got baleful polymorph. We'll get you turned back to normal shortly.

Stop, stop it. Quit eating my shirt. One second, she has 180 IQ and understands alchemy, and the next she's headbutting my refrigerator. Don't worry, I've given her some hay. Trina will be fine for now. It should go without saying, but monsters in high-level combats will be much tougher, brutal even. The monsters you face, they possess legendary actions, massive hit points, resistance to numerous damage types, with attacks and spell-like abilities that can absolutely ruin your day.

To succeed in these high-level combats, two key tactical adjustments are essential. First, characters need a plan. The days of mindlessly wading into monsters should generally be over. You're now fighting singular powerful creatures or maybe with minions or small groups of very powerful creatures like your party. Part of your strategy should be how you're going to choose your targets. In general, you should focus fire to take creatures down quickly. Splitting your party's focus will essentially turn one difficult encounter into two or more. It's simple math.

If you're fighting five 80 hit point ogres and your party damages 20 hit points there, 50, hit points there, 25 hit points on another attack, you could either spread that damage around and still be dealing with five ochres, or focus your fire so that you've already taken one and now you only face four. That is usually a good strategy, but it's not the only one to consider. For example, there's a strategy decision that I like to call meat or potatoes. The name comes from the first Guy Ritchie Sirlock Holmes movie, which I unashamedly love, by the way. The decision point is when you're fighting a boss with minions do you go after the boss first or do you clear the minions from the battlefield and then focused on the big end there are a hundred different

variables here and it's not always going to be one or the other but your party should have these discussions about how to handle these situations it boils down to identifying what the biggest threat is on the battlefield and committing your party to taking that down fast sometimes the Biggin is the biggest threat on the battlefield, and the lower hit point minions are a little more than an annoyance. In that case, focus fire, take the big one down, mop up the minions afterwards. However, there are times when the minions are collectively just as or even more dangerous than the big bad. They have abilities that can take parts of the party out of the fight, making them paralyzed or stunned or slowed or chew up some of the limited number of actions

the party has. But again, be prepared to adjust. Every combat is different, but have these discussions ahead of time. The campaign that I just finished playing, we had a party that tended to focus on minions first. All things being equal, we were potatoes before meat party, to use the phrasing from earlier. However, in the final fight of the campaign, the minions surged forward, my barbarian and the fighter rushed forth to clear them out on the way to the Big Bad. And then the Big Bad unleashed her ranged attack and it took a big chunk out of my hit points. The fighter and I knew what we needed to do. My barbarian went full tilt to get into melee range with the big bad who had this nasty damaging bow, my being in melee taking away one of her biggest attacks.

In Pathfinder 2E, much like some of the older versions of Dungeons to Dragons, when a creature makes a ranged attack and you're within melee range of them, you get a reactive strike or attack of opportunity. It's a free way of doing more damage each round. Since I was going earlier in the round, I cleared out the minion in front of me and got up close and personal with the big bad. Eventually, she had to drop the bow and use her less powerful melee attacks on me. The cleric repositioned to keep my hit points as high as possibly could be, and while the rest of the party cleared out the minions, leaving the wheat for the very end. Gods, the meat versus potatoes discussion could be an episode all its own,

and I might do that next year, actually. I need to add that to the list. But in general, your party should focus your attacks, damaging spells, and abilities to take down whatever your party considers the biggest threat on the battlefield, rather than spread out the attacks, making them have a less impact overall.

High-level characters have the ability to change the battlefield you're fighting on. Spells like control water, force cage, wall of stone, can funnel enemies, split groups, or create cover. Marshals should be looking for environmental hazards or choke points to make their maneuvers and attack more effective. Don't just stand in the open and trade blows.

Modify the battlefield or use the battlefield to your advantage. Change the conditions of the fight so the monsters are playing to your party's strengths, not theirs. At high-level combat, that is more critical than ever will be at low levels. Yes, the DM has the capability. to do this, but you should look for your opportunities to gain any advantage you can. Fighting in three dimensions, using spells to create choke points if they don't otherwise exist, give your characters with crappy decks and reflex saves cover against the devastating area

effect abilities the high-level Big Bad has. Marshals should look for opportunities to use combat maneuvers to their advantage as well. Shove a monster off a cliff or into that multi-round ice storm that the party wizard just laid down. Don't just mindlessly stand and trade attacks. Look for opportunities to maximize the effectiveness of your party's abilities whenever possible. Now, I've talked a lot about in combat. Let's talk about things outside of combat with regard to high-level characters. I mentioned knowing your options your character has in combat,

but you also should know what your characters can do out of it. A high-level character is a powerhouse, a one-person army, but they're not just good at hitting things. Think about your utility abilities and skills and spells, the contacts that you've made, and your reputation that you have. The solution to a problem may not be a fireball or shove the pointy end of the spear into the other person. It might be a negotiation or a teleport or calling in a favor from a powerful NPC that you know. Look for items that benefit you at this high level.

Magic items are the fuel for high level play. You should be actively seeking out high-level items, legendary weapons, artifacts even, or items that can cover your weaknesses or synergize with your abilities. Don't settle for a slightly better headband that makes you a tinty-winty bit better of diplomacy. Look for a game-changing headband with a bonus to charisma and advantage on pushing your luck with suggestions, for example. Those are tips for all characters, but now I want to focus on roleplay heavy camping. If you are a high-level character in a role-play-heavy campaign, there are more times when the location of the game will shift from the dungeon to the marketplace, or council meeting, or throne room, or other areas of the world where sticking the sword in the other person isn't the best solution. In those places, your character is no longer just a wandering adventurer.

You are a major celebrity figure in the world. Even if there isn't a mechanic for it in your game, your character will have a reputation. of some sort. Are they known in town for being the trustworthy business partner or community-minded leader or relentless loan shark? If you have a reputation, role-play it to the best of your ability, whether you're a hero or villain or notorious trickster. People know your name. When you walk into a tavern or a royal court, people should react. Roll play that gravitas. You don't have to intimidate every guard. The guard might just step aside because they know. who you are and everyone heard that Bob the guard tried to arrest you one time and his face is

still in a sling. Another thing about high-level characters outside of combat is that you should re-examine your motivations. Your motivations should be strategic. Forget about saving Farmer Giles's goat. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm sure Farmer Giles would be very appreciative that you rescued his goat from the rampaging triant, but your goals should be more consequential. You should be affecting the fate of nations, gods, entire planes of existence. Yes, you should be there to defeat the dragon, but what's the purpose behind it? What are you going to do next? I mean, sure, I mean, maybe you think about defeating the dragon, but what if you thought about it in ways of you're defeating the dragon because you want to take its horde and use most of that to allow the town

of Bluskrat to rebuild? Giving your character a reason for an adventure elevates your simple monster hunt with political and economic motives. It gives the GM more to work with and it makes your character feel like a true legend in that world. Another tip for high-level characters, you should generally delegate boring stuff. Your level 15. You don't need to personally escort the guards to the border fort, buy food for your home castle, or repair mundane gear. Hire somebody to do that.

Bring in a lower-level NPC to take care of it. At high levels, your characters will likely have followers and contacts and hirelings and money. Use them to handle the mundane tasks so in-game you can focus on the epic adventure. Your character's time is valuable. Talk to your DM about ways that you can minimize the trivial mundane activities and focus on the fun stuff. Running a high-level character is a whole new game that requires a new, mindset. Master your massive list of abilities and spells to avoid slowing down the table or at least the ones you use most often. In combat, focus your fire and use your power to literally change

the conditions of the fight in your favor. And in role play, embrace your legendary status by adopting strategic, world-changing motivations and delegating the boring mundane tasks to your contact. By approaching the game with these changes, you'll ensure your epic character feel truly epic. And if you do, I'd be willing to bet that you and your players would have fun doing it. Thank you again to Bill and Kurt Loy for your very generous donations. But everyone, I'd like to get your feedback, whether via social media or email, feedback at taking20podcast.com. What topics would you like to hear me cover? There are a particular tabletop news item you'd like me to discuss? Please send me a message. Tune in next episode, which will be the last the year.

Oh my gosh. And we're going to talk about something I referenced a couple of episodes ago, The Rule of Three. But before I go, I want to thank this week's sponsor, Dolls. I tried to make a deal with a marionette, but I had to back out of it. There were just too many streams attached. This has been episode 266 talking about high-level characters.

My name is Jeremy Shelley, and I hope that your next game is your best game. The Taking 20 podcast is Copyright 2025 by Jeremy Shepard. The opinions or views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. References to game system content are copyright their respective publishers.