Has this been done before? [3.5]

[Valairn]

I was wondering if this has been done before. An d20 epic level system, based off purchasing templates with experience. Not just regular templates, but one's designed specifically to represent epic level abilities. Anything similar would be nice to know about too, in case I build one myself.

[Silverscale]

What kind of templates are you talking about? Do you mean adding something like the Half-dragon template, or are you referring to some variation on Prestige Classes?

[Valairn]

I'm looking for templates specifically designed to replace the weirdness of traditional epic levels. So you would take a template of "epic fighter" or something. And get some bonuses to some things, and a few abilities that are clearly epic. Like, splitting the atom with a sword or something equally ridiculous.

So for instance, you would take Template of Epic Fighter, and it would cost you say, 10k experience. You would spend the experience and get an epic template, you could add templates as you like. This would more or less replace the "normal" epic progression.

[Wannabehero]

I see what you are talking about. Very interesting.

Instead of progressing into Epic levels, you spend experience to "level up" into additional powers, and stay at, say, 20th level?

___

The last time I ran an epic campaign was years ago, and we completely ignored the epic level rules. I just house-ruled that 20 was the highest level you could achieve in a class, and that you could only level-up from there in other classes, and leveling up progressed as normal (experience costs started to get pretty steep though).

The characters got pretty strong, but I didn't have too hard a time coming up with suitable challenges (battling entire armies, confronting demigods, toppling evil alien empires on distant worlds). We had a good time, and it was quite a shock for them when they had to roll up fresh 1st level characters for a squeaky new campaign afterwards (their previous characters having ascended into godhood or, in one case, martyred themselves to save the entire material plane).

[Valairn]

Yep, that's the jist of it. I'm sure its been done before. Then again maybe not.