I just discovered this homebrew ruleset, Epic 6th (or E6 for short) and saw someone was planning to run an Eberron game using these rules. Basically you advance characters as normal until 6th level and then you stop gaining levels, but gain new feats instead (every 5000xp after 6th). There's some more optional rules for feats that can increase stats, mimic higher level or prestige class abilities, etc. but that's the basic idea. Here's a link if you want to check it out.
This idea is really appealing for me as a GM, since it keeps things fairly low powered and keeps the powers that be in the Five Nations more relevant than moving the game on to something more in the realm of demigods. Plus you get to explore all those low level feats and how they interact. High level monsters could still be out there, but they would be much more scary and take more planning to overcome.
So, I'm thinking of how this would affect Eberron. Well for one thing you could have set stats for NPCs like the Lord of Blades or Vol and know the PCs won't level over them. It kind of condenses the game, letting you have a BBEG that stays that way.
The Demon Wastes would stay a scary place and Argonessen would stay off limits. Xen'drik could have some nasty surprises. Theorhetically you could lay out the whole world, knowing exactly how powerful the PCs will be when they face the big threats.
Okay, I'm rambling, but let me know what your thoughts are. What would an E6 Eberron world look like?
I haven't approached my current group since we're running two differen campaigns right now. One of them is starting to go into Epic territory, so this might be a welcome change after (or not). The campaign idea I've been wanting to run for awhile is a group of all warforged, so they can always get "upgraded" over time if it gets stale, but I'm not sure if that would be a good fit for these rules or not.
I'm looking around to see if I can find some player feedback on someone who's been in an E6 campaign. If you're interested I'll let you know what I find. So the feeling of being stuck is this your feeling on the rules, too, or how you think others might view it?
EDIT: It might depend on how you present it. The original idea sprang from an article about Gandalf being a 5th level wizard and viewing all the "heros" of the Lord of the Rings ending up around this level. So the PCs would feel epic in a world of 2nd-level Fighter elite warriors (as Keith Baker often describes them.)
That said, if I went into a campaign knowing that it wouldn't go past 6, it would be different. But I still think I'd feel stuck, if only because my power selection would never change. Sure, there are feats, but that's only part of character development. You also want to toy around with new powers and class features (like the ones you get from Paragon Paths).
Basically, I think that a level 6 character isn't mechanically complicated enough to hold my interest perpetually, no matter how many feats I throw on him. A level 11 character... maybe.
Levels 1-5: Gritty fantasy
Levels 6-10: Heroic fantasy
Levels 11-15: Wuxia (like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
Levels 16-20: Superheroes
That's why I was thinking it was such a good fit for Eberron which seemed to have a gritty fantasy feeling verging on heroic (although there's room for all levels of challenges).
I guess the main thing I like about this is it helps the power creep and Elminster syndrome for the Five Nations. So the higher level challenges are laying low in society or you're forced to leave civilization to find new challenges. I always feel like the PCs leave this gritty fantasy area too quickly and all the groundwork laid out in the city is now moot.
I'm possibly joining an E6 play by post game. Its not a standard D&D setting, but I should be able to get a feel for it. Although with play by post it may take awhile
