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A good story is about a good conflict - be it internal or external.
Uber-characters have no real (or so it seems) chance of losing - a very frustrating thing. It's especially that way when you write for an audience that demands you adhere to the rules of the game. Drizzt takes an arrow dead-center in the chest by a lucky shot from an Orc. Assume it's a Natural 20, which it would likely need to be anyway, and assume a critical hit. Great. Drizzt takes 2d8 damage + strenght (maybe) + magic. Big deal.
I always thought on this point that games that kept hit points relatively the same were more condusive to believable stories. In Ars Magica, an arrow through the chest basically slays you, no matter who you are.
Okay, I'm going off-topic I guess. But, the stories for HL characters just get too fantastical for my tastes. Check out the ancient red wyrm Artemis, Drizzt, Jarlaxle, & Co. beat up on in (I think) The Silent Blade [edit: no it's Servant of the Shard]. Plus, how many times can I read about Drizzt parrying 5 incoming daggers before it becomes trite. [img]graemlins/dontknowaboutyou.gif[/img]
I think most of us like playing lower level characters with just a bit of power. Levels 4-10 are common favorites. That's because you are just powerful enough to get yourself constantly into hot water.
Maybe the HL characters wouldn't be so bad if we had not read 15 books about them already. At some point, enough is enough. People live on and experience dull or not-so-dull days. But, a story is a holistic universe in and of itself. True, the same characters can have other stories, but I think it's best at some point to call it a wrap.
Plus, let's not forget that many HL books are just written by exceedingly crappy writers - like Greenwood. Salvatore has his moments as well, but his mediocrity is something he'll never truly escape. These things also detract from these stories, don't forget.
[ 12-03-2002, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]
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