We often hear our fellows scoff at the idea that demi-man level limits are an adequate game balance force opposing the myriad advantages they get over Men, such as, well, literally everything the Elf and half-elf get.
When you play the game with all the rules, however, Men outshine any of the lesser races, except maybe in the thief or assassin class. (In fact, you will find the greatest legendary persons of other races to all be thieves or assassins of one kind or another, even among the Lawful types.)
Limits on demi-men, chief among them class and level limits, are an implied worldbuilding element more than a game balance element (but they are partly both.)
You get demi-men, who have lots of abilities and can also progress in more than one class, with inherently more power than men at the start of their respective adventuring lives.
However, Men catch up fast. Single-classed Men will level faster than multiclassed demi-men by one or two levels’ worth fairly quickly. Not only are Men way ahead on class abilities, but they face milder level-up restrictions in terms of class fidelity penalties and the time and money necessary to train up.
Recall that RAW, a figure must get enough XP to attain level X, but it also must spend X weeks and X hundred GP for training each time. If the figure wishes to be most expedient, the player will have to have it cultivate relationships with trainers as he goes along.
This means multiclassers are going to spend more resources at the critical early levels while their specialized colleagues are off in the dungeon.
Recall further that RAW, the DM is instructed to impose XP penalties for characters who act outside their class role (or alignment.) Well, a character with two classes will have to walk a fine line to fulfill both roles cromulently. A character with three classes? The penalty is all but assured.
(Does anyone play this way? I don’t know. The #BroSR guys say they do and who am I to doubt them?)
Level caps, again, shape the world more than they shape the party. Elfs can only get to 11th level in magic user. That means they never get 6th column spells. No Enchant an Item or Permanence. Hobbits can be Druids but not clerics. Why?
Above Name level, what we will see across the game world is powerful high-level Men with many lower-level, but versatile, demi-man allies. (The exception again is demi-thieves, limping along, still carrying XP and class role requirements from dead classes despite accruing no more benefit from them.)
Which models Gary’s favorite pulp fiction worlds quite well.
