Note, this illustrates to some extent the fact that Epic play and non-Epic aren't all that different.
Oh, I agree. It isn't Epic (minus epic spellcasting) that is the problem; it's the stuff from the normal game.
One of my plans for an early-epic adventure will actually strip all this stuff out of play for a few weeks.
I'm going to trick the PC's into an inter-dimensional dungeon (made by Loki, the trickster god, as a punishment) that is completely filled by Energy Transformation Fields. The fields will eat any spell, spell-like, or supernatural effect the PC's (or foes) try to use, and instead power the spells that are tied to each individual field. So, each room and hallway will create its own effect when it sucks in spell levels from the PC's. Due to some of the abilities they'll have (the Saint has a few at will 1st level spells as SLA's) they can slowly explore through the dungeon and figure out what spells are tied to each room.
I'll have them quickly find a room that triggers a low-level curative spell. They won't be able to heal while in combat elsewhere, but they can return to this room and heal up. Most importantly, they can't escape or call for help. After a few days or weeks, people in the outside world will start looking for them, and will be able to scry them and then open a Gate to their location. But until that time, I'm hoping it will serve as a bit of a break from the normal game, and have a low-level feel to it. It will also be a bit of a puzzle, as they'll have to experiment to figure out what spells are tied to what rooms. They can then try to use those rooms and hallways to their advantage, setting up ambushes for the other creatures trapped there. But initially it will be a bit of a melee grind, because they won't be able to reliably use their spells.
I expect it will be fun, reminiscent of things like the Labyrinth of Madness, where you had to cautiously advance, room by room, and the threat of death was always high.
Their always-on gear will all still work, but their daily buff spells will not (well, they'll find some rooms that can give you buffs, so it can be mitigated somewhat), so I'll have to be careful with saving throw DC's, especially with any save-or-dies. I have not been able to find any resurrection-type spells that don't have expensive components (which Energy Transformation Field cannot have tied to it), though there is a short-term resurrection spell (1 min/level) that I can put in there. That's going to be the biggest draw-back of this dungeon; no way to bring someone back from the dead.
