Comments on: Zero Level, Revisited http://abutterflydreaming.com/2009/04/07/zero-level-revisited/ Zen and the Art of Roleplaying Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:47:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Scott http://abutterflydreaming.com/2009/04/07/zero-level-revisited/comment-page-1/#comment-1608 Scott Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:19:20 +0000 http://abutterflydreaming.com/?p=814#comment-1608 It isn't to my taste, either, honestly; I play D&D for epic fantasy, and let other games handle my rare urges to run low-fantasy. A lot of people do like ascending from "ordinary" to hero, though. This was mostly just to see how that might be done in 4e. Maybe it's my Champions experience, but I prefer ascending from beginning-hero to more-skilled-hero to world-renowned-hero better. It isn’t to my taste, either, honestly; I play D&D for epic fantasy, and let other games handle my rare urges to run low-fantasy. A lot of people do like ascending from “ordinary” to hero, though. This was mostly just to see how that might be done in 4e.

Maybe it’s my Champions experience, but I prefer ascending from beginning-hero to more-skilled-hero to world-renowned-hero better.

]]> By: Ameron http://abutterflydreaming.com/2009/04/07/zero-level-revisited/comment-page-1/#comment-1607 Ameron Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:47:36 +0000 http://abutterflydreaming.com/?p=814#comment-1607 I really like the idea of zero-level characters, but I think I’d have a hard time selling this to my players. For them it’s all about more power. Asking them to begin at anything less than level 1 would cause a riot in my dining room. But I think the zero-level mechanics you’ve provided are fair and balanced. I can see myself using these guidelines to make up some better-than-average NPCs. <abbr><em>Ameron´s last blog post: <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DungeonsMaster/~3/09Twj08KVqE/" rel="nofollow">Skill Focus: Assisting (Part 2)</a></abbr></em> I really like the idea of zero-level characters, but I think I’d have a hard time selling this to my players. For them it’s all about more power. Asking them to begin at anything less than level 1 would cause a riot in my dining room. But I think the zero-level mechanics you’ve provided are fair and balanced. I can see myself using these guidelines to make up some better-than-average NPCs.

Ameron´s last blog post: Skill Focus: Assisting (Part 2)

]]> By: Scott http://abutterflydreaming.com/2009/04/07/zero-level-revisited/comment-page-1/#comment-1604 Scott Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:47:32 +0000 http://abutterflydreaming.com/?p=814#comment-1604 Not really -- a defender starts with more hp, and will still have more even at novice stage, all else being equal. For instance, a novice ranger with 10 Con would have 12 hp. That's only one less than the paladin, but considering that even the wizard would have 10, that's just a matter of the extremely narrow range. I thought about making it a constant number, but I also don't want to make controllers <I>too</I> fragile. I think subtracting 5 at each "level" instead of a level's worth would work out; that would leave the Con 8 wizard with 8 hp, and raise the 10 Con paladin to 15, which broadens the range a little without leading to the 1-hp-wizard problem. But I figured adding the level's worth was more consistent. Also, in practice, defenders will have higher Con than most others, so that's a source of extra hp. Infernal warlocks and rage barbarians are the main exceptions I see, but it also makes sense for those particular strikers to have lots of hp, so I'm not sure it's a problem. Not really — a defender starts with more hp, and will still have more even at novice stage, all else being equal. For instance, a novice ranger with 10 Con would have 12 hp. That’s only one less than the paladin, but considering that even the wizard would have 10, that’s just a matter of the extremely narrow range.

I thought about making it a constant number, but I also don’t want to make controllers too fragile. I think subtracting 5 at each “level” instead of a level’s worth would work out; that would leave the Con 8 wizard with 8 hp, and raise the 10 Con paladin to 15, which broadens the range a little without leading to the 1-hp-wizard problem. But I figured adding the level’s worth was more consistent.

Also, in practice, defenders will have higher Con than most others, so that’s a source of extra hp. Infernal warlocks and rage barbarians are the main exceptions I see, but it also makes sense for those particular strikers to have lots of hp, so I’m not sure it’s a problem.

]]> By: Swordgleam http://abutterflydreaming.com/2009/04/07/zero-level-revisited/comment-page-1/#comment-1601 Swordgleam Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:48:12 +0000 http://abutterflydreaming.com/?p=814#comment-1601 I like this. My only concern is that by removing a level's worth of HP, you're making novice defenders weaker than novice strikers, for example, since they're getting a greater amount of HP subtracted. I like this. My only concern is that by removing a level’s worth of HP, you’re making novice defenders weaker than novice strikers, for example, since they’re getting a greater amount of HP subtracted.

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