30th level at 21

[fl8m]

i need some advice on how to stretch out an adventure so that i don't end up with another human being 30th level at 20 years old.
that campaign was under obscene time constraints so either they leveled fast and hard or they died, so i can understand how it happened that way.
But it just doesn't feel right that levels can be gained so fast vs actual aging. i was thinking of just having quite a bit of downtime inbetween adventures and breaks often during adventures but how exactly do i do that? the party goes into town sells/buys/creates/rests, then goes back in having at best eaten up a month. What keeps adventurers interested in staying in town longer but still manages to keep interest in whatever the goal of the adventure is?

 

[domino]

DM mandated down time.

"And then, nothing of interest happens in for the next 5 years. Anything you want to do, start a tavern, buy some stuff, have a family?"

 

[der_kluge]

i need some advice on how to stretch out an adventure so that i don't end up with another human being 30th level at 20 years old.
that campaign was under obscene time constraints so either they leveled fast and hard or they died, so i can understand how it happened that way.
But it just doesn't feel right that levels can be gained so fast vs actual aging. i was thinking of just having quite a bit of downtime inbetween adventures and breaks often during adventures but how exactly do i do that? the party goes into town sells/buys/creates/rests, then goes back in having at best eaten up a month. What keeps adventurers interested in staying in town longer but still manages to keep interest in whatever the goal of the adventure is?

I've seen this before, and I've seen people complain about it before. Obviously, there's nothing rules-wise that says that adventurers have to be in their 50s to be 30th level, but it seems to make more sense, for some reason. I blame Tolkien.

Anyway, reasons to stay in town, I can think of several. The wizard might want to make a powerful magic item, or the fighter might want to build a keep, and attract followers, the thief might want to start a thieves guild, er rogues guild, er whatever. The cleric will want to build a temple, and the druid might want to cleanse a forest, or establish a grove (although I don't know what might go into doing such a thing). All of these things take considerable amounts of time.

Encourage your players to do this in a relatively small town, and then have fast-forward several years to see it grow, attract commerce, attract followers, attract all kinds of stuff really. It'll make the game more interesting, and make them older, which I think is your main purpose, anyway.

 

[Angcuru]

Jail time would do the trick, I think.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Jail time would do the trick, I think.

I like the way you think.

 

[Crothian]

Ya, there isn't always a great adventure wating for the players to finish the current one. Also, you can have travel time, red herring adventures ("I'm sorry, Adventuring Party, the Tomb was cleared out and made safe last year"), or just have adventures that take a long time (The lunar door can only be opened when the three moons line up and that won't happen for 3 months). You can also encourage them to have a day job, oversee lands or caravans, or something else that can be different and time consuming. THey could craft magical items, those always take time.

THere are plenty of ways to slow down the adventures.

 

[drothgery]

Once they're high enough level that such things exist, explain that during the down time there were a number of encounteres that weren't sufficiently difficult to gain XP from, and therefore were glossed over.

 

[Ibram]

I tend to space my adventures out...

"after clearing out the den of giants relative peace falls over the land, you fight the occasional bandit but nothing major happens until one day 5 years later when..."

"after 3 weeks trecking across the land you finaly reach the Fortress of Go'har..."

"After defeating the wizards cabal your group goes its seperate ways, you dont hear from eachother until one day a letter arives for you..."

the campaign I currently run has taken place over about 5 years, with probably about 6 months being actual adventuring and the rest being time between adventures or travel.

 

[D-rock]

that campaign was under obscene time constraints so either they leveled fast and hard or they died,

You could also do less of this.

I also just give them less experience and have them fight equally tough groups of monsters for longer durations in the game. It gives everybody a chance to savor their abilities at that level.

 

[Tonguez]

Knowing that you are a great hero obviously favoured by the gods

1.the Farmer Bobbit approaches you in the market saying that his prize Sow Lucy has been stolen - can you help
2.Old Mother Tilda comes complaining that Bessie Jorolls goat has eaten her best roses and she wants compensation - can you help?
3. Thresher Bogass comes up and asks that you take his son Barry on as an apprentice-can you help?
4. Harab the Tinker asks for a general blessing on his future adventures-can you help?
5. Magrot the Constable comes to collect the taxes on behalf of Reeve Londale-can you help?