Replacement PCs: what level?

[Korgoth]

When a PC dies and is not brought back to life (for whatever reason), thus causing the player to make a new character, or when a new player comes in with a new character, what level does the new PC start at, assuming your group is above level 1 by this point?

Example: The party average level is 7 (maybe there's a 6, and maybe an 8, but this is the average). Bob's 7th level PC gets disintegrated (or equivalent) and cannot be brought back to life. What level does Bob start his new character at?

 

[Siegfried Niemand]

My group always brings in new PCs (whether new player or old) at 1 level below the party average. So, Bob's new character would be 6th level in our campaigns.

 

[Felix]

Dead PC's level -1 or Average Party Level (round down), whichever is higher. So in a party of levels 7, 8, 9, and 10, they'd all come back at 8th, except for the highest who comes back at 9th.

7 --> 8
8 --> 8
9 --> 8
10 --> 9

I realize that this incentivizes dying if you are the lowest on the totem pole, but a party with this level disparity isn't common in my experience, and the only way a level 7 PC is travelling with a level 10 is because the player of the level 7 hasn't shown up for a few months.

 

[diaglo]

level 1
3d6 in order

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

I used to have the new character come in one level lower at minimum XP for that level. I noticed that the new characters tended to die alot too and drag the APL down further and further. I would rather continue the story with everyone at roughly the same level than have to fill in the gaps because someone goes into a "death spiral."

 

[Job]

I bring in replacement characters at the starting XP of the lowest level active character in the party. This is a rule that I not only apply to deaths, but also to players who'd like to try out a new character class (inactivating their current character).

My players seem to appreciate this flexibility. It penalizes death just enough that they avoid it if possible, and still go through the trouble of tracking down a Rez for their favorite characters.

Job.

 

[wayne62682]

I've played in groups that usually do Average Party Level - 1 or just Average party level (min XP needed for it). I prefer not starting a level below everyone else..

 

[ChefOrc]

One level lower than party average.

A question for those that favor the "restart at level 1" method: how do you manage to keep the game interesting for the player that restarts from scratch? I just cannot imagine how a PC that is way behind in level can participate in fights appropriate for the party and generally feel useful and satisfied (unless you run a role-play heavy game with very few fights). And this problem must get worse the highest the average party level. How do you deal with that?

 

[Deekin]

In the Gamma World/D20 Apoc game that I am in, 4 level below the highest person. That mean we have two people at level 9, one at level 6, and one at level 5.

 

[brehobit]

One level lower than party average.

Lowest EXP level of lowest-level character.