D&D (2024) If Your Builds Not Online By Level 6 Dont Bother?

[Belen]

Let us not be hyperbolic. Few if any builds "come online" at 17, unless artificially constructed specifically to be builds that only come online at that point.

But if most games end before level 10 and a plurality end before level 7....the fact that in 5e you don't really come into your own until at least 3rd level and usually closer to level 5-6 isn't exactly ideal. It means the majority of any player's experience is build-up, with comparatively far less payoff. (Especially the way I see people run the game, where 1st and 2nd level are not a breeze, but take forever to finish...)

Weird. I have never seen first level last past session 2.

My current group is level 7 after a year but that has more to do with only playing 3 hour sessions 1, maybe 2 times per month.

I love to start at level one to introduce people to the game and have a good starting point.

 

[Belen]

Technically not the same thing as I was talking about, though that part too is something I see very rarely. Specifically, I was saying that I've never seen a 5e DM (or, indeed, all that many DMs in general) who let the players pick what level the campaign starts

Numerous DMs, both in games I actually played and games I simply tried to join, started at 1st level. Anything else was an exceedingly rare change. (One campaign was meant to start at 5th, but it died a typical death for PbP games unfortunately.) And essentially all of those DMs made gaining even level 2 a multi-session affair.

I have spent more play-hours at levels 1-3 (and that primarily at 1 or 2) than I have at any other level or even pair of levels. Consistently. Whether the DM was a friend or a stranger, didn't matter. (At least with the friends, I tried to encourage them to consider playing at higher levels. It never, ever worked, but I at least tried.)

Most of my game time takes place at 6-12 with 1-5 and 13-18 being equal.

I tend to level faster after level 12 because the party is facing more epic threats.

My campaigns always hit level 17.

 

[Horwath]

A single classed Eldritch Knight doesn't really come online until lvl 7... Sad.

EK's 3rd level ability should say: when you gain Extra attack feature from this class you can replace one attack from Attack action with a cantrip.

then give something else at lvl 7.
improved War bond, you can bond extra two items and they can be armors.
as a Bonus action you can summon one or more of your bonded items, if it's armor and you do not have armor equipped, that armor is equipped on you.

 

[Kinematics]

The last game I was in, it took about 2 months (8 sessions) per level. So, 3-4 months to make it to level 3, and almost half a year to make it to level 4. (I can't get exact dates because the character notes are in a Fantasy Grounds VTT which isn't up anymore.) I don't think I've ever had a game where it has taken less than 2 months to make it to level 3.

On the one hand, I like the adventure scale of those low starting levels. On the other hand, the limitations on what the character can do compared to what was conceived of — even in the backstory — can be frustrating.

 

[Sulicius]

Just talking about a “build” raises my heckles.

This is because from this mindset, character abilities are the goal, and they don’t matter to the campaign.

If you are not having fun before your “build comes online”, you are more focused on your character sheet than what is happening at the table.

Instead, focus on reacting to what happens to your character. What is their story? I have had multiple characters re-roll their class or multiclass as a response to a character’s development. I usually help the character be effective with magic items or allow them to change their class.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Just talking about a “build” raises my heckles.

An unfortunately common response that to this day I fundamentally don't understand.

This is because from this mindset, character abilities are the goal, and they don’t matter to the campaign.

What is your reason for drawing this conclusion? I don't see the connection.

If you are not having fun before your “build comes online”, you are more focused on your character sheet than what is happening at the table.

Completely unrelated. I can be enjoying the events at the table, and also separately bored with the mechanical expression of my character. I have had that exact thing happen in multiple different campaigns. Excellent story, fun roleplay, cool people--boring gameplay. I can get all three of the first three things without bothering with all the extra effort of a TTRPG; if I'm going to play a TTRPG, I want it to be all three of those things AND engaging, worthwhile gameplay too. Otherwise, I could just as easily go do forum RP or various other things that are way easier to do than wrangling a schedule to play D&D.

Instead, focus on reacting to what happens to your character.

I already do that. I want more than that.

What is their story?

No story worthy of the name is going to play out in a few sessions. That takes weeks, months, maybe years to reach a satisfying conclusion.

I have had multiple characters re-roll their class or multiclass as a response to a character’s development. I usually help the character be effective with magic items or allow them to change their class.

I assume you mean "multiple players".

I dislike design which depends on the GM giving hand-outs in order to function. I want it to function on its own, and then any GM-player cooperation is extra awesome on top, not bare minimum required to get over the finish line.

All of this reads, to me, like someone who thinks fun has to be "earned". D&D is a roleplaying game. It contains both roleplaying...and game. The game should be enjoyable in, of, and for itself, in addition to the roleplay being enjoyable in, of, and for itself. And because it isn't "some game over here, and totally disconnected unrelated roleplay over there", it should be able to express roleplay through gaming, and gaming through roleplay.

 

[Horwath]

If you are not having fun before your “build comes online”, you are more focused on your character sheet than what is happening at the table.

no.
the story can be great, and the roleplay can be great, but when it comes to combat, I see people that are bored with their characters.

at level 3, there is not lot to do in combat, your character is so basic, even at level 5, there is not much to do, at level 11 is where the real mechanics kick in for most characters,

that is why I love the:
D&D 5E - The "Faster Features" Variant (+) by @DND_Reborn

you get all your features by level 10 and then just more or better usage of them later.

 

[cbwjm]

I've always found 5th level is when classes really get interesting to play, moreso if single-classed. Warriors can hit more consistently since they have 2 attacks, casters get 3rd level spells, everyone has a feat/ASI and a proficiency increase making them much more consistent if they focused on their main stat with their feat, or they have some fun new ability from a feat that might not have boosted their main stat. Even skill expert can make a character more interesting to play.

For me, 5th level in almost every edition I've played has often been the sweet spot for characters coming into their own.

 

[ECMO3]

All my builds are "online" at level 1, there are significant jumps and features that happen, most of them also don't get the level 5 boost until later than level 5.

 

[ECMO3]

at level 3, there is not lot to do in combat, your character is so basic, even at level 5, there is not much to do, at level 11 is where the real mechanics kick in for most characters,

I find the opposite to be the case. Combat is more fluid at low levels because there is less lost to trying something different. Level 3 it is a lot easier to use oil or Caltrops or improvise an action than it is at later levels, because the cieling for these items is relatively constant, while the opportunity cost for attempting them is lower.