A new game has started. What level are you?

[Balgus]

Only by playing a char at low levels do you fully appreciate it.

You get a feel for the char's history and str and weaknesses. If you are playing a caster- it is almost a must because you yhave to learn to use spells one level at a time. To just jump into level 6 spells, you forget (or never learn) how to use the lower level spells for its utility. And you end up wasting a higher lvl spell when you could have easily neutralize dthe situation with a lvl 1 spell...

 

[Phowett]

Unless we're going to play old characters, we always start at 1 (with maybe a few exceptions here and there).

 

[gunter uxbridge]

The more I think about it the more I like the idea of giving a character a 0-level in an NPC class. It almost forces the player to come up with some sort of half way compelling back story (something that waaaayyyy too many PCs lack.) Exactly how do you go about adding the level? How does it impact the Base To_Hit, saving throws, etc????

 

[hong]

The more I think about it the more I like the idea of giving a character a 0-level in an NPC class. It almost forces the player to come up with some sort of half way compelling back story

"I lived in a hole in the ground for 50 years, and then this wizard told me I had a magic ring and said to drop it in the Cracks of Doom".

IYKWIMAITYD.

 

[UnDfind]

usually around level 3

We almost always start around level 3 in the D+D games, mostly due to the whole ECL thing. This way a player can choose pretty much whatever race they really want to, instead of having to settle and become prone to suicidal antics later on just to be able to make a Drow.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

We start at whatever level is necessary. For instance, I joined a group that had started at first level, but had been playing all summer. Consequently, they were all around 5th level or above. The DM let us come in at that level so we wouldn't be a burden to the party.

I've also started games at 1st level, as well as the 2nd/3rd level range. Some DMs want to get creative with their monsters and plots and so have us start at higher levels so they don't have to work around 1st level fragility.