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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Master of the Game" data-source="post: 512408" data-attributes="member: 9220">So, my issue with level based games is the scale.  There is such a huge difference between a 1st level character and a 3rd, that even large numbers of lower levels would be hard pressed to when such a fight.  Also, it will be many months of play before your character really starts to take the shape that you see for him at character creation.  At higher levels, the differences are much more minor, and characters re much better defined.  You can look at his abilities and feats and see the path he has chosen to follow.  For someone who has spent any time on a career or pursueing a path this should be obvious.Are all starting characters straight out of high school or the equivalent?  How many people out there are established in their careers and have spent time in college would think of themselves as a 1st or 2nd level character?  Yet by the way the game is set up, the vast majority must be.  Just look at the DMG and see how many people above 5th level are in a given city.House rules might fix this, but turn some players off.  A better solution would be to find a fix inside the existing rules.So, do we start all players at higher levels?  Not really, because they have then become much more than everyone else.  It is a common practice to start at 3rd level to give your characters better access to the things they want, and a better rate of survivability.  This, however, causes them to leave the rest of the world behind, starting them above and beyond the average person or even hardened city guardsmen and soldiers.My solution, raise their level.  Not just the characters, EVERYONE.  change the whole scale of your world.  If the average person comes of age at 14 to 6, and they are a commoner, they should be a 1st level commoner by then.  By the time they hit 18 and have had some time in the field they may be 3rd level.  This works well for fighters and mages too.  You're 1st level them moment you learn to weild your weapon well, but by the time you graduated your're probably 3rd.  Been to war, or served as a knight or a squire?  You've probably added another level or two there.  Heck, by the time you're well-established in you career and in your late 20s you may be as high as 8th level.Too unbalanced?  I don't think so as long as everyone follows the same rules.  Just pick a level, usually based on the age and worldlyness of the group you want.  As for NPCs, base it on the same scale.  A long-time farmer might be 8-12 level, The captain of the guard might be 18th.  It'll allow the characters to play around with high level abilities without devestating the world around them.This works especially well in d20 modern.  In high school you gain your first 3 level.  Once you choose your career, you begin advancing along your advanced class path.This does of course mean your whole scale will have to change.  The adults of the world won't function on a 1-20 scale, but more like a 5-30 or even 40 for the truly powerful.  Ancient, powerful characters like Elminster might even be 50 or 60.  Untouchable for most players simply because the haven't the 1000 years or so to put into leveling.This will take some extra work for those GMs out there.  Every NPC will have to have much more thought and background, but the enounters will be more exciting.  Those kobolds may still be a push over, but with a few sorcerer and rogue levels thrown in they'll be a better fight.Please let me know what you think.  My players love the idea, and I'll probably try it out if my current campaign ever ends.  I'd like some feedback first though, and any comments are welcome.  After all, I'd like the flaws to be pointed out to me here rather than at the table after I've already put a lot of work into it.</blockquote>

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