Children of High Level Characters

[Chaos Apostate]

I'd say it would depend on how much you wanted the kids to be dependent on their parents. If you give the kids access to money and aid from their parents, then things will be very different - when they run across something that seems more than they can comfortably deal with, they won't think up new and inventive ways to deal with it - they'll just run to get daddy. To be fair, many characters' senses of honour would stop them from doing that. But those characters are probably the same type of characters who wouldn't accept 500,000 gp of equipment form their parents when they so clearly aren't worthy of it. The one probably goes with the other.

What I'd reccomend, is thrusting the children out on something of a limb. Leave them in a situation where their parents cannot easily bail them out, and they don't have any of the fancy equipment. Let that scenario be fairly prolonged, so that by the time they come home they probably have better equipment than their aprents would be willing to buy for them anyway.

 

[Trainz]

What I'd reccomend, is thrusting the children out on something of a limb. Leave them in a situation where their parents cannot easily bail them out, and they don't have any of the fancy equipment. Let that scenario be fairly prolonged, so that by the time they come home they probably have better equipment than their aprents would be willing to buy for them anyway.

I was about to post something along those lines.

If the epic-level dudes aren't in a game right now, have the parents be captured by their arch enemies. With all their gear. When junior learns that he wants to free his parents.

But, he doesn't have gear. Thus you have a standard low-level game on your hands. Of course, the PC's will be facing the lowliest of the arch-enemy's critters, since he doesn't deems them worthy of more attention from him. Have the children free their parents at around level 5 or 10, and then gear won't be such an issue.

 

[Fenris]

Make all their magic items intelligent










and petulant

 

[orchid blossom]

I had to solve this problem for an individual character. She came from an Aristocratic background, so it would be logical for her to have more and better equipment. I wrote into her background that her parents didn't approve of her going off adventuring, so she ran off without approval with only what she could carry.

The original post doesn't say how the players feel about starting with standard equipment. If they're cool with it, then asking them to write into their background why they only have standard equipment should allow them to have some fun with it, and give the DM some possible plot hooks. One characters parents don't want him to adventure, another had 6 older siblings who have raided all the good stuff, one wants to prove she can do it all on her own, one gets an item that will grow with him, etc.

If the players feel they should have better equpiment, the suggestion of some minor magical items and ones that grow with the characters sound logical to me. I would suggest as well items that get used up. Potions, scrolls, wands, as well as alechemist's fire and other special mundane equipment.

Good luck! I'd be interested to see how it works out.

 

[Silver Moon]

Have many of you explored multi-generational adventuring? How do you handle these kinds of details in your campaigns?

That is where we are at now, literally. Our campaign has been running now for 21.5 years player time and 14.5 years character time. We now have a second generation of character's children ages 8 to 11, which I have started another campaign with with my same aged children. They are starting out with equipment but no magic - in fact Kriskrafts and I spent several hours with them role playing the selection of adventuring equipment, what to look for, and why it is useful.

 

[Nifft]

You can't have items that are so expensive that it's worth killing you to take them. No sane parent is going to send a kid into the slums wearing a solid gold helmet, and magic swords are even more expensive than that.

"Son, you need the skill and strength to use this sword, or you will be used by it -- or killed for it."

-- N

 

[tmaaas]

Hmmm. . .

This doesn't apply to Shark's world since it already exists, but it's an idea I have for a future campaign.

I want to modify the xp cost for magic item creation so that not only the creator pays, but also the user.

Basic ideas:

When a magic item is created, the creator pays 1/50 the item cost in xp, fractions dropped (thus possible to pay 0 xp for trivial items).

When a magic item is first used, the user pays 1/100 the item cost in xp, fractions dropped. Creators do not have to pay this cost.

Creators must pay the full xp cost for potions (1/25) and my opt to do so for scrolls. The users in these cases do not have to pay an xp cost. This is not an option for "non-one-use" items.

Most magic items are an "all or nothing" deal. You can use the item or you can't. There will be leveled items where you can use lesser powers at first and then gain access to more potent functions later (at an additional xp cost).

My major purpose in doing this is to spread the xp cost around a little, since now only the item creator gets hit when items are made for fellow party members.

But it would also solve Shark's dilemma. A low level character simply can't use items which are too powerful.

 

[Agback]

I mean, how is a kid gonna learn to appreciate an injury if you give them access to massive healing items? How are they gonna learn skill if that sword of theirs does all the fighting for them?

The same way everyone learns things in D&D: by killing.

Regards,


Agback

 

[MaxKaladin]

Also keep in mind that their adventures will probably be very different from their parents. Mom and Dad may have come in off the farm barefoot and carrying a rusty sword then hauled themselves up by looting dungeons, but the kids probably won't have to. If their parents are anybody in their land, they'll probably be involved in politics, mercantile activities, or just the mischief young and bored rich kids get up to. Having better stuff may not really be much use in some of these activities.

 

[xrpsuzi]

Greetings!

In one of my campaigns, the player characters are epic level, and have started families. In considering their children, as some of them have gotten older, how much treasure do you think they should start the game with? I'm usually pretty "old school" in that I like players to start with nothing special and near poverty, but realism and the circumstances that some of these children have grown up in would seem to demand that they start very well equipped. After all, what very powerful, high level player character wouldn't want their child to start out with the best equipment possible?

Have many of you explored multi-generational adventuring? How do you handle these kinds of details in your campaigns?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

I think that rules should always be secondary to the game. These kids are going to have the best eq and they shouldn't be punished for meta-gaming reasons.

How many parents aren't going to give the best to their kids, especially when their life depends on it? Best here not meaning a +6 vorpal sword, but merely a +4.

As a GM, you'll just have to figure out how to deal with an unusual situation.

joe "still posting as his neverloggingoff wife" b.