D&D 3E/3.5 D&D 3.5 PC Beginnings : 0-Level? NPC Classes?

[iblis]

Some questions for those GMs who have either used 0-level as a starting point for PCs, or the NPC Classes from the DMG...or another similar option, if applicable (i.e. another way of not having the characters start as class level 1 adventurers using the array of PC classes) :

a) which one?

b) has it worked well / badly / so-so?

c) in any case other than using NPC Classes, how have you ruled it exactly?


This line of 'interviewing' is because I'm very keen on the idea of utilising one of these options myself, and then probably recommending it - if it works - to a couple of other GMs locally. I just feel that 1st level in a PC class doesn't quite cover the 'beginning stages' of a character, for my roleplaying groups' purposes, anyway.

NB This thread specifically concerns D&D 3.5, though could possibly be addressed to DMs of 3.0 as well.

 

[knifespeaks]

I have just started a campaign where the PC's began at 0 level, and this is how I did it:

Everyone needed to write a little background story on their character, within the parameters of the starting area (which I had designed) and giving some indication as to what sort of class they were planning to take - this enabled me to allocate hit points, and give me something to work with from a design perspective.

Using the story, and the starting area (which was a small village on the frontier) I allocated a set of skills and a few feats that the characters were allowed to select from - they each had:

ONE profession OR craft (farmer,tailor, brewer etc - basic village-type skills)
AND
one of swim, handle animal, use rope, maybe one or two others.

Those skills were given at skill rank 4.

The feats were toughness, skill focus (healing), and something else (I cannot recall )

From the backgrounds I was also able to generate what weapons proficiencies they had - one person was a woodcutter by profession, so I gave him an axe proficiency.

Alignment was ignored (and still is for the moment) to allow the players to get a feel for their characters in the world - I am keeping a track of what they are doing in this regard.


Here's a link to the starting information the characters used:
http://www.tehbomb.com/messageboard/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=57a5a62309e06349803e3cfd558be87f

Hope that helps, or at least gives you some ideas

 

[knifespeaks]

To add some stuff which I didn't address:

One person wanted to use the Healer class form the Minis HB, which was fine - hence I allowed him to take skill focus (healing) as a feat.

It worked really well - I staged a fair bit of the opening play, to ensure that no-one died, and the story was allowed time to grow. Given the characters were supposed to be genuine novices (as far as adventuring goes anyway), I wanted to make certain they were pointed in the right direction.

All in all, they really enjoyed themselves and, whilst we didn't re-invent the wheel, it was fun for them to start play with a handful of numbers and a skill or 2. Nothing else. The game started from that point - everything they have, they have earnt within the game. A boring old woodaxe, a old suit of leather armour, an ox-drawn cart with some rope and a makeshift tent, a rusty spear and a few basic camping supplies is all they have after the fist game - they are having a blast

 

[Khaalis]

We also have rules for the "pre-adventure" days of PC's.

BACKGROUND TRAINING (0TH LEVEL)
Choose an NPC class to represent the PC’s early adulthood training before training in their adventurer profession. This class is counted as being 0-Level. The PC gains the following benefits from level 0.

• Skill Points: Gain the 1st level skill points at only a x2 multiplier
• Gain the class’s Base Attack Bonus and Saving Throw Bonuses but they remain static until standard class levels would grant a better bonus.
• Hit Dice at 1st level is based on the better HD between the 0-level NPC class and the 1st level adventuring class.

Available NPC Classes: To be approved by the DM and must be relevant to the PC’s background and class selection.
DMG: Adept, Aristocrat, Commoner, Expert, Warrior
Other Sources: Brute, Cutpurse, Guard, Magewright, Marketeer, Pirate (a.k.a. Buccaneer/Privateer), Sailor, Slave, Stevedore


HERITAGE BONUSES
All PCs gain the following heritage bonuses.

Languages: All PC’s begin knowing Common. In addition, each PC knows the automatic language of their Region. PC’s with an Intelligence of 12 or more can learn one additional language per point of Intelligence modifier from the available Bonus Languages for their region.

Skill Options: Choose one of the following Heritage Skill options at 1st level. All choices must be relevant to the PC's culture.
• +3 bonus to two Craft, Knowledge, or Profession skills
• +3 bonus to one Class skill
• +2 bonus to two Class skills
• +2 bonus to one Class skill and choose one appropriate Cross-Class skill to become a Class skill*
• +2 bonus to one Class skill and swap two Class Skills for appropriate Cross-Class skills*
• Choose two appropriate Cross-Class skills to become Class skills*
(*: These skills become class skills regardless of the class currently being trained, thus they remain class skills even if the PC multi-classes after 1st level.)

Background Feats: Since most adventures spend roughly 1/4 of their lives pre-adventurer, their background and upbringing thusly has a strong bearing on their abilities. Choose any two Background, Heritage, Origin, Regional, Racial, or Talent feats as bonus feats at 1st level in addition to any gained from race or class.
(Background feats are defined as any feat specified to be associated to a specific locale, race or heritage or that specifically may only be taken at 1st level such as Region feats in the Forgotten Realms, Ancestor feats from Oriental Adventures or Racial feats from Races of Stone.)

Starting Equipment: PC’s may take one of the bonus packages for their Region or may instead take an extra 100gp in starting funds instead.


Example 1: Thorn spent his younger years dreaming of and training to become part of the Cormyrian Purple Dragons and thus has trained most of his young adult life to be a Warrior and much time on the farm riding horses. However, when applying for the Dragons and taking the entrance examinations, it was found that he had an innate talent for magic and was instead drafted to the War Wizards for training, thus becoming a 1st level Wizard.

At Creation, Thorn is a Warrior NPC and a 1st level Wizard and thus gains:
* BAB: Thorn's BAB would begin at 1st level as a +1, but would not again increase until it would normally become +2 (thus at 4th level Wizard or 2nd level Fighter).
* HD: Thorn begins play with 8+Con HP. Since the Warrior HD is higher than the Wizard’s 4+CON it remains 8+con HP for 1st level.
* Saves: Thorn begins at 1st level with a +2 to Fortitude and a +2 to Will. However, his Fortitude save will not increase again until it would normally become a +3 (thus at 9th level Wizard or 2nd level Fighter).
* Skills: Thorn has a 14 Intelligence.
.....As a 0-Level Warrior he gains (4+INT)x2 skill points and applies his 12 skill points as Handle Animal 4, Intimidate 4, Ride 4.
.....Wizards gain (4+INT)x4 skill points. From his training with the War Wizards he applies his 24 points: Concentration 4, Spellcraft 4, Knowledge (Arcana, Local [Cormyr]) 4 each, Knowledge (Geography, Nobility) 2 each, Profession (Guard) 4.
* Skill Option: Thorn trained as a warrior but tested with an aptitude for magic and thus based on that background chooses to apply the “+2 bonus to one Class skill and choose one appropriate Cross-Class skill to become a Class skill” Skill Option, gaining a +2 bonus to Spellcraft and adding Intimidate as a continuous class skill.
* Languages: Thorn knows Common and Chondathan as his home languages. Due to his Intelligence, he also learned to speak Damaran.
* Background Feats: Thorn, being human, gains 4 feats at 1st level (2 Background, 1 for 1st level, and 1 Bonus from Human racial ability) and chooses them as follows.
• 1st Level Class feat: Magical Aptitude
• Human bonus feat: Mounted Combat
• Background 1: Saddleback
• Background 2: Warrior Instinct
* Bonus Equipment: Thorn takes the extra 100gp to spend on additional spells for his spellbook.

Example 2:
If for example Thorn began as a Warrior and then became a Fighter at 1st level...
* BAB: Thorn's BAB would begin at 1st level as a +1.
* HD: Thorn’s HP would be 10+CON, the better starting HD of a 1st level Fighter d10 versus the starting d8+CON for a Warrior which represents the increased training acquired for the class.
* Saves: Thorn would begin play at 1st level with a +2 bonus to Fortitude.
* Skills: Thorn has a 14 Intelligence.
.....As a 0-Level Warrior he gains (4+INT)x2 skill points and applies his 12 skill points as Handle Animal 4, Intimidate 4, Ride 4.
.....Fighters gain (4+INT)x4 skill points. From his training with the Purple Dragons he applies his 24 points: Climb 4, Heal 4, Profession (Guard) 4, Knowledge (Local [cormyr], Nobility) 4 each, Spot 4
* Skill Option: Thorn trained as a warrior and then for service with the Purple Dragons, and chooses to apply the “Choose two appropriate Cross-Class skills to become Class skills” Skill Option, gaining Knowledge (Local [cormyr] and Nobility) as continuous class skills.
* Languages: Thorn knows Common and Chondathan as his home languages. Due to his Intelligence, he also learned to speak Damaran.
* FEATS: Thorn being human gains 5 feats at 1st level (2 Background, 1 for 1st level, 1 for Fighter 1st level, and 1 Bonus from Human racial ability) and chooses them as follows.
• 1st Level Class feat: Dodge
• Human Bonus Feat: Mounted Combat
• Fighter Bonus Feat: Weapon Focus (Long Sword)
• Background 1: Saddleback
• Background 2: Warrior Instinct
* Bonus Equipment: Thorn begins with a Masterwork Longsword that was a gift from his father upon entry to the Purple Dragons.

This has worked great for us. Not only does it place emphasis on character background development, it actually gives the player a sense that their first 1/4 of their life actually taught them something, unlike a typical 1st level PC that is as green as a newborn under the current system. We use 2 Background feats as we have found it to be the right balance of flavor/reward for us.

 

[Gez]

I use the "multiclassed 1st-level characters" from the 3.0 DMG to make my "apprentice levels".

Usually, it's kinda simple. Just add a level 0. Look at the regular progressions of class features. For example, the fighter gets a bonus feat at every even level, and at level 1. "One" being odd, it's a bonus feat he actually gained at level 0. So, apprentice figthers have the bonus feat. On the other hand, wizards get access to a spell level when their class level is equal to twice the spell level, minus 1. (1, 3, 5, 7, etc.). So an apprentice-level wizard does not have access yet to first level spells, only cantrips.

And so on.

Hit points are half the max HD, plus Con; skill points are (base+Int)×3, and max skill rank is 3.

As for BAB, all BABs are +0, good saves are +2, bad saves are +0.

 

[velm]

I have just started a campaign where the PC's began at 0 level, and this is how I did it:

Everyone needed to write a little background story on their character, within the parameters of the starting area (which I had designed) and giving some indication as to what sort of class they were planning to take - this enabled me to allocate hit points, and give me something to work with from a design perspective.

Using the story, and the starting area (which was a small village on the frontier) I allocated a set of skills and a few feats that the characters were allowed to select from - they each had:

ONE profession OR craft (farmer,tailor, brewer etc - basic village-type skills)
AND
one of swim, handle animal, use rope, maybe one or two others.

Those skills were given at skill rank 4.

The feats were toughness, skill focus (healing), and something else (I cannot recall )

From the backgrounds I was also able to generate what weapons proficiencies they had - one person was a woodcutter by profession, so I gave him an axe proficiency.

Alignment was ignored (and still is for the moment) to allow the players to get a feel for their characters in the world - I am keeping a track of what they are doing in this regard.


Here's a link to the starting information the characters used:
http://www.tehbomb.com/messageboard/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=57a5a62309e06349803e3cfd558be87f

Hope that helps, or at least gives you some ideas

This is pretty much how I handled it as well. Players rolled up stats, then they rolled d6 for hp. They were given similiar traits to above. I forgot how I handled it when they advanced to 1st lvl, xp wise. But, basically, when they hit lvl 1, they then chose their class and got some extra hit points and skills from the previous 'peasant class'. It made for an interesting begining.

 

[iblis]

Thanks, to those who've posted.

Food for thought. I haven't decided exactly how I'll do these things, but having more options rarely goes astray.

 

[Quickleaf]

Ditto to what's been said so far.
I have 2 pieces of advice: First, check out the Unlikely Hero downloads at rpgnow.com; they include a scholar, laborer, and other "yeoman" type classes to being the PCs in. From the reviews I've looked at they seem well done and fun to use.

Second, I ran a game where the PCs each began with a special template of skills and virtues/flaws instead of feats. They were lowly servants recently recruited by a mysterious noblewoman who was having trouble retaining her servants. I believe the oldest character was 19 (all human). There was a blacksmith's daughter, a board-hewer raised by fairies, a cook/taster/herbalist, a knight's squire from a foreign country, the lady's attendant rescued from a nunnery, an assistant pigkeeper, and a stablehand/ horse vaulter. It was a blast!
The rules I used were a d20 spin-off of ArsMagica, so we used virtues/flaws, personality traits, and no hit points, though we did use saving throws, combat rules, and other d20 conventions. No PC began with a character class. Characters were pregenerated with player input.

I remember giving out experience points was VERY important, as everyone wanted to know how soon they could take a character class (save for one player who really enjoyed playing an ignorant 12th century peasant... wonder what that tells you