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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rmcoen" data-source="post: 9732366" data-attributes="member: 6692404">In my previous campaign, 4e, new characters joined 1 level behind the other PCs.  I had a player who kept switching characters, playing a bit before wanting to try out the next cool story, or the next shiny thing from the most recent splatbook... given that campaign ran 10 years (and 1 month), he didn't want to just wait for the next game.  So he was always a level behind, but got to play lots of different ideas.  Another player heroically sacrificed their character to save the rest of the party, without chance of resurrection (lost on another plane); she came back one level behind with a new character too.  A third player retired his high level character because the character had met all his goals, and it made sense; the new character was a "good friend" of the retired PC.  You guessed it, one level behind.  The single level of difference didn't matter too much throughout the whole game, although I think the PC-switching player was 2 levels behind at one point.  Plus the XP system allowed him to catch up after a few sessions.In my current campaign (5e), the campaign setting has reasons for a lack of powerful (levelled) people.  New PCs are therefore Story-bound at the "level cap" until they trigger/encounter Story reasons for the ability to break the cap.  However, I also gave the PCs a "get out of death free" card, so no player permanently died before two of them acquired revivfy.  A new player joined the game when the group was 7th level; the new PC was 4th (the level cap).  For Story reasons - some of which the party learned after that PC had left the game! - he "remembered old abilities", leveling past the level cap (and catching up).  He left just after getting 6th level as the other PCs hit 8th.  While under-leveled, he was vulnerable and somewhat inaccurate - compared to the party - but he was still powerful compared to "the world", and was competent in most situations.  His PC brought skills to the party that they were lacking, which helped - he was the first PC to get Extra Attack, for example!  But he also had a habit of charging into combat, and was the recipient of numerous healing spells and revivifys!  That PC retired from the group due to Story reasons...... The new PC started at 3/3 (i.e. 6th), with a Story reason behind the compromised roundabout "breaking" of the level cap (6th level character, but only 3rd level of power in either class).  The rest of the party are 8th level, except one PC who "took a deal" and made it to 9th.  Again, the new PC has skills the others don't, AND a backstory and customized gear that fit the campaign world and somewhat compensate for the lower level (like a shield that will block a lethal hit once per expensive-and-lengthy-ritual-replacement).  But I also made sure that the new PC was exposed to a "level-enabling trigger" fairly quickly.  He'll catch up to the rest of the group, who are level-locked right now.TL; DR = level gaps haven't mattered across campaigns.  But I'm the DM and I control the threats and the gap!P.S. I did want to call out something someone else said, though: try not to power gap across Tiers.  a 4th level PC with 6th level PCs was way more noticeable across that level 5 power up than the same PCs at 5th and 7th!</blockquote>

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