D&D 5E (2014) Do You Start At Level 1?

[GrimCo]

My answer is - sometimes. It entirely depends on what i'm going for campaign wise.

Our last campaign lasted 20something sessions and we went from level 1 to 4 in that time frame. It was combat ultra light with heavy focus on exploration, settlement building and role play.

Levels 1-3 (4 at most) are only levels in 5e where i can make "ordinary people stuck in extraordinary situation" work. Power curve of characters grows real fast and beyond 3rd or 4th level, characters are just to strong for that type of campaign.

For more typical d&d campaign, with regular combat, i prefer starting at least at level 3, but usually it's 4/5th and goes to 8-9th.

 

[rmcoen]

Starting at level 1 allows the players to understand their characters' abilities better and internalize their starting place. Even if levels 2 and 3 come quickly, it also allows the players to enjoy and get excited by the growth - while also allowing them the "narrowly escaping death" thrill that tends to only last a few levels anyway (level 5 = revivify).

I understand the idea of "but my build/backstory only works if I have a couple levels, to really showcase my fighter and rogue and warlock history..." (or feat combo, or whatever). Then either work with me as GM to work something out, or squint sideways at the options already in the core rules to "reinterpret" the "why" behind starting abilities, or... maybe D&D isn't the right system for the complicated character idea you have.

Not that "start at level X" doesn't have value and a place! I just generally start the story where the PCs are level 1, for a reason.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

I don't know where I got this idea from, maybe Baldur's Gate 3 or some other D&D tie-in, but I've always liked writing backstories for powerful, competent characters and having a bit of friction based on the fact that they start at level 1. Like Gale in BG3 is an archmage of waterdeep... but you meet him at level 1 and he knows like, four spells.

So while I do like starting at level 1, I also like coming up with an answer for the question: "Why is this guy who sounds so powerful on paper so weak?" and sometimes also "And why is he hanging out with other weak people, accepting low-paying adventuring work?" Answering that for my character is sometimes just as fun as coming up with the rest of the backstory; maybe they were drained by some powerful magical effect, maybe they're a liar, maybe they just shunted in from a universe where casting a single cantrip makes you a god-emperor and suddenly you're in a room full of toddlers who can all cast thaumaturgy.

 

[Desdichado]

Usually, yes. In 5e, so far, always, but to be fair, I was a very late and reluctant adaptor of 5e. But in all editions forever, it's relatively rare that I play a game that doesn't start at 1st level. And many of those were one-shots by design anyway.

 

[Mort]

My group tends to start at level 3+, with level 5+ being common.

We've been playing 5e a long time, 1st level tends to be "been there, done that" for them. Everyone would rather get to what we consider the sweet spot levels (7+) that much faster.