D&D General Has anyone ran a level-0 character funnel for 5e?

[Frozen_Heart]

I've been thinking of running a level-0 character funnel as a one shot for my group, and I'm wondering if anyone else has tried running one this edition? If so how did it go, and did the players enjoy it I'm a bit concerned about how well it will work and player mindset, as a character funnel seems like it flies in the face of everything modern DnD stands for, but the concept has intrigued me for years.

(For those that don't know, a character funnel is where a group of players makes multiple level 0 characters each, and they spend the session dropping like side characters in a bad horror movie).

 

[bedir than]

I think it would be easier to run in 5e using the 2024 Backgrounds with Feats system. That would give a few characters weapons and/or spells

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The survivors section in VGR does this, so it's not completely unknown in 5e. How much fun it is would depend on the adventure and the group.

 

[aco175]

I could see something where you have items that might work for a PC with a check. There could be a spell book with cantrips that require a DC10 INT check to cast one, or a sword that needs a DC10 STR check to use it without the -2 penalty (or disadvantage). I would look for situations where they need to swap gear to get past traps and puzzles.

After each encounter give +1 to a stat where the PC use an item. It feel a bit hokey at this point though.

I was kind of picturing a scenario where something happened, leaving the PCs around and with limited gear to take with them. Maybe they only have the one sword, a bow, and a couple daggers to use. Maybe there is one spellbook and one holy symbol to try and cast something. I guess a night of gaming and adding abilities as you go could work.

 

[Clint_L]

I have, but I used modified Dread rules to do it. It was the opening game of my current home campaign. It was super fun! I regularly combine different games with 5e and the results can be hit or miss, but this one worked. The set-up was that a traveller brought a mysterious artifact to the village fair which animated all the nearby dead and drew them towards it, classic zombie film style. The surviving characters became the adventuring party and were level 1 for the next game. They're now up to level 10, and we're on hiatus until the Vecna book launches in May.

 

[Lidgar]

I did this for our group's current campaign (OAR#6: Temple of Elemental Evil). The approach I used was to essentially make backgrounds a 0-level class. Attached is the guide I made for them. Not perfect, but the group had fun with it.

Happy to say most of these "zero-to-hero" characters are still adventuring. They recently made it to the deadly 4th level of the Temple.

 

[Tonguez]

I think it would be easier to run in 5e using the 2024 Backgrounds with Feats system. That would give a few characters weapons and/or spells

It wasnt a funnel per se but we did a session where everyone just used Backgrounds, a Feat and D4 HP. The PCs were survivors of a deliberately wrecked ship, who had to escape before the wreckers came down to raid the ship and capture them to sell as slaves.

 

[ValamirCleaver]

The PCs were survivors of a deliberately wrecked ship, who had to escape before the wreckers came down to raid the ship and capture them to sell as slaves.

That premise sounds similar to N4 Treasure Hunt.

Treasure Hunt (module) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Distracted DM]

There are at least two 5e systems for this: one is Filthy Peasants! in one of MCDMs Arcadia! magazine. That's what I used, it seemed heavily inspired by Dungeon Crawl Classics, sort of The System for funnel starts.
There's another dedicated publication, more than a magazine article iirc, but I can't recall the name...

As far as my experience, I ran two: one went great, the other was good but not everyone was in the spirit of it. That is, some players rolled high character stats and did everything they could to protect those high stat characters so they'd make it to the end, including hanging back out of combat (so I'd have to add surprise stuff at them in the back).

 

[Tonguez]

That premise sounds similar to N4 Treasure Hunt.

Treasure Hunt (module) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It is , I used that as the basis of it but added a few more undead including replacing the goddess with a ghost.

I did a similar thing in 3.5 with PCs as commoners whose village gets raided overnight, the PCs had to avoid the raiders (who had pet velociraptors) and save any other survivors before getting them to the 'Old Fort' up the mountain.