"Level fairness" in a game

[Psion]

My typical rule in a game is that new characters come in at one level below the party average... this brings them in at the same level characters raised from the dead would come in, so I figure it is fair.

However, recently I had a high level NPC crop up in my game (21st, as opposed to the level avearage of 17-18 in the game). One player who has tired of his character asked if he could take on the NPC. Normally I would have said no, but:

1) I had no other plans for the NPC
2) The NPC was a cleric, which the party has been sorely lacking.

So I green lighted it.

What do you think? Would you allow a trade up like that?

 

[hong]

If none of the other players complain, why not?

 

[EricNoah]

Sure, but then I'm blessed with players who would never look for an "opportunity" to abuse a situation. I don't have players who just pick up and then drop characters willy-nilly, so I don't see a need to punish someone who does want to change characters during the course of the campaign.

If there were someone who routinely dropped characters just out of boredom, I guess I would do what you do -- find a way to provide an incentive to keep one character.

 

[Quickbeam]

I would allow the trade under three loosely described conditions:

1) That the NPC does not have a wicked-cool array of gear far beyond the party norm. Given everyone's high level, I doubt that's likely.
2) The player in question is willing to take the NPC as you've designed him/her and run with the character as generated.
3) The other players don't strenuously object.

The game is about having fun after all, and I don't see how letting a fellow player change characters would limit someone else's fun.

 

[Crothian]

I'd make sure the magic the character had was more in line with the party levels then the new character's. You could hinder the XP of the new character a little till the others catch up if you think that might be a future problem. However, as long as the other PCs don't mind I'd be fine with this.

 

[Grundle]

If this is going to be a long-term thing, you may be setting yourself up for intra-player strife. Three to four levels above all the other players is a significant power difference. Your players may not openly gripe about it now, but that doesn't mean that they will think its a great idea two months from now.

I'd give him the NPC, but subject to a DM-envervation spell - it loses 3-4 levels so that the NPC-turned-PC is in line with the power level of the other characters.

 

[mkletch]

If the NPC had NPC-value gear, I would not see a problem with it.

Do you do XP the way it is described in FRCS: each character gets XP based on each challenge and his or her level? This tends to slow down higher level characters and speed-up lower level characters. This way, everything would eventually equalize.

-Fletch!