"Level Lag" in the Age of Worms

[S'mon]

Oh, just give em 50% extra XP until they reach the level you want. And don't reduce their level on death, just take off 1000 XP or something.

 

[Menexenus]

Make it harder to die.

0 to -9, you're disabled.

-10 to the negative of your normal hp total, you're dying.

Once you are more negative than your normal positive, you die.

Save or die spells don't kill you. They drop you to -10.

Yeah, I've already made it harder to die. But I've got to be honest: I've never considered a system as generous as yours! My system works as follows:

-1 to -9 hp means that the character is unconscious and dying (unless stabilized by traditional means).
-10 to -(10 + CON bonus + character level) means that the character has suffered a "mortal wound". The game mechanics of this are that the character cannot be stabilized without magical healing and will continue to lose one point per round until hp are greater than -10.
After that, you're dead.

This system has definitely helped with the character deaths a little. But in our last session, a guy with 3 hp was hit with a 34 point fireball and was insta-dead. That left everyone at the table with a bad taste in their mouths (including me). So I might consider trying a system like the one you suggest, or maybe the negative level suggestion.

Here's a system I've been thinking about toying with. (IIRC, it is similar to the rule in 2nd edition.) What if Raise Dead and Resurrection didn't cost characters a level, but instead cost them a point of CON (that can only be restored with Wish or similar magic)? That would have more of the flavor of the kind of necromantic magic you read about in fantasy fiction (i.e., the return to life costing the person a piece of their health/soul). It would also place a more realistic limit on the number of times a character can be brought back. Of course, in the long run, it would just cause more death because the character would have fewer hit points. So maybe it wouldn't work. But, like I said, it's an idea...

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

P.S. Merric, in response to your question, I also have 6 PCs. But (so far) I have not found that at lower levels they are able to keep up with the uber-bad guys. Maybe it's because my group is not as experienced or as finely tuned as yours. (Just guessing.)

 

[Hussar]

6 PC's is going to make a huge difference actually. They're a more powerful group, but, each member is actually a bit weaker making them a bit of a paper tiger. Also, since the 6 PC's have 4 PC's worth of wealth it makes them individually a bit weaker too. Really big single critters are the bane of this sort of group IME since each individual PC is a tad lower on the hp scale and lacks a few of the bigger goodies because of the reduced wealth.

It might be worth simply knocking down the baddie a peg or two and upping a few more mooks. More work for you, but, ultimately better in the long run.

 

[S'mon]

It might be worth simply knocking down the baddie a peg or two and upping a few more mooks. More work for you, but, ultimately better in the long run.

That's good advice - running 3e I find the mook to BBEG power disparity is often too big, esp for larger PC groups. Often taking 2 levels off the BBEG and adding 2 to each of the mooks sorts it out.

 

[kensanata]

The thing I like about the loss of CON is that it provides a good explanation as to why adventurers retire to run shops and inns in a world where raising the dead is possible. After a while your HP max just doesn't cut it anymore, and it's time to realize that your time is up. Retire and enjoy the fortune you've won.

 

[Quartz]

I recall reading that AoW was actually designed for 6 PCs, not 4.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

I recall reading that AoW was actually designed for 6 PCs, not 4.

I have a group of 7 and have made significant adjustments to the difficulty levels to keep the monsters at a similar pace. My group have almost finished the 6th module A gathering of Winds and they are pretty much spot on where the adventure path recommends. Are you sure about the 6 PC's thing? That might have been The Shackled City perhaps rather than Age of Worms?

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Morrus]

I have the opposite prpblem - the PCs are ahead of the reccommended levels. I'm on Hall of Harsh Reflections with 9th level PCs!

 

[jasin]

How did you/they manage that?

 

[DragonLancer]

I'm finding AoW to be about spot on with the levels and thats with 5 players. Shackled City on the other hand, I had to run several side quests during that to get the characters to right XP.