Level of newly introduced PC

[Slim]

A player in my group recently decided to retire his PC and choose a new one, mainly because he felt it would be better for the group, not because he didn't like his char anymore.
Our usual rule for starting levels of new PCs is starting at the exact level of the lowest character currently in the party (exact xp amount for that level). We have two PCs lvl 7, 3 PCs lvl 6. His character was lvl 7 and would now be 6.

Now I feel like I'm penalizing him for switching chars for the good of the group, but I also don't want to be unfair to other players who play their characters continously and well and are still struggling to reach level 7.
What do I do?

 

[Crothian]

let him start at level 6. It isn't that big a deal and it was his choice good of the group or not.

 

[GSHamster]

Stick with your rule. It's simple, fair, and easy to deal with. Carving exceptions all the time will just lead to trouble.

Personally, I don't think that being a level or two behind is really that big a deal. Now, if he had to start all the way back at level 1, that would be a bit excessive.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Hi Slim,

There is a difference between taking a PC out of the game under the circumstances you mention and a PC being brought in because the previous PC died or the player was not "happy" with it. If there needs to be an explanation to your players, I think that is the one.

However, I have a slightly different perspective on bringing in new player characters. I believe that the XP is effectively earnt by the "player", not the character. As such, I'm not in favour of the PC comes in at the same level as the lowest or even worse in one of our games (one level lower than the lowest). I think players enjoy it more if they can bring in a character of exactly the same XP. It does not unbalance the game and does not bias against other players.
However, if a player decides to take a PC out because they don't like it, a penalty of some nature is reasonable.

Bset Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[shilsen]

Personally, I'd stick with the system you use for the sake of consistency. Assuming that you're playing 3.5 and using the standard XP system, he'll gain more XP than the higher level PCs and quickly catch up, so it's only a temporary penalty at worst. If you're not happy with that, then just mention your quandary to the group and see what they think.

 

[Desdichado]

I think people make too big a deal out of levels, personally. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing levels are really good for is for GM convenience. It's a shorthand estimate of how powerful the PCs are, and therefore what challenges they should be expected to be able to cope with.

 

[Darkness]

Now I feel like I'm penalizing him for switching chars for the good of the group, but I also don't want to be unfair to other players who play their characters continously and well and are still struggling to reach level 7.

You think not penalizing a player who switches characters for the good of the group is unfair to the other players?

That's the question here, really. Find out how you feel about this and you'll have your answer.

 

[A'koss]

Your rule is not unfair but since you obviously have some doubts about it, perhaps it is time to change it. Personally, if a character dies or gets replaced - the new one comes in at exactly the same XP the previous character had. That has always seemed to fair to me. It's all about fun in the end and this way there are no hurt feelings.

Cheers.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Not sure what 'better for the group' meant in your first post... but if he changed to help out the others rather than 'just because' then I'd be inclined to make an exception to the rule.

Think the best answer is to ask the group. Explain how you feel. Perhaps get them to vote on it?


I used to be quite lenient about changing characters, but ended up with a couple of players who did it every other week. Got really annoying. Solution was to make the penalty for changing without notice more serious than dying.

 

[IronWolf]

I see nothing wrong with starting him at level six as your rules you have in place state. Having consistant rules is a big part of being fair. Everyone knows what to expect when certain things happen. This keeps it fair for the person in question and for the players who have played the same character for the whole game.