Pathfinder 1E More realistic characters. Nitty-gritty campaign. Determining what levels/abilities mean?

[Lord Pendragon]

I think you are using the wrong system for what you want. Instead, consider Call of Cthulu for a grimmer, grittier game.

 

[brvheart]

I have always had an issue with the concept that heroes are born to be the "best of the best". I prefer the concept that heroes are made, not born. While PCs may be better than your average NPC, there are still plenty of other NPCs out there that are of the adventurer caliber stats and wealth. I don't consider a mid level character a superhero, nor a high level character a god like creature. At 8th level it should not take a BBEG to knock the block of a PC that has got too big for his britches. There are plenty of mid level bad guys that are more than happy to oblige him! Yes, a starting PC will have better stats than 90% of the NPCs out there but is not a "prodigy" by any means. It just means he is one of the talented tenth that has the potential to excel if he works hard and gets the right breaks. I am of the opinion that half of 1st level characters should not even survive to make 2nd! But to each his own I guess.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I think you are using the wrong system for what you want. Instead, consider Call of Cthulu for a grimmer, grittier game.

I've found CoC d20 a fun game, but also very influential in the way I run D&D. The two are not mutually exclusive.

 

[3catcircus]

Couple of suggestions.

1. Consider going the route of a wound system rather than hp. The Grim-n-Gritty system, adapting the system in Twilight:2013 (my personal favorite since it implements going into shock and bleeding to death), the system in M&M - all are potential sources. Add in the use of diseases and infections. Limit or eliminate magical healing (there was an old Dragon article on Chirurgery that comes to mind). When the players know that they are more than likely to die in any given encounter, and if they survive, they may still die or be out of commission, they'll think twice about charging headlong into combat.

2. Consider the effects of magic combat as more deadly - people caught in a burning hands spell can catch on fire and burn to death easily, those caught in a fireball suffer the equivalent of a fuel-air explosive as all their lungs are forcibly ejected from their bodies due to the blast.

3. Read this.