PCs of different levels

[reanjr]

We're playing in a 3.0 game, and I have a character that may be raised from the dead at some point. Because of the circumstances, she will be at least 2 levels lower than the rest of the party (12th level versus 14 or 15th level, depending on whether the party levels again before she comes back). For people who play in games with characters of different levels, is it a noticeable difference? Does it hamper your enjoyment of the game at all?

Our group finds it fun from time to time to play with vastly different levels (1st - 6th for example). The DM has to be attentive to the situation and present challenges that are appropriate for everyone though. And having two PCs of similar class (a wizard and a sorcerer, or two rogues for example) can feel really bad for the lower level character. That's something else to watch out for.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

This is the downside to making people quest for resurrection/raise dead -- it compounds the XP loss. I usually let the rezzed character get the XP the placeholder character got while the quest was going on. It lessens the sting from the level loss, and it gives the player some motivation to participate if the quest ends up being long and involved.

 

[Kalendraf]

And to the original poster: Why would your character be TWO levels lower than everyone else?! You only lose ONE level from being rezzed. (not counting True Resurrection) Even with the party levelling up, it shouldn't be so bad.

From experience in my campaigns, more often than not, death/raise creates a 2-level difference. Consider this example:

A party with all characters at 27000 exp (just shy of the 28000 needed for 8th level). In the middle of an extremely difficult adventure/fight/etc, one of them dies. From this point on they earn no exp. The rest of the party survives to the end and each earns 3000 exp. The rest of the party is now 9th level at 30000 exp. The now 9th level cleric uses raise dead to bring the dead character back to life. He loses a level making him 7th, and his exp is set to the midpoint of the previous level (24,500).

Back in a 3e campaign, I had a party with a 4-level gap caused by a combination of sometimes absent players whose PCs had multiple deaths while the consistent players survived and earned the most exp. The game becomes tough to handle at that point. I was able to convince some of the players with the highest level characters to take a breather and let the other folks do some adventures to catch up.

The new 3.5 exp system helps a lot to avoid this by giving more exp to the lower level PCs. One PC has had multiple deaths, but they are still just 1 level behind since they've managed to catch up on exp pretty quickly each time they fell back.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I'm currently involved in a fighter-heavy campaign, where I just made 6th, while the rest of the group is 8th, if not 9th.

Let's just say that I feel pretty useless sometimes, but thank god I have other skills that can be useful to the party.

IMO, a 2 level gap at 12th shouldn't be a problem.

AR

 

[Darth K'Trava]

My character happened to be basically in the middle of the party level-wise each time he's died so it's not been too bad. There's still one, I believe, PC who's behind him by a level.

If the level gap gets too broad, then perhaps you should keep the "temporary" character instead of rezzing the other or, if you still rez the first guy, let him "go off and join another group" as he's gonna be too far behind the rest of the party. It's kinda bad you're playing 3.0 as in 3.5 lesser level characters level up quicker than their higher level counterparts do. That's one of the nice things abt 3.5. It helped the lower level guys in our group, mine included, catch up to the higher level characters as they get more XP than those higher level guys do.

 

[Neowolf]

In the main game I play in, my character is a good 5 levels lower than the highest level character in our group (I'm the lowest). Maybe it's just our style of game, but I've never had a real problem with it. However, we focus a lot on politics and the like rather than combat. I'd probably notice the difference more if we had combat more often, since my character is a Monk.

 

[Cor Azer]

The group I DM face-to-face varies in levels from 10 to 13, for reasons such as absences, magic item creation, level drain, resurrections, etc. I don't think it makes too much of a problem since I tend to present foes as multitudes of smaller CR opponents rather than one large opponent. I also use the lower level means more experience method, so they catch up faster.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Alot of ours is due to players not being there. One works most Saturdays we game. The other guy has this excuse and that excuse (usually valid except for the time he had to take "nappie time") and has missed quite a few but has caught back up due to the 3.5 XP rules.

 

[likuidice]

in what way are the 3.5 xp rules different? I'm currently 2-3 levels behind my current party....and not showing any sign of catching up, wondering if 3.5 addresses this?

 

[Bagpuss]

I think the Forgotten Realms setting introduce a new method of handing out XP that ment that lower level characters got more. I don't have 3.5 so I don't know if this is the default method now days or not.