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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="77IM" data-source="post: 4443258" data-attributes="member: 12377">This is a mechanic for having playable groups of PCs with VERY different levels.  (Shamelessly stolen from City of Heroes.)  Please let me know what you think! -- 77IMOverview<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">If your character's level is much lower than the rest of the party, you get a bonus to hit points, attacks, defenses, and skills, so that you can still participate meaningfully.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">But you don't get any bonus abilities, powers, feats, or magic items, so you're still not as good as someone who earned their levels.</li> </ol>Sidekick PCsIf the party members are all within 1-2 levels of each other, no sidekicking is needed.  But if some of the PCs are way lower level, they become "sidekicks" of the higher level characters.Your ''sidekick level'' is always equal to the lowest-level non-sidekick PC in the group.Traits Calculated Using Your Sidekick Level:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hit Points</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Attack Bonus</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Skill Bonus</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Defenses</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Any feature or power that gets better with level (for example, rogue's Sneak Attack gains more damage at 11th level)</li> </ul>Traits Calculated Using Your Real Actual Level:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ability Scores</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Number and selection of powers</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Number and selection of feats</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Paragon path features and Epic destiny features (you don't get these at all until the appropriate level)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Equipment and magical items (you don't get free magic items just for being a sidekick, but you can beg for them)</li> </ul>XP Increase (Optional)If the reason you are a sidekick is because you have started a new character, then so long as you are sidekicked you earn double XP.  This allows you to catch up with the rest of the group in a reasonable amount of time.  (This rule is optional and may not be appropriate for all groups.)When to Use the Sidekick Rules<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Starting a new character at 1st level makes it a lot easier to learn the game.  Especially at high levels; having to suddenly learn how 15 levels' worth of powers and magic items work is kind of tricky.  Increasing numeric quantities (attack bonus, HP, etc.) does not make the game any more complicated for the new character.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Giving out free levels and magic items might make players who worked hard (and risked their characters' lives) to earn their levels feel cheated.  The sidekicked character is still clearly weaker than the normal characters (due to having fewer powers, worse powers, and not as many bonuses from ability scores and magic items and feats) and still needs to earn XP to be as cool as the normal characters.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">If a low-level character is temporarily joining the group, for role-playing reasons you may want them to still seem lower level.  But, you want their bonuses to be high enough for them to contribute, and their defenses good enough for them to not require babysitting.  A sidekicked character retains the low-level feel of having few powers and items.</li> </ol></blockquote>

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