What level do you start PCs?

[Psion]

I generally start at 4th. Recently, what has happened is I've had a bit of player changeover and even when I have started characters at 1st, new players come in and make new characters to match the current party level which ends up being 4th anyways.

I've decided I don't like first level games. They do have some advantage in that they create formative experiences for characters, but then, I don't like running games for that low level of character, and I am getting to learn that it is best to plan games for the immediate future than imagine some great adventure that the PCs will eventually be able to handle. Experience has taught me that something will usually happen before I get there.

So I prefer to start them closer in level to the level that the adventures I want to run require. Those usually start at 6th to 10th or so, so starting at 4th gives me a little room for formative experience and work-up.

 

[The_Gneech]

Currently, I'm all about self-contained mini-campaigns; for the time being, I'm starting them at 3rd - 5th depending on how tough I want the heroes to be. If a mini-campaign is a sequel to an earlier one, I'll start it at the level the previous one ended.

Who knows what I'll be doing this time next year?

-The Gneech

 

[DragonLancer]

All my campaign's start at 1st level.

 

[Ibram]

3-5 for me, actualy I prefer to start at 4th most of the time. Thats because I see 1-3 as being the chump levels where you are still just an apprentice, bu 3-4 you are actualy ready to move out into the world.

Truthfully I'm rather sick of the "hunt the dire rat" adventures that are done at 1st level. by 3-4 the characters can actualy do something.

 

[VorpalBunny]

D&D campaigns always start at 1st-level, baby. More modern games (like CoC d20) may start higher - around 3rd-level.

 

[Li Shenron]

We start at the level most appropriate for the adventure that I have in hands

That said, we have started at 1st, 4th, 6th and 8th, but if the group has at least 2-3 players unfamiliar with the rules I would always try to start at level 1.

I don't think that starting at level 0th (with apprentice rules), 1st or a couple levels higher makes much difference from the point of view of RP. Au contraire, it can even help since some character concepts are not well represented with a single level.

Also, we are getting close to end our 20s and it doesn't feel that nice to always play PCs much younger than us...

Beside jokes, I think that tactics/strategy have a larger importance than RP in choosing the starting level.
A level higher than 1 is not recommendable if you are not used to that kind of character in the current ruleset (especially if it's a spellcaster), and it's much better to start from 1st to learn how the different options work, before they become too many.
On the other hand, if everyone is playing their favourite kind of PC, it can be boring to always start at level 1, especially since some classes are quite railroaded into the same typical early choices.

 

[cotton]

While I can respect the "purist" opinion of starting at 1st level, I also like to give players the opportunity to play a race with a level adjustment. I think 3rd is a good starting point because it allows some multiclassing and also opens up a wide berth of new races.

 

[Pseudonym]

I voted 3-5, though I generally start campaigns at 3rd. Low level, but not annoyingly so.

 

[Bagpuss]

1st or the average level of the party they are joining.

 

[Wombat]

3 3+e campaings

Each time, characters started at 3rd level

It just fit the desires of the players.