Where do you get your PCs for delves?

[TikkchikFenTikktikk]

So you find yourself with 2-4 friends and 2-4 hours and you all decide you'd like to play some D&D.

I guess these type of adventures are now called delves, and there is a WotC book full of them. I'd guess Dungeon prints these regularly as well (since I don't subscribe I don't know but it seems like a no-brainer).

But how about characters to run through these delves? Do you dig out the PHB and/or character builder everytime you want to run a delve? Do you just throw some numbers into the ability scores and wing it? Or do you have a "book" of characters like you have a book of delves?

If I'm running "delves", I usually have the players use what I've taken to calling DS4E. It's a Damn Small version of the 4ourth Edition of our favorite game. No skills or feats or powers. Just the six ability scores, ability mods, HP, and AC. We make up the rest as we go, with the golden rule and modified damage and DC tables our guides.

But I'll be getting some players new not only to D&D but also RPGs, so I think real character sheets would be useful. What kind of PCs would you keep in such a library for this kind of player?

 

[jcayer]

We try to go the whole nine yards. For us, a delve is more than just another D&D night. It's a chance to experience playing another class and race, so we want all the tools at our disposal. It's proven to be lots of fun and keeps us from wanting to try to change our characters in the main campaign.

The DM sets a target level about a week before we play. The gang hashes out what we want to get some semblance of balance. You get 3 magic items, your level, your level +1, and your level -1. You can always downgrade.

I will add, as the DM to the main campaign, it is a lot of fun for me to sit on the other side of the table and let someone else run the show. It also offers me a much better perspective by running a character.

 

[ourchair]

Pregens help.

You can find pregens in Keep on the Shadowfell, Khyber's Harvest, and Treasure of Talon Pass, as well as part of any of the free PDFs WotC may have released from DDXP.