Your favorite adventure starting level

[Mercule]

Games begin at 1st level, 2nd at the highest. Anything else is only considered for a one-shot -- ever.

 

[Driddle]

I really wish you had broken up 0-2. And I agree a more focused poll for starting/playing levels would be more informative. I voted starting and of course it has to be 1st or pre-1st level for me....

Yeah, well, people in hell want ice water, too.

 

[Kelleris]

I prefer to start around 4th, and 4th-9th is my preferred play range, with 6th being the absolute best, for reasons already given. I could happily spend a long time "frozen" at about 6th or 7th level just exploring the game setting and making friends and enemies.

As far as I'm concerned, 6th level is like having just gotten your BA in killing things and taking their stuff. Adventuring at 1st level makes me feel like the grade-school dropout of adventuring - I keep wondering why on earth (er, so to speak) my character isn't still training.

 

[zeo_evil]

Arbitrary in the extreme. I find the mid levels (11+) provide the most fun but it really comes down to plot and circumstances. I have had great fun all the way to the low twenties but have never had any fun at much less than fifth. We usually start all of our campaigns at fifth.

 

[Kid Socrates]

I voted third level. If you're a cleric or wizard or druid, you've got second-level spells. If you're a fighter, you've got a good number of feats. If you're a rogue, you've got that extra d6 of damage. Everyone's got that next feat at third level, helping separate them from Joe First-Level Adventurer. Every character has a more defined role and ability, and is willing to stand toe-to-toe with an enemy, but fears that one lucky critical hit that could knock them into the negatives. I've seen more heroic actions at third level than any other -- at high levels, they almost expect to succeed at the impossible. At that lower level, they're truly risking everything.

 

[Crothian]

the only time I don't start a game at first is when I start it at zero, but that is a rare game.

 

[HellHound]

Level 1.

-FOR FANTASY GAMES-

I really like the builup, and I manage to avoid the 'orc bashing / snake killing' stage now because I don't use them - I stick to interesting villains at low levels - usually characters of the same race as the PCs, often in semi-social / political situations.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I think a the great sweet spot is level 9.

You've been able to work on a PrC, you just got a new feat, 5th level spells are available, and you're just reaching mid level power. Good stuff.

 

[fafhrd]

I'm almost convinced this poll is a chain yanker. I would think that almost all the levels could be lumped together into small groups except 0-2. Those first 3 options represent some real differences in approach. 0th is a non-standard, almost experimental concept, 1st is default and 2nd is the first opportunity for multiclassing and hence the route to go if you want to allow a whole bevy of character backgrounds. If it was an arbitrary choice, Driddle, I don't mean to throw kindling on the fire of complaints, but it certainly is...odd.

 

[KB9JMQ]

I always start at 1st. But I like play best when we hit about 6th level.