ive debated about giving my players/enemies -1,-2,-3 early in the game ... the enemies would have them too ... they will be starting in jail (elder scrolls style) so they will have no gear .... every weapon will be found ... so lets say a "Blunt" dagger would be a -3, a "Rusty" dagger would be -2, and a "Worn" dagger would be -1 ... both the players and the enemies would have these kinds of weapon so it would balance itself. By level 3 they would probably be phased out in favor of normal weapons ...
That sounds like a neat concept on paper, but I am fairly certain the players won't be overly fond of it. Messing with negative modifiers generally feels like a punishment more than an obstacle to overcome.
I'd like to understand the why of it. If you're trying to emulate that the weapons are falling apart and in poor condition, I'd look into having the players lose their weapons due to being bent and broken. In this case you're also going to need to find a way to provide plenty of ways to find new weapons, even if they're rusty and falling apart. If you're trying to insinuate that they're using tools that shouldn't be used as weapons, there's a section on improvised weapons that handles that. If you're trying to portray that they're in a weakened condition, use fatigue/exhaustion or a status ailment.
Those are just a some quick "gut reaction" thoughts for you, and as I said at first, I don't think negative modifiers work well as an obstacle in game play.
if you use an , elder scrolls style prisoner start off ... the first weapons you would find would be that of your captures... its generally accepted that most items on slain enemy area not worth anything ... because they are damaged and worn down ... but what if that's all you have access to at first? i was planning on really only using it at level 1-3 or so as almost like a prologue to the grand story... perhaps allowing them to finally come into town and discard there found weapons and buying the gear they actually want.
I was hoping to give a boost to the feeling of accomplishment at level 3 (picking a subclass, new gear, and such) they would no longer be "Venturers" but Adventures.
Due to the low magic setting for the campaign, for theme reasons i would probably replace +1,+2,+3 magic weapons with something like Superior, Exquisite and flawless... but leave the mechanics the same.
So a rusty dagger would be a -3 dagger and a flawless dagger would be a +3 dagger. Giving 7 levels of each weapon. Then some enchantments would be more special like fire damage or something ....
It's a good idea, Cporter5, but I agree with DMThac0 - it'll probably seem like a punishment, than a challenge - especially when it starts effecting combat. A dagger is 1d4 - same as an improvised weapon. You start reducing that, and the players will probably grab a rock, or a table leg, or *anything* else and use that instead.
Ask yourself - why are these daggers rusty and useless? Who's leaving rusty daggers lying around? If they're from the corpses of guards the players have killed, why are they in such bad condition beyond 'this is the first dungeon...so...'
Using the Elder Scrolls as inspiration is fine - but that's a video game, where 'rubbish early items' is to be expected. But in life, no guard would keep their blade blunt, they'd run a whetstone along it to give it an edge.
Also, if everyone's using the same -1, then it doesn't actually change anything. I'd suggest simply making them standard items, but worth very little.
If you want to give the players a challenge, why not give them a level or two of exhaustion, to reflect their ordeal behind bars?
ive debated about giving my players/enemies -1,-2,-3 early in the game ... the enemies would have them too ... they will be starting in jail (elder scrolls style) so they will have no gear .... every weapon will be found ... so lets say a "Blunt" dagger would be a -3, a "Rusty" dagger would be -2, and a "Worn" dagger would be -1 ... both the players and the enemies would have these kinds of weapon so it would balance itself. By level 3 they would probably be phased out in favor of normal weapons ...
Anyone ever tried anything like this?
Did it slow down early levels to much?
That sounds like a neat concept on paper, but I am fairly certain the players won't be overly fond of it. Messing with negative modifiers generally feels like a punishment more than an obstacle to overcome.
I'd like to understand the why of it. If you're trying to emulate that the weapons are falling apart and in poor condition, I'd look into having the players lose their weapons due to being bent and broken. In this case you're also going to need to find a way to provide plenty of ways to find new weapons, even if they're rusty and falling apart. If you're trying to insinuate that they're using tools that shouldn't be used as weapons, there's a section on improvised weapons that handles that. If you're trying to portray that they're in a weakened condition, use fatigue/exhaustion or a status ailment.
Those are just a some quick "gut reaction" thoughts for you, and as I said at first, I don't think negative modifiers work well as an obstacle in game play.
if you use an , elder scrolls style prisoner start off ... the first weapons you would find would be that of your captures... its generally accepted that most items on slain enemy area not worth anything ... because they are damaged and worn down ... but what if that's all you have access to at first? i was planning on really only using it at level 1-3 or so as almost like a prologue to the grand story... perhaps allowing them to finally come into town and discard there found weapons and buying the gear they actually want.
I was hoping to give a boost to the feeling of accomplishment at level 3 (picking a subclass, new gear, and such) they would no longer be "Venturers" but Adventures.
Due to the low magic setting for the campaign, for theme reasons i would probably replace +1,+2,+3 magic weapons with something like Superior, Exquisite and flawless... but leave the mechanics the same.
So a rusty dagger would be a -3 dagger and a flawless dagger would be a +3 dagger. Giving 7 levels of each weapon. Then some enchantments would be more special like fire damage or something ....
thoughts?
It's a good idea, Cporter5, but I agree with DMThac0 - it'll probably seem like a punishment, than a challenge - especially when it starts effecting combat. A dagger is 1d4 - same as an improvised weapon. You start reducing that, and the players will probably grab a rock, or a table leg, or *anything* else and use that instead.
Ask yourself - why are these daggers rusty and useless? Who's leaving rusty daggers lying around? If they're from the corpses of guards the players have killed, why are they in such bad condition beyond 'this is the first dungeon...so...'
Using the Elder Scrolls as inspiration is fine - but that's a video game, where 'rubbish early items' is to be expected. But in life, no guard would keep their blade blunt, they'd run a whetstone along it to give it an edge.
Also, if everyone's using the same -1, then it doesn't actually change anything. I'd suggest simply making them standard items, but worth very little.
If you want to give the players a challenge, why not give them a level or two of exhaustion, to reflect their ordeal behind bars?