In the campaign I am currently running, one of my PCs has split off from the rest of the party during overland travel. This PC will need to go through a bit of a character growth journey, and I want them to meet up with some lower-level adventurers that will travel with him as his new (temporary) "team".
The PC in question is level 10, and I want the lower-level PCs to be useful to him, but not so powerful that he doesn't have to compensate for them. I want him to have to learn some teamwork and leadership skills, and possibly need to make some sacrifices for them.
So my question is, what level should I make the lower-level PCs to compare with the 10th level PC? Where is that divide where PCs move from one stratum to the next? Should I go with the ranges given in the PHB? According to the chart for characters above level 1, the ranges are 1-4, 5-10, 11-16, and 17-20.
Would level 4 be too low? If I go with level 5 to put them in the same level range, is that still too low?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
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"Orcs are savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks." MM p245 (original printing) You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
There's two approaches to this I'd work in tandem.
First the level adjustment, I wouldn't make it a large discrepancy if the rookies are NPCs, say maybe level 7 at the lowest. This should give them survivability, it's also a fairly apparent gap in capability. For example a Rogue at 7 does 4d6 sneak attack, at 10 doing 5d6, as well as most classes will be down at least 1 ASI and 1 class feature. These pieces, when put into the big picture, can make for quite the gap in effectiveness. If the rookies are players, you could get away with a bit larger gap but I'd say no less than 5, and explain to them the reasoning behind the handicap.
The second piece would be the scenarios presented for the PC you are running the arc for. You're trying to make a "personal growth" arc, so the scenarios will be as important, if not more so, than the level discrepancy. Give him no choice but to lead, make the hard decisions, and make the consequences dire. "Go and take down the raiding Orcs!" doesn't quite have the same weight to it as "(Player) take these squires to the field, fight off the Orc squad, and return with all your men. Any loss of life will be considered your failure and your responsibility." well...now you have something a bit more personal to it, even if it is the same quest at heart.
In the campaign I am currently running, one of my PCs has split off from the rest of the party during overland travel. This PC will need to go through a bit of a character growth journey, and I want them to meet up with some lower-level adventurers that will travel with him as his new (temporary) "team".
The PC in question is level 10, and I want the lower-level PCs to be useful to him, but not so powerful that he doesn't have to compensate for them. I want him to have to learn some teamwork and leadership skills, and possibly need to make some sacrifices for them.
So my question is, what level should I make the lower-level PCs to compare with the 10th level PC? Where is that divide where PCs move from one stratum to the next? Should I go with the ranges given in the PHB? According to the chart for characters above level 1, the ranges are 1-4, 5-10, 11-16, and 17-20.
Would level 4 be too low? If I go with level 5 to put them in the same level range, is that still too low?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
"Orcs are savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks." MM p245 (original printing)
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
There's two approaches to this I'd work in tandem.
First the level adjustment, I wouldn't make it a large discrepancy if the rookies are NPCs, say maybe level 7 at the lowest. This should give them survivability, it's also a fairly apparent gap in capability. For example a Rogue at 7 does 4d6 sneak attack, at 10 doing 5d6, as well as most classes will be down at least 1 ASI and 1 class feature. These pieces, when put into the big picture, can make for quite the gap in effectiveness. If the rookies are players, you could get away with a bit larger gap but I'd say no less than 5, and explain to them the reasoning behind the handicap.
The second piece would be the scenarios presented for the PC you are running the arc for. You're trying to make a "personal growth" arc, so the scenarios will be as important, if not more so, than the level discrepancy. Give him no choice but to lead, make the hard decisions, and make the consequences dire. "Go and take down the raiding Orcs!" doesn't quite have the same weight to it as "(Player) take these squires to the field, fight off the Orc squad, and return with all your men. Any loss of life will be considered your failure and your responsibility." well...now you have something a bit more personal to it, even if it is the same quest at heart.
Just my two cents, I hope it's helpful.