As a DM and a player I've had a small problem, an itch that has bothered me since I began playing D&D...
Player characters are nearly as powerful physically and mentally as they are at maximum level, gaining a measly maximum of 10 points of ability score improvements or 12 as a fighter. Often losing some of these to feats. So, I consulted with myself for an option to fix this and then with my players to see their opinions on the matter. They loved my fix and we have been playing with it since. It dramatically lowers the power of early game characters, and makes them scale to roughly where a level 20 character would ordinarily end up. If perhaps a tad weaker in stats but with more feats at their disposal.
The varient rule works like this; give you characters 12,11,11,11,11,9 in any order on their ability score. They add their racial bonuses as well as a +2 to one stats that their starting class uses, more specifically one of the stats that is a requirement for multiclassing for the class. Rogues get dex, paladins get Str or Cha and so on. Then every even numbered character level (not class level) that character gets an ability score improvement, the standard +2 or +1,+1 split. However they cannot exchange this for a feat. Whenever that character reaches a level within a class that they would ordinarily be awarded an ability score improvement, they instead are awarded a feat. If this just so happens to be an even numbered level then they will also gain the ability score improvement. This makes characters more specialized and less durable for the early and mid game. They feel a more prominent sense of character growth and have a more active role in directing that growth. The feats also give them more options to play with.
Let me know what you think. Id love to hear anything that could be used to improve this concept.
I like this idea... it does make it feel a bit more like videogame progression where there's a huge difference in character stats from level to level. It'd be hard to test, since it's hard to say how it feels until playing at least one full campaign, but I think it seems fun.
As a DM and a player I've had a small problem, an itch that has bothered me since I began playing D&D...
Player characters are nearly as powerful physically and mentally as they are at maximum level, gaining a measly maximum of 10 points of ability score improvements or 12 as a fighter. Often losing some of these to feats. So, I consulted with myself for an option to fix this and then with my players to see their opinions on the matter. They loved my fix and we have been playing with it since. It dramatically lowers the power of early game characters, and makes them scale to roughly where a level 20 character would ordinarily end up. If perhaps a tad weaker in stats but with more feats at their disposal.
The varient rule works like this; give you characters 12,11,11,11,11,9 in any order on their ability score. They add their racial bonuses as well as a +2 to one stats that their starting class uses, more specifically one of the stats that is a requirement for multiclassing for the class. Rogues get dex, paladins get Str or Cha and so on. Then every even numbered character level (not class level) that character gets an ability score improvement, the standard +2 or +1,+1 split. However they cannot exchange this for a feat. Whenever that character reaches a level within a class that they would ordinarily be awarded an ability score improvement, they instead are awarded a feat. If this just so happens to be an even numbered level then they will also gain the ability score improvement. This makes characters more specialized and less durable for the early and mid game. They feel a more prominent sense of character growth and have a more active role in directing that growth. The feats also give them more options to play with.
Let me know what you think. Id love to hear anything that could be used to improve this concept.
I like this idea... it does make it feel a bit more like videogame progression where there's a huge difference in character stats from level to level. It'd be hard to test, since it's hard to say how it feels until playing at least one full campaign, but I think it seems fun.
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In 2nd edition the only way to increase stats after character creation were magic items and wishes.
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