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So I would have thought this had already come up...but a quick (and inefficient) search of the MASSIVE FAQ proved ineffective.
Is there any rule or guideline for disparate level characters playing at the table?
My example is a table consisting of 2 1st and 2 2nd level characters and a single 5th level character.
The single fifth level character really tends to dominate the action, especially in melee.
It hasn't lead to too much party dissatisfaction, but that is probably in the offing.
CJ
Karui Kage
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion Subscriber)
Normally I would say to take the average and play in that tier (1+1+2+2+5=11/5=2.x) but that would result in being closer to Tier 1-2 than 3-4, and the level 5 guy would just waste Tier 1-2.
I seem to recall there being something about not being allowed to play up/down more than a single tier, but now I can't seem to find it.
Karui Kage
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion Subscriber)
The biggest problem is challenges. If you throw a CR 5 monster at such party it's going to bulldoze the lvl 1 and 2 characters. If you keep using low CR monster, the CR 5 player will dominate the playing field.
D&D does not lend well to having PCs with level difference bigger than 1-2 levels.
I think the OP is talking about the Society, so it comes down to "What Tier do I play in" or "Do I allow the 5th level guy to play with the level 1s and 2s?"
Yeah, the Society isn't really built around a party with that wide of a disparity in level. I'd ask the 5th level player to play a new 1st level character at least until the other PCs are up to 5th level (or even 4th level) with him. He's going to bulldoze the sub-Tier 1-2 stuff at 5th level AND get a hamstrung reward for it and if you go up to 3-4 the level 1 and 2 guys are going to get wrecked and in both examples you can't really achieve 100% fun.
So getting the higher level guy to make a new 1st level character seems like the best option here, assuming this is a regular group.
In a one shot at a game day or convention, I might let it slide and have everyone run the sub-Tier 1-2 but I'd be sure to explain to the level 5 character that doing so may be kind of boring for him and give him the option to get another level 1 character started.
The Guide to the PFS only talks about letting a character play up one tier and only if that is the only way they can play. There is no mention in the Guide about playing down a tier, though this has been commented on in other threads by Joshua. I would have to dig out the threads to be sure, but I think he said it is only allowed if it is needed to make a legal table. Otherwise, even with the "play, play, play" rule, the player with the 5th level character really should make another character to play with the others or wait for them to catch up to him in level.
Now, if you are running a tier 1-7 scenario, then you could let the ones with 2nd level characters play up a tier to sub-tier 3-4 and have the other player play down one tier, then that would not be too unbalanced. But a tier 1-5 scenario, where you only have sub-tier 1-2 and 4-5, would be way too easy for a 5th level character to play down and too hard, probably, for the others to play up.
[Ninja'd by Josh because I proof-read my own posts too slow. lol]
Thanks for the timely response to the OP.
While not a regular game -- it is a game day and I pretty much know in advance who is going to show up at the table.
I asked the player to create a new first level character and the game day is a week away, so it shouldn't be an issue.
I also explained that this is a temporary measure until the other characters level up a bit.
Cheers,
CJ