I'm considering a rule allowing players to start as monsters or experienced characters at the cost of using a lower point-buy setting than normal level 1 PCs.
Since they'd theoretically be of equal power to everyone else, I'd allow them to level quickly, as though they had started at 1st level.
My first instinct is -5 ability points per CR, but I'm not at all sure if that will work or not. It seems too good a deal.
Has anybody tried something similar? What was the rule? How did it work?
I'd not go by CR but review monsters from time to time, in combination with their classes. Someone wants to play a bugbear wizard? -5 AP. Bugbear barbarian? -10, at least.
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It varies from class to class.
A second level wizard with 10 point buy is going to arguably always be more powerful than a 1st level wizard with 35 point buy.
A first level monk with 35 point buy is going to kick the 2nd level 10 point but monk up and down the hall and likely will for his entire progression.
Eh. You're probably right. I don't want this to be done on a case by case basis. I was hoping for some kind of system to allow players to build monster characters without having to ask for an ok first, so everyone's following the same rules. If it's adjudicated separately each time, it's always an exception.
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Eh. You're probably right. I don't want this to be done on a case by case basis. I was hoping for some kind of system to allow players to build monster characters without having to ask for an ok first, so everyone's following the same rules. If it's adjudicated separately each time, it's always an exception.
Oh... I think it's a lot safer to work with monster races levels.
One possibility is for each level of monster level you give the rest of the characters a level of the NPC class of their choice. That... leans things in favor of martial classes a good bit though....
Overall it's a weird balancing act which IMO is why you haven't really seen a simple solution that works.
I agree, but I'm not going to be handing out NPC levels. I want to balance the usually more powerful creatures against normal characters, not make everyone more powerful from the word go to accommodate them.