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I recently read Dean's idea for a campaign where the PCs begin as slaves with with no gear and no gold. I would like to start a similar campaign. Dean had planned to use old-school attribute generation (3d6 in order), which I may or may not choose to emulate.
My real question relates to class level. How would this work? Perhaps a character's background could include enough of an apprenticeship to qualify as a first-level fighter or wizard. Perhaps a deity could appear to a character and create a cleric. Perhaps something traumatic could happen to a character, resulting in the appearance of an eidolon.
Years (decades) ago, Dragon magazine published an article about advancing from 0 level to first level. Maybe something like that?
I considered using a 15-point stat block: 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15.
Thoughts? Ideas?
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Did something along these lines once. Characters were all Level 1 Something-or-Others; they just didn't have any starting funds or gear and had to scrounge for whatever they could find inside a dungeon. I let the wizard have his spells tattooed to his body by his mentor and new spells would appear as he gained in power.
I'd say just let the players play Level 1 Whatevers and work out how they became slaves based on that. Maybe the Wizard's master traded him into slavery for a pile of rare reagents. A Cavalier may have been on the losing side of a war, his faithful steed now serving as a plow horse for the cavalier's owner. Race could obviously be a big factor too. It could be the dwarf in the party has always been a slave and developed his Monk abilities through years of toil and punching the dire rats that were trying to steal his gruel. Basically, there's no need for 0 levels or NPC classes.
One problem you might run into is what to do with new characters and their equipment. Say your group gets to Level 5 and somebody dies or a new player joins the group. Does the new PC get Level 5-equivalent gear or do you start them with nothing? In my situation, new PCs basically get up to their Wealth-by-Level of scavenged gear from a list I compiled of what's available because there's no way for people to just show up with thousands of GPs-worth of hand-picked items.
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NPC classes
Super Genius Games has a PDF on "apprentice" characters, it's pretty sweet, may be helpful.
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You might also want to check out Learning Curve: Apprentice-Level PCs from Tricky Owlbear
From the PDF
Learning Curve allows players to adventure the way they should at beginner level--the hard way! With the rules in this pdf, you can now multiclass at 1st level in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or, if you choose, start your adventuring career as a half-level PC. There's also a brief discussion on how and why a GM might want to use these rules in his campaign.
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Way back when, circa (1980) there was an adventure published designed for convention style play. It was the first of four and was called A1 Slave pits of the Undercity.
The idea has merit.
The A series even has a pathfinderized version on these forums. Might save you some work or give you ideas.
Funny you should mention that - I still have my copy of Module A4 (purchased around 1981).
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You might also want to check out Learning Curve: Apprentice-Level PCs from Tricky Owlbear
From the PDF
Learning Curve allows players to adventure the way they should at beginner level--the hard way! With the rules in this pdf, you can now multiclass at 1st level in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or, if you choose, start your adventuring career as a half-level PC. There's also a brief discussion on how and why a GM might want to use these rules in his campaign.
Hey, that's great! I'll run it by my current players (RPG club at the HS where I work) and see how they feel. Right now, we're running "kinds sorta" PFS. We use PFS modules, but we are not official PFS. If they're not keen on the idea, I might start a new campaign.
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Hey, that's great! I'll run it by my current players (RPG club at the HS where I work) and see how they feel. Right now, we're running "kinds sorta" PFS. We use PFS modules, but we are not official PFS. If they're not keen on the idea, I might start a new campaign.You might also want to check out Learning Curve: Apprentice-Level PCs from Tricky Owlbear
From the PDF
Learning Curve allows players to adventure the way they should at beginner level--the hard way! With the rules in this pdf, you can now multiclass at 1st level in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or, if you choose, start your adventuring career as a half-level PC. There's also a brief discussion on how and why a GM might want to use these rules in his campaign.
Cool!
In fact, be on the lookout for an Apprentice Level adventure from Tricky Owlbear in the near future as well!
I am a big fan of starting them as a NPC Class. warrior, expert, adept, etc. If you have a char that is wanting to go wizard instead of cleric just change the necessary stat for the adept to int instead of wis, of cha if they want to go sorc