The More Role Playing Experiment

[Michael Talley 759]

There has been an experiment I'd been debating of trying in other AP, my wife whom is running this campaign is debating it. However to find out if this idea has merit this requires more than one group to try, and she might not since it does require a bit more work than normal for the adventure on her part. So posting the experiment idea down for others to either go: Whoa, insanity in a nut shell or Whoa, this is an interesting idea, I might try it.

The group starts off at the end cap level of the adventure module, in this case level 17, NPC Hero Wealth by level and 25 points to buy stats (last part optional)

main enemy encounters would receive an increase in Hit Dice based on Race (Not Class levels) to the CR they where suppose to be. (IE/ if it was suppose be a CR+1 at level 2, then it would receive roughly +15 racial Hit Dice, more or less depending on abilities [this is the more work area])
Which would increase there abilities, but wouldn't give them new class features (other than feats & skill points) more importantly it gives them more Hit Points and higher to hit bonuses to keep them challenging.

There would be no Experience Point gain during the adventure, Just the rewards in game they find/sell/etc

I believe this should bring out more Role Playing over combat, Murderhobo's might not enjoy it in a campaign that has less killing more storytelling.

I also call this "Anime Slayers Style" of gaming, if anyone tries this I'd love feedback, if anyone has done this before, again love some feedback.

[Ring_of_Gyges]

High level martial characters can look like low level martial characters with bigger numbers (AC 40 instead of 18, +35 to hit instead of +6, and so on, but he's still swinging a sword and doing damage).

High level casters don't work that way, they have abilities that allow them to attempt things they couldn't before. Consider this AP. After the PCs are trapped in the dungeon a 17th level wizard can cast Disjunction to disable any and all magical impediments and teleport the whole party to wherever they want to be. The bad guy ambushed a bunch of people? So what? We can stop time, create teleportation gates to safety, and lead everyone out. The bad guy murdered a bunch of people? So what? We can raise them.

Some *plots* are low level plots, some plots are high level plots. "You're lost in the desert and running low on food and water" doesn't work if the party can cast create food, create water, know direction, and teleport. Which of the people in the caravan murdered the old man?" collapses if you can cast Commune.

[Michael Talley 759]

Some Plots can suffer from this style of gaming, however with a few tweeks to any game a Low level plot can become a High Level Plot.

"You're lost in the desert and running low on Food and Water when magic stops working" Raising the low level to a high level plot. Whats making magic not work? Will we be able to get to safety and/or survive comes back.

"Who killed the old man?" Commune let's the group know it was the 'scarlet blade' that killed the old man, so now they need to find the masked vigilante killer and find out why he killed that old man.

But you are correct some groups would not be good targets for this style of gaming and the game would collapse quickly. Some groups however can make this very awesome.

So I guess this style of gaming needs a general gamers warning?

I have a gaming group 9 for my household. 3 players out would likely build characters at this level to knock the game over, 1 is a straight up murderhobo. <.< another would try and turn herself into a Dragonrider of pern and a Murderhobo, and the last tries to kill the group indirectly by sending them towards dangers. Not the three I'd trust for this style of starting out gaming. the others have played games like Mutants and Masterminds and understand the concept isn't to build uber-Mcgee but to build a character that fits into a role for the games overall theme.