New Players and/or Dead PCs

[foot land-raker]

I am about to run my first 1st level game and I have two (somewhat) related questions:

1.) What do you do when you bring in a new player at non-0-level play? How do you start out the new player?

2.) What do you do when a character dies and needs to be replaced at non-0-level play?

[DM Marcus]

I would guess that every Judge has preferred methods, but it's easy to roll up characters of any level in DCC. If the question is, should new players play through a funnel to get their character, not necessarily.

Are you asking about introducing new characters story-wise or mechanics-wise or both?

[foot land-raker]

What are your preferred methods?

When and how do you have new players play through a funnel to get their character (if you believe they should have to)?

How do you introduce new characters mechanics-wise?

[Gameogre]

My players generally have a group of 2-6 zero level henchmen (each) and often activate those henchmen and turn them into pc's. The times that a pc and all his henchmen have died off the fun started as that player begged and pleaded for a loaner from the other pc's so he didn't have to slog through another funnel.

Often my players will go to extreme lengths to keep exp fueled henchmen who have decent gear but who has not quite yet leveled up in safe locations. Off studying at school,waiting in safety at a nearby town,taking care of the family farm,whatever pretext they can come up with to try and throw off any adventure involvement.

Sadly,this just seems to paint targets on these poor henchmen in the great archery competition of fate!

The highest level warrior in my game was a henchmen who took a long sea voyage (to keep him safe) and ended up shipwrecked on another continent! One ruled by a The Iron Minotaur Lich. He has battled his way across the continent as a adventurer and mercenary but can't seem to find the road home.

[Raven_Crowking]

I would rather start every PC at the beginning, but that is not always what happens, in part because of running playtests of higher-level material.

There are guidelines for creating higher-level PCs in the book. Personally, I don't usually grant the extra 1d4 hp for going through the funnel to PCs who did not. As another option, the tools at Purple Sorcerer allow you to create higher-level characters instantly, and come highly recommended.

[foot land-raker]

There are guidelines for creating higher-level PCs in the book. Personally, I don't usually grant the extra 1d4 hp for going through the funnel to PCs who did not.

Can you point me to this section/material? I have been looking for it and failing my Search rolls...

[GnomeBoy]

http://purplesorcerer.com/create_upper.htm

[Raven_Crowking]

There are guidelines for creating higher-level PCs in the book. Personally, I don't usually grant the extra 1d4 hp for going through the funnel to PCs who did not.

Can you point me to this section/material? I have been looking for it and failing my Search rolls...

Sorry; I don't have the book in front of me to give you a page number.

[foot land-raker]

Had ourselves an old-fashioned "instant funnel."

The new player wanted to do it this way - so we did!

Rolled up three level 0's and rolled a 1d3 to see which one would become level 1 and join the crew.

[Skyscraper]

A new player that joined my ongoing level 1 game started with level 0 PCs and I had him keep them for 2-3 game sessions. (I'm dont use XPs and I'm pretty loose on levelling up rules).

[oncelor]

New characters and replacement characters both enter the game at one level below the average level of the party. When this level became higher than second level, I let them start midway through the level in terms of XP.

We recently -- after a particularly bloody combat -- added a house such that rule that characters who are lower level than the maximum level guy in the party get +2 XP at the end of every session, so they can try to catch up.

[Caffiend]

Running an open game, players come & go, so my average table ranges from 1st-4th level PCs. These days, new players coming in get a pair of 0-level PCs and both will gain the XP for the day's play (providing they participated), but I've had to limit them to one leveled PC per player lately due to table bloat. With the varying experience levels, chances are good that they zeroes will get properly outfitted with leftover party equipment, thereby making them slightly less squishy.