Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Robert Craven 03-30-07, 10:05 PM	Is it possible to have a character with LA at level 1? How should it be handled in a mixed party, with characters with and without level adjusment (LA +1 only)? Go classless for the first level? What would be your hit die? Start at 0 XP with LA +1 and one class level and skip the level advancement at 1000 XP and get the second class level at 3000 XP? Start at 1000 XP with LA +1 and one class level (with 900gp starting cash) and get your second class level at 3000 XP? Start at 0 XP with a lesser version of the race with the option to "level" that race at 1000 XP (Like playing a Lesser Aasimar Cleric1 who becomes a Aasimar Cleric 1)? Start everyone at 1000 XP and ECL 2? Impossible? What else?
Grod_The_Giant 03-30-07, 10:07 PM	no.
Templario 03-30-07, 10:22 PM	There is a way, by advancing as a monster class. The wizards site has some examples like half-dragons, lycanthropes and more
hiryuu 03-30-07, 10:23 PM	You could star with what amounts to a negative level: -1 on attacks, damage, saving throws, and skill checks, then, when everyone else hits level 2, your penalty goes away.
DarkRhystar 03-30-07, 10:24 PM	Technically no... but there's a way around it. All characters in D&D begin with one hit die of their base race type. In the case of the PhB races, this is Humanoid. Upon gaining its first class level, the character loses anything they gained as part of that hit die and that hit die is replaced by their first class level. You could play your LA +1 character as a character with the LA benefits and that one racial hit die. Upon reaching level 2, you would drop the racial hit die and gain your first class level (as though you created it at level 2 to begin with). Beware though, this route means that you have no armor proficiency, simple weapons proficiency only, 0 BAB...etc so it's not easy to live through. And keep in mind that you would lose everything you got with that first hit die upon reaching level 2 (including HP, skill points, and the feat you selected).
Polaris 03-31-07, 03:03 AM	Robert Craven, Here's how I'd handle a situation where a player wanted to play an LA+1 race at first level (and it works up to LA+2 but no higher). Let them. Seriously.......hear me out. The difference between level 1 and level 2 is generally not all that much, and it's only 1000 XP which the party should get in a session or perhaps two. Thus, you start everyone the same, but you tell the LA+1 characters that they are level 2 rather than level 1 and thus will need 3000 XP to advance and gain XP as 2nd level characters rather than first (which makes absolutely no difference until third level or higher anyway). After one session (at most two), the LA+0 characters are leveling up, while the LA+1 characters are still behind and still at one hit-dice and one level of their character class. After a few sessions it evens out except the LA characters tend to be weaker than the others but that's a simple factor of the LA system itself. [You can do the same thing at LA+2 except you'd start at level 3 and need 4000 to advance to level 4....and your second class level.] -Polaris
MystErikEry 03-31-07, 06:32 AM	So, effectively : Use it like normal. Since that's what Level Adjustments are for. Of course, since you're effectively starting these LA players at ECL 2, you might as well just up everyone else to the same ECL.
Banatine 03-31-07, 07:56 AM	if you have races of the dragon, you can use the draconic racial class in there. using it you start 1st level as a normal, then at 2nd you MUSST take the draconic template, then if you want, you take the next 2 levels to get to half dragon. our DM ignores all lvl adj.s of less than 2+ anyway. that why i'm gonna play a dvati soon.
Andyr 03-31-07, 11:18 AM	Robert Craven, Here's how I'd handle a situation where a player wanted to play an LA+1 race at first level (and it works up to LA+2 but no higher). Let them. Seriously.......hear me out. The difference between level 1 and level 2 is generally not all that much, and it's only 1000 XP which the party should get in a session or perhaps two. Thus, you start everyone the same, but you tell the LA+1 characters that they are level 2 rather than level 1 and thus will need 3000 XP to advance and gain XP as 2nd level characters rather than first (which makes absolutely no difference until third level or higher anyway). After one session (at most two), the LA+0 characters are leveling up, while the LA+1 characters are still behind and still at one hit-dice and one level of their character class. After a few sessions it evens out except the LA characters tend to be weaker than the others but that's a simple factor of the LA system itself. [You can do the same thing at LA+2 except you'd start at level 3 and need 4000 to advance to level 4....and your second class level.] -Polaris I've done the same in a campaign I am running, and it hasn't caused any problems.
enygmatic_me 04-01-07, 01:51 AM	Robert Craven, Here's how I'd handle a situation where a player wanted to play an LA+1 race at first level (and it works up to LA+2 but no higher). Let them. Seriously.......hear me out. The difference between level 1 and level 2 is generally not all that much, and it's only 1000 XP which the party should get in a session or perhaps two. Thus, you start everyone the same, but you tell the LA+1 characters that they are level 2 rather than level 1 and thus will need 3000 XP to advance and gain XP as 2nd level characters rather than first (which makes absolutely no difference until third level or higher anyway). After one session (at most two), the LA+0 characters are leveling up, while the LA+1 characters are still behind and still at one hit-dice and one level of their character class. After a few sessions it evens out except the LA characters tend to be weaker than the others but that's a simple factor of the LA system itself. [You can do the same thing at LA+2 except you'd start at level 3 and need 4000 to advance to level 4....and your second class level.] -Polaris The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting presents rules for doing exactly this type of thing. If I remember correctly they have tables already drawn out for everything up to an LA+3.
Arcane Guyver 04-01-07, 02:58 AM	Here's how I'd handle a situation where a player wanted to play an LA+1 race at first level...Let them. I've used this before, and it works just fine (most LA+1 races aren't that amazing to begin with, and the other players probably won't notice the advantages too much during the first two-three game sessions). Plus, it actually reinforces the idea of level adjustment...characters of that race have a slightly easier time of things, so they advance at a slightly retarded rate. Alternatively, if you're concerned about a character being too dang powerful right from the get-go, remove racial abilities until they look like they should roughly be on-par with the PHB races. Then, at 1,000 XP, they acquire these abilities instead of a level. If it's a LA+2 race, they get some abilities at 1,000 XP, 2nd level at 3,000 XP, and then the rest of their abilities at 6,000 XP. That's the approach they took in Complete Psionic when making the various LA-races from the Expanded Psionics Handbook playable from level 1. A bit more complex, but it makes a LA+2 a bit more survivable in the short term.
Jim Johnny 04-01-07, 07:26 AM	The ideaof Arcane Guyver of starting LA characters together with ordinary characters from level 1 and just give them the racial abilities slowly every time the others advance levels is a nice idea. But i have an objection. When they reach 1000 xp the others will gain a level while the LA PC will gain a couple of abilities? Will this thing keep the party balanced? The others will earn an HD, skills, an improvement in saves and class abilities while the LA PC will get a 1/day spell ability, a fire resistance 5 and 2 racial skill points in gather info (an example) Does this sound ok?
Peregrine_Wolf 04-01-07, 10:57 AM	I was wondering what the LA for a half celestial character would be, also I think the idea about gettin some abilities at a time would work just fine, but I also worry about the HD and skills etc.
Arcane Guyver 04-01-07, 09:54 PM	But i have an objection. When they reach 1000 xp the others will gain a level while the LA PC will gain a couple of abilities? Will this thing keep the party balanced? Well, the important thing is that the race in question should get some damn good bonuses instead of a level. This typically amounts to a +2 in two different ability scores, or some other combination (+2 to one score plus the Powerful Build trait, for example). The others will earn an HD, skills, an improvement in saves and class abilities while the LA PC will get a 1/day spell ability, a fire resistance 5 and 2 racial skill points in gather info (an example) I'm going to say that is almost fine, though it largely depends on what the SLA is (if it's a cantrip, not a very good LA). I'm also confused at the "racial skill points"....you only get skill points from levels and racial HD...if you mean a +2 racial bonus to Gather Info, I'd say that if it makes sense that a character of said race doesn't have that ability initially, go for it.
Arcane Guyver 04-01-07, 10:19 PM	I was wondering what the LA for a half celestial character would be, also I think the idea about gettin some abilities at a time would work just fine, but I also worry about the HD and skills etc. The LA for a half-celestial is +4, which is considerably tougher to dole out appropriate bonuses at a character's ECL. The whole point of staggering the abilities and class levels is to ensure that a character doesn't have awesome abilities but 1st-level hit points and skill points at ECL 3. Unless you want to spend a great deal of time figuring out how fast a character should get what abilities, I'd advise against any LA higher than +2.
ClementWillowbreaker 04-01-07, 11:09 PM	WotC has releases progressions for the common templates/races with LA, buried in their website. Savage Species also is all about those progressions, but most of them are horribly unbalanced. Essentially, you give the player the option of advancing a class, or focusing inward to tap their racial abilities. They work well when the LAs are small compared to the HD of the party. I have had no problem with a nerfed Drow (equivalent to an elf) lvl5 Rogue, who got half his Drow abilities at ECL6, another Rogue level, an assassin level, then finished his Drow-ness. Another wonder is the acquired templates, like lycanthropy. No one likes it when the Fighter gets +6ECL because he failed a save. Making it latent until he gains the exp to level, then forcing him to take LA+1 of Lycanthrope for some basic abilities, and later rounding them out with another LA and animal hit dice works well.