Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Erevan Mar 14, 2015 15:14:30	I played my first official game (Outlaws of the Iron Route)  last Wednesday and am hoping to join an ongoing Season 2 Encounters campaign beginning the 25th. My character gained enough XP to be level 2 (Wizard) and I really liked him. After reading the latest AL Player's Guide and a number of forum posts, I'm still left with some questions:   1. Am I able to use this same character for the upcoming Encounters campaign? (I know level 2 is not a big deal, but I'm planning on playing him again this coming Wednesday and am not sure if starting at say, level 3, would be a problem. If it's important, he was created using the latest ALPG on 3/13/15.)   2. Is there anything I could do, besides leveling out of the tier (1-5?), that would prevent me from joining the fresh, new campaign?   3. If I am able to play this character in the campaign, and I leveled out of the tier before that campaign segment is over (because I started out higher than 1), can I finish? For instance, if I started at 3 and I leveled to 6 while still in this portion (1-5), can I continue until it's complete?     Much of this is academic, since it would be little issue to recreate the character, but I can't help but feel that if I have these questions, I must have missed some important info. If you respond (thanks!), would you please direct to me the source(s) that I've clearly missed?   Thanks and happy adventuring!
#2 Avross Mar 14, 2015 15:54:31	Each of the adventures modules indicate the appropriate level for characters.   To my knowledge, only one module (the first Season 1 expeditions module) limited you to first level characters.  The rest indicated either level 1-4 or level 5-10.   I think in Season 2, the first expedition module limits you to level 1 or level 2, but that's it.  (The full list of what modules are what levels is here...http://dndadventurersleague.org/sage/index.php?title=Elemental_Evil.  Princes of the Apocolpyse is the Encounters module.)   So you should be fine with a level 2 character.   Especially if you created him with the Season 2 ALPG.   As far as levelling out of the module...it's unlikely.   Season 1's Encounter session barely got our group to level 4, and I suspect that Season 2's Encounter module will be pretty close to the same experience (no pun intended).   And the levels are designed to go quicker; you need more XP to get from level 4 to 5 than you did to get from level 1 to 3.
#3 Undrhil Mar 15, 2015 8:42:39	The OP is referring to the Encounters modules, which is the Princes of the Apocalupse adventure book; well, the first four chapters of it, anwyay.  I don't know how people did this for Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but the question would be the same there.  Let's say a character started with DDEX1-1 and ended with 500xp and then started in Hoard of the Dragon Queen.  Would they be allowed to start in Chapter 1 (as a second level character)?  Would they be allowed to continue into the later chapters if he is ever levelled out of the chapter?   I really don't think Hoard of the Dragon Queen or the Princes of the Apocalypse books have "level limits" for the chapters, do they?
#4 Kalani Mar 15, 2015 12:00:18	Short answer: Yes.   Long Answer: As long as the PC is still within the correct level range (tier), they can enter the adventure. If they level out of range, they might have to miss a session or two with that character until such times as the adventure scales into their current range. The only exception to this rule is one or two of the earliest Expeditions, which specifically require L1 characters.   You can start DDEN1 Ep1 with 500xp (L2).  You can start DDEN1 Ep1 with a L4 character if you want. As soon as they hit L5 however, they will be barred from playing in the adventure until it hits Ep5 (they can finish the current session though).    Recommendation: I would never start Hoard or Princes with a L4 character as there is a major jump in XP between L1 and L4 characters. I would start such adventures with a L3 or lower character, and recommend people starting with L1 and L2 characters.    My reason for this is simple. The more XP you start with, the more chance you will have to skip a session or two with the character while you wait for them to start Ep5. 300xp is such a small number that the odds of you skipping any sessions is miniscule. 900xp gives a modicum of chance, while 2700xp almost certainly guarantees you will miss several sessions.
(Reply to #4) Erevan	@Undrhil - thanks for clarifying my questions - you nailed it.   @Avross & Kalani - thanks for the answers! Avross' link was very informative and something I had missed. This, from Kalani, is also something I didn't articulate well but really wanted to know:   Kalani wrote:
#6 Coredump00 Mar 15, 2015 13:20:58	Erevan wrote:
#7 Kalani Mar 15, 2015 14:01:44	With that being said, you should not see L2 characters fighting Rezmir in Ep8.... That is stretching the flexibility of the mission beyond breaking point..... A L4 character in Ep5, that is a grey area although the recommendation according to the module designers, is that Ep5 is designed for L5 characters.
#8 Ravix Mar 15, 2015 14:52:36	A L4 character can just use 10 downtime days to level to 5 anyway.
#9 Kalani Mar 15, 2015 15:18:51	Ravix wrote:
#10 Enevhar_Aldarion Mar 15, 2015 17:00:14	Undrhil wrote:
(Reply to #10) Coredump00	Enevhar_Aldarion wrote:
(Reply to #7) Coredump00	Kalani wrote:
#13 Byakugan01 Mar 15, 2015 21:17:05	Fwiw,  we fought Rezmir at the end of episode 6.  She was the boss at the top of the last tower we checked, which happened to be her chambers.    We had 4 level 6 characters, 1 level 5, 2 level 2, and 3 level 1.   Which made for a tough time keeping the newbies alive every time she exploded and came back to life.  >.<   but like i said in the other thread, whole thing was kind of a trainwreck.
(Reply to #13) Coredump00	Byakugan01 wrote:
#15 Ravix Mar 15, 2015 23:36:00	Kalani wrote:
#16 Byakugan01 Mar 15, 2015 23:41:27	I agree.  However there was no more DMs.    We only have 4 DMs at our AL event. So it is pretty common for the tables to have 8 or 9 players.    It's Alaska...so beggars can't be choosers i guess.  Id rather squeeze at the table then send people home, because i would really hate to be sent home if it happened to me.
#17 Kalani Mar 15, 2015 23:50:32	Um... you have 4 tables of 8-9 players..... Shave off 2 players from each table gets you a 5th table of 7 players + DM (assuming you have table space).    You can't honestly tell me that out of 32 players, not one of them is willing to DM. If that is the case, you need to start recruiting DMs at your store..... I bet you any money that if the choice was between being turned away, or volunteering to start a new table - someone will step up.
#18 Ainulindalion Mar 16, 2015 8:18:15	Sometimes, if you get too many people, you don't have any choice the one week but to run over the 'max', just because if you don't have a DM ready to go that week, there may not be a way to set up a table fast.  If it happens, though, you've got to get your event organizer to talk to the whole group and explain the facts of life to them.  If you've been running consistently towards the upper end of legal tables, say 4 DMs and 24-28 players, you should definitely try to have a 5th DM prep'd just in case.  And encourage some of your more experienced players to bring 1st level characters so that they can fill out a table of newbies.   The whole idea is to be inclusive and provide a good experience - overly crowded tables do not provide a good experience.
#19 QwertyAzerty Mar 17, 2015 12:19:11	Erevan wrote:
#20 Kalani Mar 17, 2015 12:21:55	QwertyAzerty wrote:
(Reply to #19) Pauper	QwertyAzerty wrote:
#22 Kalani Mar 18, 2015 9:22:55	The only people who can show up with L2+ elemental evil characters, are DMs - and only if they assigned DM rewards (from season 1) to the character, or ran a playtest session of the Season 2 adventure (with other DMs)