I'm considering reverting back to 3E rules and having raised characters come back one level lower, although I'd like to hear some other points of view.
I don't like death being an easy enough thing to shrug off that you don't try not to die, and overall I'm pleased with the 4th Edition delivery since the penalty by default is actually being dead... and as the DM I can choose to allow a bit of respite by introducing enough treasure to the group that they can afford to have someone perform the ritual. So it all works out, and without the massively saddening process of re-calculating your character one level lower.
Basically it will just be a clone of the character that died, except it will be undead, maybe demon, haven't really decided yet as it hasn't come into play. The players will have no idea if the shade formed or not and it will stalk the player who was ressurected and try to find a good time to kill that person, hence fixing the error of a dead person being alive again.
I like the idea, but it could get impracticle. Id watch for that. What if the party tries to fight it. Or exorcise it, even? If I were them thats what I would try to do. Anticipate their reaction and it could be very good.
The problem with losing levels and XPs is that without the CR system, the lower level character doesn't get more XP and never catches up.
Well, I was originally going to have newly raised characters earn twice as much xp as everyone else until they caught up.
However, I see everyone's point that losing levels was a real pain. Still, I'd like to have a system that encourages different character levels. Perhaps dead characters deduct one level of experience, but instead of losing a level the death penalty is imposed until that character earns back all the lost experience (at twice the rate of everyone else, of course).
I suppose this may be more pain for what it is worth, but am I the only one who thinks character level diversity is a good thing?
I suppose this may be more pain for what it is worth, but am I the only one who thinks character level diversity is a good thing?
I for one think level diversity within a group falls firmly into the bad section of the good/bad scale.
A level difference of 1 level is pretty easy to overlook but I still don't see why any player should be penalized by being weaker than the rest of the group.
I've seen groups where there are level differences of up to 5 or 6 levels between the lowest and highest level group members and I just don't see how forcing one or more players to be a burden on the group helps the game along.
Disclaimer: I'm sure someone, somewhere has had a wonderful time playing in a group where there were moderate level disparities between group member levels. I however do not like the idea and consider it a difference of play style.
One other issue with penalizing character death is that the penalties make it more likely that the same character will die again. Whether it's Con loss or level loss or something as simple as a -2 penalty for some amount of time, any death related penalty will put that character in more danger of dying.
I suppose this may be more pain for what it is worth, but am I the only one who thinks character level diversity is a good thing?
Probably not, though I'm not one of them. Mild diversity (1-2 levels) isn't a big deal balance-wise, but the player of a character who's behind is rarely enjoying himself as much. And when the purpose of the game is for everyone to have fun, introducing a rules mechanic designed to strip a certain level of enjoyment from players strikes me as a bad idea. Increasing the milestone penalty isn't unreasonable, but once you start talking about permanent damage to characters (ability score loss, level loss, destroying equipment), most players start taking it personally. If yours don't, and genuinely want harsher penalties, give them what they want (and don't let them complain later, heh). But if they're even ambivalent, don't start crippling their characters against their will.
Alright, points taken. I suppose everyone's got to make adjustments in one way or the other... thanks for all the input.
Rilvar,
Keep in mind that in 4E, everyone advances at the same rate: a simple -1 penalty to all attacks, checks, and defenses is like losing 2 levels in those fields. If you wanted to make it even harder, I'd also recommend dropping the character's max hp down by a level's worth. Taking away powers and feats, I don't recommend.
Either way, I say it should be a temporary penalt.y
Alright, points taken. I suppose everyone's got to make adjustments in one way or the other... thanks for all the input.
HOLY HELL! Someone actually listened to REASON on the forums