| #1fishproMay 07, 2010 19:11:03 | (My apologies if someone else came up with this before. I'm not good with the search engine here).
I've been trying to come up with rules like these ever since 4e came out, but the advent of hybrid classes in the Player's Handbook 3 has been a great help. I humbly present these house rules in the hope that a few people out there might be looking for something like this.
Note: These rules are not for everyone. They were originally written in an attempt to emulate the low-level "3rd edition feeling" i.e., a grittier experience of limited resources, and especially, lower hit points. These rules may also serve as a "tutorial" of sorts. Since the players start with less class features and powers to keep track of, and slowly gain them over the course of a few adventures, it may give a chance for new players to learn a bit more gradually.
Changes to PH page 14:
1) No changes. Choose race as normal.
1a) The original PH doesn't have background benefits, so they are not on the list. Depending on the desires of the DM and players, they may wish to choose a background at character creation, or involve the level 0 adventures as a background that the characters gain.
2) You may refrain from choosing a class at the start if you wish to. You will have to choose soon, however, so be prepared. The benefits of the class are modified, as explained below.
2a) To determine your class features at level 0, use the hybrid rules, but only use a single hybrid class entry. This represents your limited training and skill as you venture out into the world. Round down all fractions as usual. If you intend on being a hybrid character, you must determine your other class now, and use that to further restrict the class you start with (i.e., if you intended to be a Fighter/Rogue, and chose to start as a level 0 Fighter, you would have to limit yourself to cloth and leather proficiency in order to pick up the Rogue Hybrid option later on).
2b) If your character starts without a class, he or she begins with proficiency in cloth armor, proficiency in the dagger, and no class bonus to defense. Starting hit points equal the character's Constitution score + 5, and healing surges per day equal to 3 + Constitution modifier. When the character eventually chooses a class, subtract 5 from the starting hit points added, and subtract 3 from the healing surges per day added (this will make more sense later). Thus, if a character later chose Wizard, he or she would gain no hit points or healing surges. If the character had instead chosen, say, the Warden, he or she would instead gain 3 hit points and another healing surge per day. In other words, once the character chooses a class, he is brought to the levels he would have been had he started with the class.
3) Determine ability scores. Use Method 2: Customizing Scores from page 17. You have a total reserve of 22 points, but at character creation, you may only spend up to 12 of those points. Unspent points are saved until later. If you chose to begin without a class, you may spend all 22 points (in which case unspent points are not saved).
4) Do not choose any skills from your class yet. If you have chosen a class, you gain any skills that automatically come with the class (such as Religion for Clerics, or Stealth and Thievery for Rogues). Additionally, if your race grants you training in any skills, you do gain those. Humans that do not choose a class will not gain their Bonus Skill until they get to choose a class, unless they have chosen a background that adds a skill to their class skill (in which case they can choose that skill).
5) Do not select a feat at this time. You will pick a feat before you reach first level.
6) If you have chosen a class, you may choose a single At-Will attack power from your class. Do not choose any other powers yet.
7 - 9) No change with any of these steps.
Level 0 characters start with no action points after an extended rest. They can gain action points as normal.
Example: Tordek, Dwarven Fighter (Level 0) chooses to purchase the following set of stats: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 14 (modified to 16), Int 10, Wis 11 (modified to 13), and Cha 8. He starts with all the Dwarven racial abilities, as normal. From his Fighter class, he gains the usual armor proficiencies, weapon proficiencies, and +1 to Fortitude defense. He starts with 23 hit points, and 7 healing surges per day. Since the Fighter doesn't gain any trained skills for free, Tordek starts out not trained in anything yet. He starts out with the Combat Challenge (Hybrid) feature, but does not yet gain the Combat Superiority or Fighter Combat Talent features. For his At-Will power, Tordek decides to stick with the old classic, Tide of Iron. He'd like to pick Crushing Surge, but since he isn't trained in any skills, it would be a waste right now.
Advancement: Until they reach first level, level 0 characters advance a bit differently than regular characters do. Firstly, they do not gain experience. Instead, progress through level 0 is tracked by milestones. Note: it is strongly suggested you vary this to fit your campaign's needs. Some groups will enjoy a slow, gradual progression to level 1, while other groups may want this to be a quick slice of "early adventuring" and then move on to the exciting stuff, in which case, you may want to replace milestones with encounters, or even double up some of the benefits, depending on how long you want to remain at level 0.
Level 0 characters gain the following benefits every time a milestone is reached. These benefits are permanent, and are in addition to any other benefits the milestones may provide (such as action points). If timing is an issue, the benefits are not gained until a rest (short or extended) is taken, after the qualifying encounter.
1st encounter: In an exception to the previously-noted progression, after the first encounter, a character gains an additional healing surge per day. The heady rush of adventuring rapidly empowers the character to the feats of heroism he or she was born for.
1st milestone: Upon reaching the first milestone, characters can spend the remainder of their ability score points to increase their scores. If the character did not start with a class, he or she instead gains the hybrid class benefits, as described above. Additionally, a character may choose a class skill to become trained in, and each character may choose a level one encounter attack power from his or her class. If the character intends to become a hybrid character, he or she may instead choose a power from his or her other intended class (the DM should grant the player any proficiencies needed for the other power, assuming the other hybrid class would grant them).
2nd milestone: After passing a second milestone (not necessarily in the same day as the first milestone), characters may choose a second class skill to become trained in. Also, character may choose to either upgrade one of their hybrid class features to the full, normal feature, or gain an additional hybrid feature (as if they had taken the Hybrid Talent feat). Characters who intend to become a hybrid character must instead choose a class feature from the other class they intend to take. Additionally, characters may choose their level one feat at this point, gaining the benefits immediately.
3rd milestone: Upon reaching a milestone for the third time, characters may choose a level one daily attack power. They also may pick all their remaining class skills, up to the maximum amount they would normally be entitled to.
4th milestone: Once the characters achieve a milestone for the fourth time in their adventuring careers, they become full-fledged first-level heroes! Add all the remaining class benefits and features that the characters are currently missing. Personally, I suggest giving the characters all a bonus healing surge, as a token benefit of their trials and tribulations before they even reached first level. Also, perhaps as a reward for proving themselves, or however you wish to present it, the characters should each gain a first-level magic item.
Alternative: Instead of gradually granting training in class skills, the characters could pick their class skills at creation, but only gain a +1 bonus from being trained. At each milestone, the bonus could increase by one, thus equaling the standard +5 bonus by the fourth milestone, when they become 1st-level adventurers proper.
Note: Standard monsters will probably be exceptionally threatening to level 0 characters, especially due to lower hit point totals, and reduced healing (leaders will have less healing abilities available, and healing surge values will be smaller). It is suggested that you either use less monsters, or use level - 0 equivalents of monsters, or a combination of both. I haven't had a chance to test these rules, so be careful. I also recommend a higher proportion of noncombat challenges for level 0 characters - the common trope of being tutored by a veteran adventurer can lead to many possibilities, for example.
As I said before, these rules are not for everyone. I wrote them because, due to comments from some players, I percieved a potential desire for rules like these. Indeed, these are only a simple example of other rules that could be presented. They could be taken further, with characters starting off without a class, and the minimum array of ability scores (five 10s and an 8), slowly raising their ability scores and gaining class features as they adventure. Maybe you want to start them off with limited or no equipment, handing out mundane adventuring gear as they approach level 1. Or maybe not. Each group has a different set of opinions, goals, and methods of enjoyment.
Whatever your playstyle is, have fun! That's the highest goal of all. |