So which do you prefer? Do you like to build your character from scratch or are you happy to gain the high level powers straight away? Also, if your a DM, do you prefer to start campaign from level 1 or start at a higher level.
My fighter and my rogue were started from level 1 however and both have been lots fun. (Rogue is the most active one right now) Even if they are abit boring the first few levels.
I've also had one character I started at lvl 15, and well the feeling of casting spells at that level is just epic, seriously. But I have to admit I did not enjoy learning how to use a 15th level character just like that and I messed up quite abit before actually understanding what stuff did.
In other words, find a middle ground, personally I don't mind skipping the first few levels, but don't skip to many levels you know?
Serioiusly, I prefer to start at level 1 for reasons of character development. I have no problem if the group wants to run a high-level session, but I'd rather it all starts from square 1. I think you get a more natural character personality. Even if you do wind up with a 15th-level manga-type bad-ass character, it's a nifty "reality" check when he's strutting around bombastically and the wizard reminds him of the time he went for the killing blow, missed horribly, nearly fell into a bottomless chasm and got pulled back with a smelly lump in his pants.
1. Lvl 1 is too swingy. The HP is too low compared with weapon damage. Many CR 1 monsters stand a pretty good chance of killing you with a single crit. I've actually seen a druid biting the dust in the first encounter just for eating a scythe crit from a cleric of Nerull.
2. Having a few levels to play with makes it easier to build certain character concepts....like fihgter/wizard, wizard/rogue etc. It's pretty hard to explain RP-wise why your fighter that just leveled up in the dungeon is suddenly able to cast spell.
Well, I do have a sort of real world example of that sort of thing. Seriously, I woke up one morning and could play the piano. I'm not talking "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", I'm talking "Music Box Dancer", "Memory", "Greensleeves", and not just the melody. I had harmony and chorus going on. Strangest damned thing. I was looking at the keys and it was like a switch turned on. Suddenly the whole instrument made sense. I sat down and started playing and everyone came rushing into the room to see who was messing with the piano. (After all, I was the only person who was seen going into the room, and everyone knew that I didn't know how to play.) I admit I did already know how to play the guitar, but not to the level that I could suddenly play piano. (And I still can't read sheet music worth a hoot!)
Unbelievable enough in real life, it would still take quite a bit of story weaving to explain it in a dungeon. ("We woke up one morning and the Goliath Barbarian could suddenly dance the lead in Swan Lake...?")
Having to start a character with some levels under their belt is something I don't enjoy as much, but it's fine - I can still get into a character with some thought before hand, and a background I have had some time to work on.
Player: I hated starting at level 1. Survivability was far too low for nearly every character and every spell caster quickly becomes a bad archer or bad melee once their few spells are used up. I much preferred starting at at least 3rd level.
I found starting a high level character to be pretty fun. Once I'd struggled through the low to mid levels several times, I found that it didn't make that much difference in character development. It was also fun because there were several builds that didn't really "get going" until 9th+ level and it can be fun to just get to the good part.
DM: No character starts below 3rd level and most of my games started at 5th. Didn't start any game with a base level above 7, but did have characters reroll at high levels and that usually worked out fine.
I like to start 3e at least at 3rd level; preferably 6th when everyone starts to get real options.
4e: 1st level in 4e is like 3rd level in 3e, so it's not such a
moment when the DM says "everyone whip up a 1st level character!" Still, I've already played 1st level a dozen times and I'm sick of it.So again, I prefer to start at higher level: 11th if the group is comfortable with it.
PS: All TS opinions are from both a player PoV and a DM PoV.
I think I'm done with them. When one of (five) campaigns I'm in restarts in a few levels I think I'm quitting rather than restarting at 1st level for the new game.
I've just seen too many crappy low-level things. I don't like the lack of options available to the PCs. I really don't like being down to at wills after using two powers.
All in all, I'm firmly of th eopinion that low levels suck.
And I'm NOT of the opinion that anything is gained in character-depth due to playing through the levels. Characters gain depth because they are played, not because they are played at low levels. I firmly believe a character who plays 10 levels will be as "developed" a personality whether those levels were 1-10, 11-20, or 21-30. It's just time and experience. I've never found that starting off as a 15 year old moron who grows up produces an inherently better story than starting off as a newly minted Blood Mage just out of some academy would.
Just my $.02. Mostly this entire topic is nothing more than opinion.
-abs