(D&D 5e) Is it better for 1st level PCs to be able to reach 2nd level in one session?

S'mon · November 21, 2017, 06:17:03 PM

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1008857Do they gain experience for magic items? Or just selling them?

I didn't give any XP for the +1 dagger or the potions they found last session; if they had turned it into gp I'd have given XP. Same for mundane gear. One guy scavenged some armour and managed to sell it, getting XP.

Tequila Sunrise · November 21, 2017, 09:53:14 PM

Not a fan of the zero in zero-to-hero, so I prefer 4e style where 1st level ~= 3rd level in other editions. So frankly if I were to for some reason DM 5e I'd probably skip right to 3rd.

And as a matter of aesthetics, I'm not a fan of irregular XP charts -- which level is it in 5e that is easier to attain than the previous level? That sort of thing.

Bren · November 21, 2017, 10:28:01 PM

If at each level it takes a number of sessions equal to the level you are trying to reach to get to the next level, then it would take 54 sessions to reach 10th level, i.e. 2 sessions to get to 2nd level, 3 sessions to get to 3rd level from 2nd,..., and 10 sessions to get to 10th level from 9th level.

Willie the Duck · November 22, 2017, 08:33:38 AM

Quote from: Tequila Sunrise;1008875And as a matter of aesthetics, I'm not a fan of irregular XP charts -- which level is it in 5e that is easier to attain than the previous level? That sort of thing.

Entirely your choice, but I will say that many a game (or other thing) was made genuinely unfun by the logic of "but, but... it fit such a perfect pattern!"

S'mon · November 22, 2017, 09:07:16 AM

Quote from: Tequila Sunrise;1008875Not a fan of the zero in zero-to-hero, so I prefer 4e style where 1st level ~= 3rd level in other editions. So frankly if I were to for some reason DM 5e I'd probably skip right to 3rd.

And as a matter of aesthetics, I'm not a fan of irregular XP charts -- which level is it in 5e that is easier to attain than the previous level? That sort of thing.

11>12 takes less than 10>11. Basically 11-17 is a different chart from 5-10.
This works ok in linear campaigns, but for my new sandbox Wilderlands campaign I'm cutting XP for GP to 1/10 above 10th level as I'm happy for PCs to plateau at 11th; I don't want a lot of high level magic and I'd like to see players start new PCs.

KingCheops · November 22, 2017, 12:02:39 PM

I'd say another big impetus for the first level going quickly is that not everyone gets their subclass at 1st level. If you have to wait until 2nd level to actually be your class then it kind of sucks to have to wait.

That being said if the first session or two is spent on role playing or gathering information that helps with the adventure but doesn't actually progress the adventure then yeah it should take a few sessions.

RPGPundit · November 24, 2017, 02:03:33 AM

I think that levels 3-9 or so are the sweet spot for 5e. But that's not a great argument for languishing in level 1. You can always move people up to level 2-3, and then go a lot slower after that.

(D&D 5e) Is it better for 1st level PCs to be able to reach 2nd level in one session?

S'mon

Tequila Sunrise

Bren

Willie the Duck

S'mon

KingCheops

RPGPundit