How does level adjustment actually work?

[Crukul]

So I'll be DMing a game soon, my first game actually, and I've run into a bit of a snag.

One of my players wants to play a race with level adjustment, and while I have the basic idea down (LA gets added to class levels/racial hit die to make ECL), I'm unsure as to what the actual maths end up coming out to be.

For example, say we're playing a campaign where we're starting the PCs at ECL 4, and someone wants to play a LA +1 race. Do they get the same amount of XP and gold to start off with as an ECL 4 character, or do I dock them down to the same amount of XP and gold for a 3rd level character, since they'll only have 3 class levels? And would it be possible for them to immediately buy off their level adjustment, since they'd have 3 class levels?

[hymer]

If you give the +1 LA PC the same amount of XP as the 4th level ones, they'd all be ECL 4 when the +1 LA PC was level 3. LA +1 means s/he counts as a character one level higher for how much XP s/he must accumulate to advance, and for the size of his/her XP portions.
I'd give her/him the same amount of gold as anyone else, it'd seem most fair. And s/he's likely to get equal shares from hereon anyway.

[Andezzar]

All characters with ECL x are equal in terms of XP. The only difference is that characters with a Level Adjustment have fewer class levels.

To be ECL 4 all characters need at least 6k XP. Characters with LA 0 can gain 4 class levels from those XPs, Those with LA +1 gain only three.

A Character with LA +1 (and no RHD) cannot be played unless he has at least 1000 XP. Without those he could not have his first class level.

@Hymer: Giving them the same amount of starting gold is not only fair, it is also RAW. For all intents and purposes the character is a Level 4 character and thus is entitled to WBL of a level 4 character.

[Sian]

LA is frontloaded so to speak, so a Race with an LA of +1, effectively have their race as their first level (although only in terms of Gold and XP)

[Rijan_Sai]

To answer the unanswered question, I would say that yes, a character with LA +1 and 3 class levels could be allowed to buy off that LA at that time. That would take them down to an ECL 3 character, but because they started at ECL 4 (with the rest of the party,) I would still give them the starting gold for an ECL 4 character.

[Xerlith]

It's worth noting that if the player's a beginner as well it might be better if they don't go with a LA +x race, since those more often than not a hassle. It's basically a dead level that makes you a level behind. The higher level you are, the more worthless it becomes.

[KillianHawkeye]

Note that LA buyoff is an optional rule from Unearthed Arcana. You don't have to use it.