Level 0

[FadeAssassin]

Does anyone have any ideas how to do a level 0 campaign?
I now WotC did a article in Dragon(?) about it for 4e and there are adventures for previous editions for 0-Level

Would anyone be interested in running a 0 level adventure?

And does anyone have opinions on 0-level Adventures?

[CyberThread]

You are a teenager with no life experience. D4 hp . If your race has magical or weapon provinces you can only chose to be skilled in one of them.

[Yorrin]

By level 0 you mean basically roleplaying some sort of backstory where characters have limited abilities? I've done this once with one of my players in 3.5, and it was pretty fun. But especially with 5e it's not really necessary since that's basically what levels 1-3 are, is you gaining basic proficiency in your class and coming into your own as an adventurer.

That being said, if this is an effort to get some sort of PbP going you could count me interested.


You are a teenager with no life experience. D4 hp . If your race has magical or weapon provinces you can only chose to be skilled in one of them.

Nah, I'd give full racial abilities but pretty much no class abilities. 0 proficiency bonus, no armor proficiencies unless your class would normally grant heavy armor- in which case you get leather, if it's a spellcasting class you get to pick one cantrip and cast it ability mod number of times/day, half normal starting hp.

[some guy]

I'd say Backgrounds are pretty well fitted to do this. Choose a race, choose a background, give the pc's d4 or d6 for hp and +1 (or 0) for the proficiency bonus. Done.

[FadeAssassin]

I wasn't really interesting in a PbP but the article was basically that the characters would all be from the same town and be given an easy task to perform (delivering a letter, for instance) and they'd have a simple weapon and a simple at will power and a bit of utility bonus abilities (based on the 4 class types {striker, control, etc.}) that would help determine the class they would be. The bonus utilities would be activated by using some sort of resource made for the adventure.

And the Level 0 isn't in a class, it's like you're the blacksmith's apprentice or a aspiring mage, maybe having already learned a cantrip, but not in a classical way.

[Naanomi]

Since you start at Proficiency Bonus +2 at level 1, I'd imagine level '0' would be +1?

A quick glance over the races makes me think about how wild high-elven teenagers must be... a martial weapon proficiency and a (potentially combat related) cantrip under their belt? Brutal! On a similar note, dragonborn breath-weapon and fits of youthful anger must lead to some teenage bodies on the playground, and half-orc's survivability at such low HP and levels is pretty impressive.

[Mandrake]

I've played the 4e 0 level mission.

My suggestions are as follows:

PART ONE
Full racial. It's what you're born with and bread into. You should have it.
Proficiencies +1 for anything that counts, since you will have stuff you can use. Note that this means ability scores get more important, so "natural aptitude" counts on level 0.
Background, you get what it gives you.

PART TWO
You choose a point of interest which represents what your class is shaping into. You are not in any obligation to continue that progress beyond level 0.
Here are examples I would use:

Combat
1d8 hit dice.
Martial and Simple Weapons, Light and Medium Armor, Shield.

Expertise
1d6 hit dice.
Simple weapons, Light Armor, a Gaming set or Musical instrument or Thieves' tools or someting like that.
Training in a single additional skill of your choice.

Magic
1d4 hit dice.
Dagger, Quarterstaff, Sling.
Choose a spell list of your choice. You know two cantrips from that list.

I am sure you can think of examples for any of these. Basically, the biggest problem are cleric and druid to fit in, but even they can be "experts" who get to know how to use medical kit or herbalism kit and train in Religion or Nature; it fits just fine. Also, you can decide to replace some stuff in agreement between player/DM (like take away a skill for a Cleric cantrip under Expert) but I think these are quite flexible and pretty balanced. Choosing or designing bacgrounds is the funniest part of it, I'd say.

Hope you like it, have fun!

[Talyn]

Mandrake, that is awesome, I'm totally stealing that for my game.

Question: if you get your full racials, would you agree that a 0-level (variant) human gets their feat? Maybe with the option to retrain it once they take their 1st level?

[Mandrake]

Mandrake, that is awesome, I'm totally stealing that for my game.

Question: if you get your full racials, would you agree that a 0-level (variant) human gets their feat? Maybe with the option to retrain it once they take their 1st level?

Thanks :smallsmile:

Yeah, of course. It's racial.
Also, for retraining - anything they do during level 0 is "whoosh" forgotten once they get that level 1. Although I would suggest at the players that they take something they think they'd play, so that they get familiar with it.

[TheOOB]

Well level 1 characters are already apprentices. But I'd go, full racial and background features, full hp for level 1, but no hit die, full weapon and armor prof, but -1 skill prof, only +1 prof bonus, no class features except for cantrips.

[Mandrake]

Well level 1 characters are already apprentices. But I'd go, full racial and background features, full hp for level 1, but no hit die, full weapon and armor prof, but -1 skill prof, only +1 prof bonus, no class features except for cantrips.

They are not. I think. They explicitly say that the Fighter is more than a common Soldier will ever be.

So, basically, more skills, more HP, no Hit Dice to recover, and a bit more complicated way to get armor and weapon proficiencies than I suggested.

It's cool and fine, but I just have two questions (genuine questions):

1) Don't they really need that hit dice in order to be playable? Not making them strong or anything, just making them able do two or three things before they have to go and sleep 8 hours.
2) Isn't it easier to pick a background (I know you have that) and an interest point to get some proficiency in stuff they generally like, than make people read through twelve classes anyway just for the specific skill set or proficiency set? I imagine 0-level is for newcomers mostly, and it would make a lot easier for them if they could skip reading classes.
I even thought that I'd remove the whole "pick a class spell list and take two cantrips" since it requires picking a class spell list. I would probably even go for: take two cantrips.

[1of3]

Choose a race.

Choose a Background.

You have proficiency in Quarterstaff, Sling and Dagger. (Which happen to be the weapons that all classes are proficient with.)

You have d6 HP. Upgrade that at first level, if you choose a class other than Wizard or Sorcerer.

[Mandrake]

Choose a race.

Choose a Background.

You have proficiency in Quarterstaff, Sling and Dagger. (Which happen to be the weapons that all classes are proficient with.)

You have d6 HP. Upgrade that at first level, if you choose a class other than Wizard or Sorcerer.


I dislike it since you totally remove any possibility of playing any magic user and also making a possibility where someone is a soldier, yet cannot use any armor or weapons. I know that it is possible to make a Wizard with a Soldier background but in that case you can go and say - hey I was never into it and never got to learning it. But I don't see many soldiers like that.
If I'd play a 0 level character, I'd want him to be in any way except for racial and background way different than everyone else at the table. For variety's sake. Adding some feeble proficiencies, a skill or two and some cantrips make it a lot more interesting, and not any more complicated, in my opinion.

[rlc]

maybe 100 experience to reach level 1? or even as low as 50?

[1of3]

If I'd play a 0 level character, I'd want him to be in any way except for racial and background way different than everyone else at the table. For variety's sake. Adding some feeble proficiencies, a skill or two and some cantrips make it a lot more interesting, and not any more complicated, in my opinion.

The question is what you suppose "0 level" is. To me it is: Common folk. Not Adventurers. Ordinary in every way. I think my proposal conveys that nicely.

[Mandrake]

The question is what you suppose "0 level" is. To me it is: Common folk. Not Adventurers. Ordinary in every way. I think my proposal conveys that nicely.

Agreed. I see it as a bit more than ordinary, and that's where the differences are visible. Your way is viable, of course.

As for the experience, my first thought was - just that one adventure, one session, no matter how much xp it entails.
If you play level 0, you probably want to keep it as simple as possible. That includes making them not care about experience points or weapons tables - you do that instead of them.

[Yorrin]

The question is what you suppose "0 level" is. To me it is: Common folk. Not Adventurers. Ordinary in every way. I think my proposal conveys that nicely.

See I think commoners aren't level 0, because level 0 implies "on its way to level 1." Commoners just don't have levels at all. Level 0, to me, means "someone who will one day be an adventurer." That being said, I like your proposal, I'd just amend it with "choose either 1 cantrip or leather armor proficiency."

[rlc]

Aren't commoners CR 0? Closest thing to that is level 0.

[archaeo]

I wasn't really interesting in a PbP but the article was basically that the characters would all be from the same town and be given an easy task to perform (delivering a letter, for instance) and they'd have a simple weapon and a simple at will power and a bit of utility bonus abilities (based on the 4 class types {striker, control, etc.}) that would help determine the class they would be. The bonus utilities would be activated by using some sort of resource made for the adventure.

And the Level 0 isn't in a class, it's like you're the blacksmith's apprentice or a aspiring mage, maybe having already learned a cantrip, but not in a classical way.

Simply using level 1 as this kind of thing works for me, too; in a future campaign, I plan on spending those first few levels as chapters of the PCs lives separated by numerous years, such that level 1 is the characters at around age 12, level 2 is them at 16, and level 3, when the adventure proper begins, as actual adults striking out on their own. To me, level 1 serves as a pretty good model of what an exceptional kid might be able to do, and, at least in this campaign, my PCs should be exceptional people.

The level 0 idea is pretty neat though, and Mandrake's system is awfully cool.