Playing your sheet; Level?

[Aelcar]

As it should be, for such is how I envision my characters: outstanding individuals born for challenges Jorn the Farmer can't face.

Clearly you underestimate Jorn's power. Its not that Jorn can't face certain challenges, they are just not worth his effort.

If you read this thread, it looks as though that might be the case...

Rule: "Play your character's sheet, but only when it's crap: when it says "Epic", "Dragon Form" and the likes, just pretend it didn't happen".

And that, just because people don't respect themselves and their RP enough to declare their characters dead or otherwise retired.

Instead of discouraging epics and allowing immortals, it might be better to do the contrary, if anything at all.

[gjallahorn]

Level 1s are supposed to be naive and inexperienced. However, they tend to become sagely and seasoned within a week or two, when in a DnD campaign, it can take months and years(sometimes with fast-forwarded down time). Most new level 1s on this server jump to level 6 in about 4-6 hours.

Few things to consider on this.

If a PC takes up adventure late in life, surely their intire life-experience as a commonor does not go down the drain the instant they become Fighter Level 1?

While they may lack experience in regards to their newfound passion of killing goblins, a say 40 year old level 1 fighter should by drawing on his LIFE-experience know that a goblin though dangerous, is killable. While a dragon is not.

Of course you play what is on your sheet. But if you roll a Cleric with 16 Wis and 14 Int. I am not sure it would be very fair to demand said PC to be played as naive?
Inexperienced in their field of class of course. But in genreral? I beg to differ.

The NPC's in the world does not allways have a class per say. And those that do, more often than not is very, very low leveled compared to all the power-trains of level 15-20+ PC's roamning the world.

A king can be level 7(insert random class) and still be, the King. He can be wise and clever if his Stats allow him to be. But his class Level has little so say in how he is as a person.

What I am aiming at here is a balance I guess.
There is a difference between combat experience and life experience. And where a young person can get loads of combat experience given the right cercumstances, life experience reeealy only comes in one way....getting older, living the life.
But of course, allways, allways respect your Stats.

[Rasael]

I've seen a number of folks roleplay level one as just having arrived in the region for the first time. So you don't know your way around yet, don't know the foes. It doesn't cover everything but I think it works well enough.

The RCR is also a useful tool if you want to start at a higher level.

[Ithilan]

I've seen a number of folks roleplay level one as just having arrived in the region for the first time. So you don't know your way around yet, don't know the foes. It doesn't cover everything but I think it works well enough.

Exactly. I think my most recent character is my 20th or more over a span of many years of course, but I largely know the inside out of the areas currently in the module, I chose to play my character as oblivious to these things, because she in truth is.

That doesnt mean she is worthless or inexperienced, in fact she has lots of experience to draw on, as Gjallahorn wrote, life experience is invalueable and should be an aspect in all characters to give them more authentic and realistic behaviour.

We all have our flaws and we all have our strengths, but only portraying one of these in a character often becomes very cliche for those around you.

[AlwaysSummer Day]

RP your -Character- and make your character sheet reflect them as closely as possible. If we all Rped our sheets exclusively nobody could say they are uthgardt or tall or even lacking a skill they have (even with 90 lore Maxwell did not know the names of Elvin gods.)

A paladin is immune to fear but why can't he be willing to stand up to Bane himself yet terrified of mice? So again I say play your character and make your sheet reflect them.