PCs Starting at Level 5

[RyhopeWood]

Hi all

This is my first post, so be gentle with me.

I am running a game for friends. We haven't played D&D since 3rd edition, although we started together as kids with AD&D/D&D in the early 1980s.

We all wanted a bit of nostalgia, so I agreed to run an old AD&D adventure using C&C.

One of the questions that came up was starting magic items at higher levels. My first thought was to work out an amount of gold relative to experience level / XPs and say they can spend that on magic items. I know the balance of XPs from gold and monster kills is a bit different in C&C to other versions, so I was looking for some guidance from experienced players as to the guidelines to use.

Thanks in anticipation,

Ian

[JediOre]

Welcome aboard RyhopeWood.

If you still own quite a few of the old AD&D adventures (I'm thinking 1st edition here), look at the pre-generated characters that many of the modules had and use them as a source for magic at the levels you seek. That will give you the TSR view on what a 5th level PC should roughly have.

For example, N2 - The Forest Oracle (levels 2-4 so below your group) has all nine pre-gens without any magic items at all.
While UK1 - Beyond The Crystal Cave (levels 4-7) has twenty pre-gens all of which, save one, have one or two magic items of low power. For example, a fighter with a +2 longsword (and intelligent to boot with an Int 12, Ego of 3 and can detect magic in 1" (10 foot or 10 yard) radius). Another fighter has boots of speed. A paladin has a ring of feather falling and a +1 broadsword. A cleric with a +1 shield and two potions of healing. A thief with a +2 dagger. A magic-user with a +1 ring of protection.

Hope this gives you some guidelines. What module are you thinking of using for this nostalgia run?

[Lurker]

Hi all

This is my first post, so be gentle with me.

I am running a game for friends. We haven't played D&D since 3rd edition, although we started together as kids with AD&D/D&D in the early 1980s.

We all wanted a bit of nostalgia, so I agreed to run an old AD&D adventure using C&C.

One of the questions that came up was starting magic items at higher levels. My first thought was to work out an amount of gold relative to experience level / XPs and say they can spend that on magic items. I know the balance of XPs from gold and monster kills is a bit different in C&C to other versions, so I was looking for some guidance from experienced players as to the guidelines to use.

Thanks in anticipation,

Ian

First Welcome to the boards !

Like JediO says, it is easy to use old mods to see what the pre gens had. However, one issue with that, well more of an issue with the mods themselves and not JediO's suggestion, is that some mods have the pre gens with equipment and weapons, but monsters or traps that 'need' specific things that are on NONE of pre gens' lists.

I've played in games by Tree and Rig here that started us at higher levels, and allowed us to buy magic items from the TLG books giving us a cap on what we could spend. That always worked well.

For some one off's I've ran for my daughters, I'd have a list of magic / unique items and let the players pick from them. That way I have control of what they get and also I make sure they have useful needful things (nothing worse than getting a water walk ring or something like that and then the adventure is in the middle of the gobi desert)

[Captain_K]

The DM giveth, the DM taketh away.

Let them know that, then gift to each PC ahead of time or in some sort of roll playing ceremony.

As you see fit? Let them each make 3 wishes ahead of time and let that guide you.
'
I think 5th level PCs need some magic weapons to hit things, some defense, and some flavor... three each in those categories. You pick the power for what they are going up against.

personally I love throwing in say just one +2 or +3 hand axe or spear or hammer. then put in a boss monster that requires that to be hit and only one PC has it... they have to "share". work their use and need into the adventure.

[JediOre]

This reminds me, C2 The Ghost Tower of Inverness gave the player characters money and a list of various magic items they could purchase for the adventure. The players were told what the king thought they would be up against so they did not go in blind, but perhaps a bit mislead as I recall, but they then could buy magic items, from armor and weapons to scrolls to miscellaneous magical items.

One of my friends, who played this module with the provided NPCs, loved this element of the adventure. Trying to guess which items on the list would be the most helpful and which he'd have to come up with some means to make useful.

[RyhopeWood]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. We are a couple of sessions in to the Desert of Desolation and everyone is really enjoying it. I went with the first suggestion from JediOre of a few items each - mainly an AC boost of +2, a weapon +1, and a potion / scroll of interesting things like Spiderclimb.

Converting characters and monsters was a breeze. I am doing them level by level as we go.

[JediOre]

We are a couple of sessions in to the Desert of Desolation and everyone is really enjoying it.

You picked an absolute gem of a module series! So many wonderful memories of running that adventure.

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

We are happy to have you aboard.

Converting characters and monsters was a breeze. I am doing them level by level as we go.

Be sure you take a bit of time on the spellcasters as C&C gives all of them more spells. If you use the spell casters as written, they will be underpowered for your PCs.