GM Discussion

You and the other players should discuss the nature of the upcoming game with the GM. Before any characters are created, the GM should outline such details as genre, setting, campaign duration, story boundaries, and expected time commitment. As a player, you should listen closely to the GM's descriptions since it will impact directly on the character you wish to create.

Ask for clarification of any rule modifications the GM plans to use as well as any background restrictions on your character. If you have any game preferences involving issues such as combat intensity, maturity level, or drama versus comedy ratio, let the GM know about them. Help the GM create the game that you all want to play.

Starting Character Level

One of the most important things that the Game Master should discuss with his or her players is the starting character Level. While characters traditionally start at 1st Level in most d20 System games, the GM and players may want to adventure with more experienced - and thus more powerful and capable - characters. Table 2-1 shows the relationship between starting character Level and power level.

Characters that begin higher than 1st Level gain all the benefits and special abilities granted from 1st Level to their current Level and begin the game with an appropriate number of Experience Points (see the PHB for more information on Experience Points). This includes the additional Feats and Ability Score increases presented in Table 5-3: Level-Dependent Benefits.



Table 2-1: Starting Character Level

Power Level	Starting Character Level	Discretionary Character Points
Low-powered game	1st to 4th	40 (or 34 + 1d10)
Average-powered game	5th to 8th	42 (or 36 + 1d10)
High-powered game	9th to 12th	44 (or 38 + 1d10)
Very high-powered game	13th to 16th	46 (or 40 + 1d10)
Extremely high-powered game	17th to 20th	48 (or 42 + 1d10)
Epic-powered game	Above 20th	50 (or 44 + 1d10)

Discretionary Character Points

The characters' starting Level also determines the number of discretionary Character Points assigned. These discretionary Character Points are used to pay for his or her Ability Score Values, Race, Attributes, Skills, and Feats. The GM can either assign all players an equal number of Character Points, or ask each player to roll dice to generate a random number (see Table 2-1: Starting Character Level)

Character Points During Level Progression

If the characters start higher than 1st Level, they may also start with extra Character Points gained from the Special Ability Level progression of their Class (or Classes). In these instances, the additional Character Points are added to the discretionary Character Point total. See the Class Progression charts for more information.

Character Outline

A character outline is a broad concept that provides you with a frame on which to build your character. It is not fully detailed; there is no need for you to concern yourself with the character's specific skills, powers, or background details at this stage. Use the game boundaries established in your discussion with the GM as the starting point for your character and build your outline on that foundation. Discuss your character ideas with the GM to ensure your character will work with those of the other players and with the overall themes and focus of the campaign.