One (level) and done

[Pugwampy]

I turn around, head to market, and set up a business.

Awesome mr player . XP award for impressing me and finding constructive uses for your down time .

Umm how are you going to pay for this ?
Oh oh city council will probably need a trading license .
Whats your reputation like ? I hope you always lived in this town and if you have , do folks around here like you ?
Cool you have to pay your staff and rent for your business ...

[LibraryOgre]

I'm sure someone has thought of this idiocy, and yes, it goes against the idea of rollplaying (though maybe not role); has anyone ever come across a player doing this?

"Ok, Mr. Level 1 Wizard. It is daytime, the city is bustling, and laughter is erupting from the tavern before you."
Player: "I turn around, head to market, and set up a business."
"....Excuse me?"
"Business. With Minor Illusion cantrips, I can set out an illusionary sign (until I can afford a real one), and start my own laundry service, using Prestidigitation, and Mending. 'Clothing Cleaned-Mended-Magiked(the spelling is what will bring the customers). While you wait!' It'll be a gold mine. Who needs adventuring?"

Just a thought I had. Wonder how punishing DMs would be to this.

"Why do you assume no one else is already doing this? I mean, the tools are there, and what you're basically offering is what many apprentices go through with their masters. Do you really want to enter an over-saturated market filled with hedge wizards who've mastered their three cantrips?"

[Winter_Wolf]

Question, what is "we are going to play lv1 characters not adventuring" is supposed to be the campaign?

Slice of Life campaign of [relative power level of level 1 PCs] people in a fantastical world might be fun.

That had better very explicit in the pitch and well before investing any time in playing or character creation, because while I'm sure of the existence of Slice of Life stories as well as people enjoying them, I would not be pleased to find out about being in one.

Then again, I'm heavily biased against Slice of Life anything. I could get behind an ordinary nobody thrust into adventure, but not just riding along pretending to have a normal everyday life; I already have one of those and it's dreadfully repetitive.

[LordCdrMilitant]

You know, that doesn't sound like a terrible premise for the campaign.

You want to found a laundromat. There's paperwork to do, you need licensing, and you need to buy a storefront. As someone else suggested, the local guild may not appreciate a rival who isn't paying membership dues, and the local criminal element may see an opportunity. And how are you going to break into the market? You have competition, and people may not be entirely inclined to change. If you can make your way through the bureaucracy and the best efforts of your competitors, and make enough money to pay the rent and a little more, there's also all the people you'll meet and their eccentricities.

[Lord Torath]

You know, that doesn't sound like a terrible premise for the a campaign.

Fixed that for you.

As others have said, this type of character needs to be agreed upon at Session Zero (unless you've already planned ahead and created a character who actually wants/needs to adventure to take over after your primary character opens his dry-cleaning shop).

Slice of Life is a perfectly valid campaign idea, unless the players are all expecting Dragon Hunters or Stop the Evil Overlord or Explore the Island that Time Forgot (or whatever premise they all agreed upon in the planning session that was not Slice of Life).

[LordCdrMilitant]

Fixed that for you.

As others have said, this type of character needs to be agreed upon at Session Zero (unless you've already planned ahead and created a character who actually wants/needs to adventure to take over after your primary character opens his dry-cleaning shop).

Slice of Life is a perfectly valid campaign idea, unless the players are all expecting Dragon Hunters or Stop the Evil Overlord or Explore the Island that Time Forgot (or whatever premise they all agreed upon in the planning session that was not Slice of Life).

I wouldn't say it rules out "adventure" in the least. The evil overlord is threatening the city, and by extension, your shop and means of survival, so rally your friends and what resources you can to drive him back! Competition in the big city is heavy and it's hard to break into more lucrative markets from a tiny storefront servicing half a neighborhood, but the Island that Time Forgot has re-appeared and doesn't yet have chain laundromats servicing its population, it's an opportunity for profit that can't be ignored!

It's an opportunity to anchor the characters in the world as a person, a cause for them to act, etc.

[Knaight]

I wouldn't say it rules out "adventure" in the least. The evil overlord is threatening the city, and by extension, your shop and means of survival, so rally your friends and what resources you can to drive him back! Competition in the big city is heavy and it's hard to break into more lucrative markets from a tiny storefront servicing half a neighborhood, but the Island that Time Forgot has re-appeared and doesn't yet have chain laundromats servicing its population, it's an opportunity for profit that can't be ignored!

It gets really contrived for any character that is predominantly a traveler, which gets back into the matter of how this is fine if it's what people agreed that the campaign is about to begin with, and otherwise it's disruptive.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

"Okay - you do that and become a boring NPC. Now roll up another character who actually wants to go adventuring."

But frame it more positive. Overly positive if you can.

"Sure, let me make a roll" *rolls behind screen* "You... have a hard time at first, but after a year when you can finally afford that real sign business starts picking up. You grow a massive washing empire fueled by eager freshly graduated wizards, you make a lot of money and attract the attention of a princess of the realm, who you marry, putting you on the throne of the demi-elemental plane of cleanliness. You die old and happy." *short pause* "Wow, that was some adventure right guys? Now, do you have another character ready? Then we can go do this other thing I prepared a little off for today."

If he wants to take his action back, make up a shorter but similarly elaborate story about an immortal wizard (with or without police box) granting him a major timeshift out of gratitude for cleaning his favorite pointy hat. Then start playing.

[LordCdrMilitant]

It gets really contrived for any character that is predominantly a traveler, which gets back into the matter of how this is fine if it's what people agreed that the campaign is about to begin with, and otherwise it's disruptive.

Would a homeless, jobless wanderer not be looking for a place to settle down with stable employment?

As I said, it doesn't nearly preclude adventuring and doesn't remotely have to be the main focus of the campaign, but something like this does provide a good reason for the character to care about the world, and go adventuring. And it doesn't have to eat up time significant at all. They released downtime rules a few weeks back that minimize the time you spend not stabbing things, this is what they're for.

[Knaight]

Would a homeless, jobless wanderer not be looking for a place to settle down with stable employment?

It's more that someone with a place to settle down and stable employment isn't likely to keep said employment when they go off to be a homeless wanderer for a while, and if the focus on the game is on these homeless wanderers that person doesn't fit - much the same way that if the entire campaign is set in one city nobody should be bringing their homeless, jobless wanderer unless that's their background and now they're settling down.

[Pugwampy]

Would a homeless, jobless wanderer not be looking for a place to settle down with stable employment?

Would not dungeon bumming be more profitable ?

[LordCdrMilitant]

Would not dungeon bumming be more profitable ?

Not really. Unit you're at high level, the pay isn't near commensurate with the hazard involved. And even then, it's a one-time bonus and you'll just have to go back out again before the month is out. At least the king's men know when they'll be able to retire, and have a pension!

[LibraryOgre]

Not really. Unit you're at high level, the pay isn't near commensurate with the hazard involved. And even then, it's a one-time bonus and you'll just have to go back out again before the month is out. At least the king's men know when they'll be able to retire, and have a pension!

Which is part of why I developed a system for investing.

[Beleriphon]

Question, what is "we are going to play lv1 characters not adventuring" is supposed to be the campaign?

Slice of Life campaign of [relative power level of level 1 PCs] people in a fantastical world might be fun.

I was in a 3.5 game once where my PC was a gnome ranger. A few sessions in we got pretty attached to some random NPCs that we game silly names to so we could keep track of them during a defend the town from a gobbo army scenario. So we switched back and forth between the adventurers and the level 1 commoners and warriors doing town stuff. It was pretty fun since town stuff was running a business, being a guard, and all of that good stuff.

So slice o' life cna be a fun way to play, but it's not fun when it is unexpected during session 1.

[CharonsHelper]

Not really. Unit you're at high level, the pay isn't near commensurate with the hazard involved. And even then, it's a one-time bonus and you'll just have to go back out again before the month is out. At least the king's men know when they'll be able to retire, and have a pension!

I don't know. A couple thousand gold is about a year's pay with decent Craft checks. There are people that do crazier things with a lower payout.

And since when do fantasy worlds have pensions?

[2D8HP]

...A couple thousand gold is about a year's pay with decent Craft checks. There are people that do crazier things with a lower payout...

IIRC, "One level and done", was how most of my oD&D/AD&D games went.

Either enough of the PC's died, it was time to switch who was DM (we did that a lot), or we just wanted to try new PC's, and the existing surviving PC's would "retire with the loot."

I don't really remember any "Mega-dungeons", or multi-year "campaigns" with the same PC's.

I knew other tables had them (I went to a couple of DunDraCon's, and I avidly read The Dragon), but we didn't play that way.

I guess we did it wrong.

[Dappershire]

I guess we did it wrong.

You did, I am sorry to say. We will be needing your dice now.

[wumpus]

Not really. Unit you're at high level, the pay isn't near commensurate with the hazard involved. And even then, it's a one-time bonus and you'll just have to go back out again before the month is out. At least the king's men know when they'll be able to retire, and have a pension!

You can live remarkably well at "wealth per level" (assuming you aren't the lost prince of now-under-the-sea-land) at most levels. Presumably the only reason to go into a dungeon at those dangerous levels just before raise dead becomes available (and affordable) is to catapult to the really high levels once it does.

This also seems a great way to retire a character that just isn't working out and especially before the party grows to fit the unwanted character.

[CharonsHelper]

Presumably the only reason to go into a dungeon at those dangerous levels just before raise dead becomes available (and affordable) is to catapult to the really high levels once it does.

I'd disagree for two reasons.

1. You're assuming that people are adventuring purely to make a living. My characters generally have larger goals, even something as vague as being a living legend.

2. By that logic everyone in the world would stop working entirely as soon as they made enough money to live decently for the rest of their life, especially if they have a dangerous job (by modern day standards) such as military/lumberjack/commercial fisherman. The world shows that not to be the case - either because they want to work and/or want more $.

[LordCdrMilitant]

I'd disagree for two reasons.

1. You're assuming that people are adventuring purely to make a living. My characters generally have larger goals, even something as vague as being a living legend.

2. By that logic everyone in the world would stop working entirely as soon as they made enough money to live decently for the rest of their life, especially if they have a dangerous job (by modern day standards) such as military/lumberjack/commercial fisherman. The world shows that not to be the case - either because they want to work and/or want more $.

"Made enough money to live decently for the rest of their life" isn't easy.

And that's not to say our enterprising wizard doesn't have greater goals.

[Segev]

I'd ask them OOC, "What is your goal here?"

If they do want to adventure with this PC, I'd give them the opportunity to have their actions and stated motives get snarled up with the plot, if possible. If that's not possible, or the PC proves to be intransigent about biting on hooks, I'd let him do his thing while I ran the game for those who wanted to do stuff. I'd strongly recommend he play something that wants in on the game. If he's happy with what he's got, though, so be it.

I'd check back with him, maybe throw some complications his way. Or I'd just wait until events happened near him to let him have another chance to interact with them. Maybe mention his little shop/stand to the others if they walk by it.

Eventually, he'll either do something or make a new character or leave the game. I'll be happy to discuss the issue OOC with him, but if he's not interested, he's not interested.

[CharonsHelper]

"Made enough money to live decently for the rest of their life" isn't easy.

Not if you define "decently" by quasi medieval standards as in D&D. You can live like that for $10k-15k a year easily. People could be done working by 35-40 at the latest if they get a halfway decent job.

[Knaight]

Not if you define "decently" by quasi medieval standards as in D&D. You can live like that for $10k-15k a year easily. People could be done working by 35-40 at the latest if they get a halfway decent job.

Yeah, until they get seriously ill for the first time and suddenly that money evaporates.

[scalyfreak]

Or unless they choose to continue working, at their current job or another one, for reasons that have nothing to do with income.

[CharonsHelper]

Or unless they choose to continue working, at their current job or another one, for reasons that have nothing to do with income.

That was part of what I meant to imply. (Apparently I suck at saying stuff through implication. )

Yeah, until they get seriously ill for the first time and suddenly that money evaporates.

If you're getting anything like top tier modern medical care - you're doing WAY better than decent from a quasi medieval perspective.