A Hero's First Steps is an Unearthed Arcana article containing rules for characters before 1st level. [Dr403] It is paired with a similar adventure in Temple of the Weeping Goddess found in Dungeon Magazine. [Du194]
The notable rules for level-0 characters are as follows:
- Characters choose an attack power based on their intended power source. These powers are improved by spending experience points.
- Characters choose from two arrays: Promising (14, 14, 12, 10, 10, 10) or Prodigy (16, 12, 12, 10, 10, 8)
- Characters receive training in one skill related to their power source.
- No feats, aside from those granted by racial selection.
- Starting equipment is one simple weapon, a backpack, normal clothes with a belt, and one other piece of adventuring gear worth 5gp.
- Hit points start at 6 + Constitution score, and the surge count is 4 + Constitution modifier.
Experience tokens are awarded at the end of each encounter, regardless of outcome. These are used to augment the at-will powers.
Upon reaching level 1:
- The at-will attack power is replaced by those from his class.
- Two ability scores are increased by +2 each.
- Your character should have received enough wealth during the initial adventure, therefore no wealth is explicitly gained upon gaining a level.
Bugs[]
- The prodigy starting array leads to the level 1 character with the stats 18, 14, 12, 10, 10, 8. The tertiary stat is one point higher than a comparable array.