Companion Backgrounds are way out of line with their actual levels

[Pinhead Larry]

Seriously, is anyone else bugged by this? I've always maintained the mindset that the mechanics of a character e.g. their stats, levels, etc. are what defines them in the actual world of the game.

So why is it that our companion characters all have these wildly super powered backstories and yet they all start out as level 1-3 chumps when we meet them?

Gale was a wizard prodigy who was so good at magic he literally got the Goddess of magic to teach him and bone him personally, yet when we meet him he's a level 1 wizard? Astartion has been alive at LEAST 200 years, and despite only 1 or 2 combat encounters being enough to level the party up to level 2 he's also NEVER managed to kill enough in those 200 years to ever go beyond level 2?

Karlach and Wyll really take the cake for me though, especially the former. You're tellin' me that this level 3, Just-got--my-first-class-feature generic tough girl haircut lookin' arse barbarian was not only in Zariels inner circle, but ALSO was her personal favorite pet project and a frontline soldier in the muthafuggin' BLOOD WAR for TEN YEARS and she ONLY ever miraculously reached level 3 at most in that time? And Wyll was a seasoned veteran adventurer famous enough in his exploits to have become easily recognized and made into a folk hero. He's level 2-3 by the time you meet him and he joins you. Level 2 and 3 characters literally haven't been adventuring long enough to have made a name for themselves beyond their local hamlets. There are gangs of street urchins that employ generic thugs that are higher than level 3.

These backstories are all the end results of player characters who should be level 17-20 at this point, not starting characters who still only have a 60% chance unmodified to hit basic goblins, even when I remake their characters because their default stats are garbage for actually winning fights on any difficulty above the easiest. Who wrote these characters? No offense to them, but the writing doesn't match up with their mechanics at all, this is "Original The Character Do Not Steal" levels of character writing in a TTRPG, or at least the videogame simulation of a TTRPG.

[Pyracles]

Yup, bugs me too.

[Jeysie]

This is pretty typical of quite a few of the roleplaying companions I've encountered in RPGs over the years. Planescape Torment, Fallout 1 & 2, Pathfinder games, Wasteland 2 & 3, the Shadowrun games, the companions all had elaborate lengthy backstories but still are level 1 because that's how game balance works *shrug*

The only cure would be a game that runs on Epic level play or blank slate companions with no backstories. Solasta did the latter approach, but while I enjoyed playing it, I had to admit the lack of memorable companions was a bit of a downside.

[TazzieDevil]

Wyll is all, ---- i went to hell (it is hell or one of the abysal planes he went to right or did I miss interpret it) after a bad guy, I have a friend who I can't name who sent me. Wyll is level 2. The person who sent you to hell or the like, isn't your friend - he is your worst enemy and the only reason you are not some demons toy or blessedly dead is the writers are on your side. Where oh where is the game designers common sense? If he was a Harper for instance anyone in the Harpers who had the boom chicka magic to send him to another plane would know better - or they rolled a 1 on their common sense roll.

[2LambBuna]

because the tadpoles somehow set everyone back to level 1, yeah it kinda doesn't make sense, but just go with it

[His Divine Shadow]

Your first mistake here is not understanding d&d mechanics. Level 1 adventurers on par with level 1 pc’s which is what the companions are, are already massively overpowered when compared to everyone else. A level 1 pc fighter is like, for a real world comparison, an army ranger with multiple combat tours under his belt and the audie murphy badge

[Jonas™]

Actually, if you want to talk about power levels and how absurd it is, Gale really takes the cake. He tried to use an ultra-powerful Netherese artifact to get Mystra's attention so he could steal her powers. He literally tried to steal magic from the god of magic. and now he is just this annoying guy who follows you around and wants to eat all your good items.

[♢︎♢︎♢︎♢]

Originally posted by Recjawjind:

Originally posted by ♢︎♢︎♢︎♢:

what a cringefest

Oh you must have looked into a mirror.

GOTTEEEEEM

[Ommamar]

It is not new if you look at Baldur's Gate 1 you meet Jaheria and Khalid at an inn when you are level 1. In the lore they are both well known adventurers with them being involved in the Harper organization which has very powerful people. It has always been something you need to suspend disbelief this video does a good spoof on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoO2eI9IioE

[Eguzky]

A level 1 adventurer is more experienced and stronger than adult NPCs like farmers and soldiers.

Think about it; Adventurers can have over 10's in many (if not all) stats at level 1.
10 is average.
This means level 1 adventurers are either supernaturally smart/strong/wise...or they had training/adventures PRIOR to level 1 that set the stage to BE level 1.

They did not just wake up one day and become level 1; they trained and worked at it.

[Nazkai]

I mean look so far I am absolutely loving the story, exportation and fun factor of this game But - that said, I agree with the OP here as they are right this can break imersion for some.

And (to me) while I love both Larian and Owlcat I think that this is one area that Owlcat handles better by you know actually giving some stats and proper powers to the cool backstory companions if they were special somehow like for example Arushalae has some unique and lore appropriate power creep and stat bloat going on in WOTR.

I mean if you are going to give me a Vampire high elf please also give him some unique vampire or half vampire like powers or cool features for immersion.

I get around it a bit by say multi classing Astarion into a bit of ranger and Storm Sorcerer and giving him appropriate vampire like spells and abilities like Find Familiar and Fog cloud and Necrotic cantrips aswell as allowing for him to fly after casting Spell slot spells from his Subclass but (as cool as that all can be) much of this kind of "Flavor" should be already there for better immersion is my thought.

[Quillithe]

Originally posted by Ommamar:

It is not new if you look at Baldur's Gate 1 you meet Jaheria and Khalid at an inn when you are level 1. In the lore they are both well known adventurers with them being involved in the Harper organization which has very powerful people. It has always been something you need to suspend disbelief this video does a good spoof on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoO2eI9IioE

Yeah, agreed.

On the one hand, these backstories are maybe a bit more extreme than those.

On the other hand there's at least a handwave that the parasites made everyone weaker to start, it's mentioned several times. I know Wyll mentions it for sure.

[Eguzky]

Originally posted by Nazkai:

I mean if you are going to give me a Vampire high elf please also give him some unique vampire or half vampire like powers or cool features for immersion.

He's a vampire spawn, not a full vampire.
He even mentions at one point that he does not get the fun powers because he's not a full vampire.

There's the immersion; he's not a true vampire. Therefore; no vampire powers.

[His Divine Shadow]

Originally posted by Nazkai:

I mean look so far I am absolutely loving the story, exportation and fun factor of this game But - that said, I agree with the OP here as they are right this can break imersion for some.

And (to me) while I love both Larian and Owlcat I think that this is one area that Owlcat handles better by you know actually giving some stats and proper powers to the cool backstory companions if they were special somehow like for example Arushalae has some unique and lore appropriate power creep and stat bloat going on in WOTR.

I mean if you are going to give me a Vampire high elf please also give him some unique vampire or half vampire like powers or cool features for immersion.

I get around it a bit by say multi classing Astarion into a bit of ranger and Storm Sorcerer and giving him appropriate vampire like spells and abilities like Find Familiar and Fog cloud and Necrotic cantrips aswell as allowing for him to fly after casting Spell slot spells from his Subclass but (as cool as that all can be) much of this kind of "Flavor" should be already there for better immersion is my thought.

:lunar2020thinkingtiger:

Like myself and Eguzky have pointed out, level 1 adventurers on par with level 1 pc adventurers are already massively overpowered compared to everyone else. Astarion also has valid lore reasons why he’s not stronger

[Jeysie]

Originally posted by Nazkai:

Arushalae has some unique and lore appropriate power creep and stat bloat going on in WOTR.

Worth noting her stats are toned down quite a bit from the original Adventure Path, though.

[Pinhead Larry]

I dunno where everyone is getting the idea that Level 1 PC's are supposed to be OP compared to farmers and whatnot.

5e rules state that level 1 is basically "You managed to complete a 6 month community college course" levels of experienced. Keep in mind that a single level 1 PC in this game can absolutely be bodied by two generic goblins on even the lowest difficulty setting.