Protege System

Having a character die sucks.  It isn't always so much that you lose the awesome guy you built up and all of the cool stuff, but that your new mook is 1st level and everyone else is a powerhouse (like 5th level).  You are a fragile and delicate flower compared to the hardened badasses that have almost two magic weapons. among them.

Enter the Protege System!  The idea is that you can impart some of your adventuring knowledge to one of more protege characters that, when your main character is taken out of action, retires, or is otherwise no longer in play you can come to the table with a character that is at least not a completely fresh supern00b.

A Note on Experience
The game I run has 2 types of experience

• Adventuring: from killing monsters, lore awards, and exploration (about 60% of all EXP)
• Carousing: experience from spending all the loot you find (about 40% of all EXP)

Adventuring EXP is handed out at the end of adventures or when there is a reasonable break in the action (not each session). 

The System

• A character may have a maxim number of protégé equal to their maximum henchman number. 
• A character may have their first protégé when they reach level 2. 
• Protégé can be of any class. 
• Protégé may pass between characters, but once passed on may not go back to a former master. 
• Protégé must be at least 1 level less than the master character. 
• A protégé may not have a protégé himself; only primary characters may have protégé. 
• Player may pass along Adventuring EXP to the protégé in the same session it is earned. 
• The amount of EXP is 2x CHA percent of any EXP earned (CHA of 11 = 22%). 
• This amount is divided among all protégé, split as desired. 
• This EXP is not lost to the main character. 
• A protégé can only gain EXP this way once per session. 
• The first time a protégé is played they are a character and can no longer a protégé and cannot be given experience points in this manner.

Example: Higgins earns 250 EXP.  His CHA is 14.  So Higgins has 250 * (14 x2)% = 250 * .28 = 70 EXP to distribute to his 2 protégé in any manner he sees fit.

Character Last Will and Testament
This also gives players the ability to write up a will for their stuff.  "I bequest my fine silver blade to my protégé Asgird and my suite of chain to Gwendolyn.  The remainder of my goods are given to the party treasurey except for my coin which is to be show to Kylic the thief then given to the poor so the wretch knows what he can't steal."

Posthumous EXP
For characters that were awesome but died off in a battle, they still gain posthumous EXP which can be handed out to protégé before they become primary characters.  It is that last bump for a "job well done".  If the character is going to remain a protégé then they don't get this option and can learn from whoever takes them, over.