The Tavern

As others wrote, the problem with the Delver background is not that it's lethal or luck-based (that's part of its fun, and even if you splat many Delvers, it's just a matter of minutes to launch another). The real problem is that when you manage to get back to D:1, the remaining game just isn't very interesting -- you end up with a sort of Brigand and a few motley books/weapons/evokables picked up in the journey upwards.

I propose to turn the Delver into an option at the start of the standard Dungeon Crawl -- you can pick your background as usually and then start the game normally or, optionally, at D:5 with the "benefit package". It could also be interesting to give the player the option to specify the precise starting dungeon level, perhaps tuning the benefit package accordingly. This way, one could try to start at D:7, D:9 or even at the bottom of the dungeon!

IMO it would definitely a more interesting experiment than the current Delver background, which -- instead of rewarding the few surviving characters -- saddles the player with a mediocre game afterwards.

One simple option would be to start the player at the temple, without additional items. Possibly with a piety boost upon joining a god instead? That's a lot more interesting than the current delver.

IMO that would be way too strong, even without the piety boost. I mean, delving for the Temple is already a favored tactic (that gets many characters splatted, but anyway). I think looking around (for stairs or the Temple) should remain a characteristic of this game mode/option.

Starting at temple without delver items is significantly worse than starting with delver items unless the piety boost is substantial (which is monk's gimmick, basically).

Personally, I'd prefer: random start, delver items YES, player choosing level (starting from 5). The delver package can be multi-tier and change with level or not (to make for an explicit challenge)

At that point, no need to start from 5; one could play a "mini-Delver" who starts from D:2 with one extra consumable or something.

Yes, but at this point the option could be more fuss than it's worth. I think to retain its flavour it should start at 5 minimum -- otherwise you can just start normally and go down the first stairs... which I always do, and then do again, and always gets me killed

Well you could choose to start from 5. You could choose to start from 15. I just see nothing gained by special-casing it to veto levels 2--4.

I agree -- in fact, it may even be more fuss to explain why the first few levels are off-limits to delvers... but I won't give substantial bonuses, if any, until the 5th level or so. It needs to remain a challenge.

Oh, obviously bonuses should be scaled to level. I suspect there should still be some bonus for D:2, but it could be a small one. (Say, one or two identified bad consumables; still mildly useful in that they made emergency blind-reading/quaffing safer, but not too exciting.)

Heh, I like this! Wanna start at lv2? Here's a potion of degeneration for you