Yes, I just wanted to reply the same thing. Although one could argue that awarding the multiplied XP would be fairer, that is not what the rules say.
D&D 5E Do the official WotC adventures cheat with xp?
Yes, I just wanted to reply the same thing. Although one could argue that awarding the multiplied XP would be fairer, that is not what the rules say.
While awarding milestone leveling is certainly a valid way to play there are benefits to playing with XP leveling as well.
Take Adventurer's League, for example. You have people dropping in and out of games all the time. With milestone leveling there is no way to track the progress of a player that can't make it to every game. Of course you can just ignore the fact that he has only been to half the games and give him the level anyway, but other might see that as diminishing their own efforts and contribution.
Also there is the issue of common experience (player experience, not XP.
). If I am talking to someone I just met and find out they also play D&D and they say that they have played a character up to 15th level I know how much time and effort went into that character if they are using the XP method. If they are using milestones it could have been the same effort as XP, or it could have been 15 sessions with a level up after each one.
Finally, I do feel that I earned my levels more if I did it with XP. If the DM just says, "You finished this section of the adventure. Go ahead and level up for the next one." it just loses some of the significance for me.
Again, I am not saying that milestone leveling is bad, it is just different. There are definitely benefits. A lot of people don't like tracking and figuring out XP. It keeps the story moving without "mandatory" side quests. Etc. But tracking XP has its own benefits and rewards.
Take Adventurer's League, for example. You have people dropping in and out of games all the time. With milestone leveling there is no way to track the progress of a player that can't make it to every game. Of course you can just ignore the fact that he has only been to half the games and give him the level anyway, but other might see that as diminishing their own efforts and contribution.
Also there is the issue of common experience (player experience, not XP.
). If I am talking to someone I just met and find out they also play D&D and they say that they have played a character up to 15th level I know how much time and effort went into that character if they are using the XP method. If they are using milestones it could have been the same effort as XP, or it could have been 15 sessions with a level up after each one.Finally, I do feel that I earned my levels more if I did it with XP. If the DM just says, "You finished this section of the adventure. Go ahead and level up for the next one." it just loses some of the significance for me.
Again, I am not saying that milestone leveling is bad, it is just different. There are definitely benefits. A lot of people don't like tracking and figuring out XP. It keeps the story moving without "mandatory" side quests. Etc. But tracking XP has its own benefits and rewards.
Milestone leveling works when the adventure has a structure to it. Even better when the entire campaign is mapped out for you before you even start.
I'd much prefer milestone XP to milestone leveling. "If the players do X, they get Y XP regardless of how many monsters they have to kill to do it". When I convert old modules for 5e play I figure out how much XP, roughly, I want that portion to give.
Completing a task gets XP, defeating monsters gets XP (even random monsters that have nothing to do with the task at hand. It still makes you better at killing), overcoming other traps or obstacles gets XP.
I'd much prefer milestone XP to milestone leveling. "If the players do X, they get Y XP regardless of how many monsters they have to kill to do it". When I convert old modules for 5e play I figure out how much XP, roughly, I want that portion to give.
Completing a task gets XP, defeating monsters gets XP (even random monsters that have nothing to do with the task at hand. It still makes you better at killing), overcoming other traps or obstacles gets XP.
BookBarbarian
Expert Long Rester
The books all pretty much ignore the guidelines for XP and Treasure. You either get way too much of both or almost nothing.
I remember playing through "Hoard of the Dragon Queen" and not getting a single magic item on my character until level 8. (A few magic items were found before then, but not many.)
Then I ended up with Haziwran - a legendary, sentient greatsword. Someone else received a legendary black dragon mask, and we also found a Staff of Fire. All around the same time.
Is it weird that I actually like it this way.
"You get no treasure until in a random Troll cave you find two legendary swords of Elven Make, and one Elven dagger that is far more useful than it first appears" somehow strikes a chord with me.
Darkness
Hand and Eye of Piratecat [Moderator]
Keep it civil. Neither politics nor attacks on your fellow posters have a place on these boards. You've been here long enough to know this.
Darkness
Hand and Eye of Piratecat [Moderator]
Don't say you're reporting someone's post, please. Just report and let us moderators handle the situation.
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It's one way of running a low magic campaign - very few magic items show up, but they tend to be very old/powerful.
In Storm King's Thunder, it's an adventure for levels 1 to 10 and the PCs are not even expected to go to 4 of the 10 major locations.
It's ludicrous. Why set up those great settings and then set up the adventure to not go to them? smh
BookBarbarian
Expert Long Rester
I thought it was because people were asking for more sandbox adventures, or that players dislike being "railroaded" or something like that.
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