3e Character Advancement Too Fast?

[Zerakon]

It seems to me that the 3e experience point and levelling system is too generous. Just wondering if I am in the minority on this. Maybe this is an old topic, but I'm just getting into 3e now.

-- Zerakon the Game Mage

 

[MarauderX]

Depends on the DM, really, as challege ratings can't make up for better critter tactics, puzzles, saving the princess, etc. I think it's a little fast compared to OD&D of course, but that's just me...

 

[JoeGKushner]

I voted a little too fast.

I enjoy characters in the low to mid levels and that's basically one or two adventurers these days.

Then again, that was part of 2nd ed's structure and I know my players hated that. "Man, how many dragons do we have to kill go gain a level?"

 

[Gothmog]

Way too fast for my taste. I know most people play short campaigns (<1 year), but I always run longer (3+) year campaigns. It seems to me that the way 3E has advancement, a character hardly has time to explore and utilize their new abilities before they advance again. My solution was to ditch the CR/XP system and only give XP for story awards and roleplaying with a slower advancement rate (about 1 level per 3-5 adventures).

 

[francisca]

It's all on me, as the DM, so I think it's just right.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

I just ran a couple sessions, and I'm now in the camp of "slightly too fast." If I had given out every single XP for all the monsters killed (there were many), and for all the roleplaying (there was a lot), then they might have made two levels. Cutting the XP in half was still too much. I cut it just short of a quarter, then added in some miscelleneous, and they still made a level (which was fine).

Yeah, it was a long, busy session, and if it been spread out over a few days I would have let them have it all, but as it stood...

 

[HellHound]

I go with slightly too fast.

I run my current game with a 1/2 XP multiplier.

 

[Arnwyn]

Way too fast if you follow the DMG standard, IMO.

Just like Hellhound above, I run my game with a 1/2 XP multiplier.

 

[Melan]

The default is way too fast for me. Since I don't like level 10+ adventures all that much, I had to house rule XP progression in my campaign.

 

[nsruf]

I voted "just right". Before I got heavily into D&D, I mostly played games like GURPS or Shadowrun where you can improve your PC a little bit after each adventure, and I having to wait for much longer until something changes seems boring to me. In fact, I would be tempted to change characters more often to get at some of the other options.

I use a homebrew XP system that results in one level-up every 3-4 sessions (i.e. its is scaled to the recommended speed of advancement), and play in one campaign with standard XP where it takes more like 4-5 sessions since we have a lot of inter-party banter and such. Both seems about right, given that my own game is scheduled every two weeks and the other one is weekly.