D&D 5E Can Anybody Make Sense of New XP values?

[MatthewJHanson]

So the new playtest packet gave us encounter XP budgets that I thought I'd try out. I started by looking at the dark cultists. And... the weakest of the set (dark acolyte) is worth the most XP?

I figure this has to be a typo, so I looked at other monsters to try to figure out if the acolyte is too high or the others are too low, but the monster other XP values are so inconsistent that I can't make heads or tails of them.

Anybody got if figured out?

 

[FireLance]

All I know is, a decently-built dwarf Slayer Fighter can take on four zombies one after the other in quick succession and earn enough XP to reach 2nd level without losing a single hit point.

 

[the Jester]

Between the dwarf v zombie experiment FireLance did and the thread about a level per day, I feel that the rate of advancement is probably about 10 times my preference.

 

[Jupp]

Just did this little playtest for the fun of it:

Human Fighter (as per pregen) vs. Dark Acolyte

x squares apart

Rolled Init: Fighter (10) Acolyte (12)

Acolyte(9HP): Ranged attack (Roll 12) misses
Fighter(12HP): Rapid Shot (Roll 17, Roll 17) hit/(4) Damg 2, hit/(1) Dmg 1
-----------------
Acolyte(6HP): Healing Word (Roll 5) gets back to 12 HP
Fighter(9TP): Ranged attack(Roll 10) hit Dmg 1
-----------------
Acolyte(8TP): Approach, attack with Channel Divinity (Dmg 7+2) + mace attack (Roll 16) Dmg 2+1
-----------------

Combat resolved, fighter is toast. Huzza for the evil side!


I know that the acolyte is lvl 3, but still. I could have saved myself wasting healing word and get done with the fighter in round 2. A level 2 or 3 fighter would be a different thing but if played right even such an encounter could be interesting enough to justify 270 XP (though I agree that it is a bit too much)

 

[MatthewJHanson]

Just did this little playtest for the fun of it:

Yeah, after doing a little playtest of my own, I think the error is probably that the dark adept and priest's XP values are too low.

Also the NPC version of channel divinity is super dangerous. Auto damage PLUS a weapon attack? First I think they forgot to change it when the changed CD for PCs. Second this shows how giving NPCs daily resources is not the same as giving them to PCs.

(And I'm not impressed by the bow fighter. I think he needs to be able to add a stat to bow damage).

Back to the original topic.

Another major XP oddity: Medusa vs. Orc. (Again I think medusa is underpowered).

 

[FireLance]

Just did this little playtest for the fun of it:

Human Fighter (as per pregen) vs. Dark Acolyte

x squares apart

Rolled Init: Fighter (10) Acolyte (12)

Acolyte(9HP): Ranged attack (Roll 12) misses
Fighter(12HP): Rapid Shot (Roll 17, Roll 17) hit/(4) Damg 2, hit/(1) Dmg 1
-----------------
Acolyte(6HP): Healing Word (Roll 5) gets back to 12 HP
Fighter(9TP): Ranged attack(Roll 10) hit Dmg 1
-----------------
Acolyte(8TP): Approach, attack with Channel Divinity (Dmg 7+2) + mace attack (Roll 16) Dmg 2+1
-----------------

Actually, I think there might have been an error in the pregen document. Dexterity is supposed to add to the attack rolls and the damage rolls for missile weapons, so the fighter's damage with the longbow should have been 1d8+4. In addition, he probably would have been better off making a single attack so that the bonus damage from his expertise dice is not halved. If he had adopted that strategy, he would have hit with his first attack roll of 17 and dealt at least 9 points of damage to the dark acolyte (the first damage roll of 4 on 1d8 +4 for Dexterity +1d6 for expertise dice), killing it.

 

[Ghost0]

Can someone explain to me why the xp values can't just be simpler? I mean, I know I can use simple arithmetic for xp budgets and players leveling, etc, but why can't a Level 1 creature reward 100 xp, and a Level 2 creature reward 200 xp and a Level 3 creature reward 300 xp? Elite would be double, Solo would be Quintupled.

If a player is Level 1 they have 0 xp
Getting to Level 2 requires, let's say they have to overcome 10 threats of their level, so 1,000 xp.
Getting to Level 3 requires, let's say 10 threats of their level, so 2,000 xp.

Why can't it be as simple as this? I'm just spitballing here with advancement thresholds, but why can't xp values for threats just be simpler? What's up with a L1 Centipede giving 70 xp and a L1 Goblin giving 120 xp?? If they're both the same level, doesn't level equal threat? And why can't it just be 100 xp for Level *1*?

 

[Steely_Dan]

No, nor Elites and Solos.

Lame.

 

[MerricB]

Note also that the XP values/XP progression is deliberately fast. We're not playtesting those values at the moment; rather Wizards wants us to test all the levels.

See Mike Mearls tweet here:
https://twitter.com/mikemearls/status/246642826056724480

Merric: The group is gaining levels very, very quickly. This intentional?
Mike: Yes, for the playtest we want people to zoom through levels. Final game will have few different XP rates that DMs can choose form.

Cheers!

 

[GreyICE]

Can someone explain to me why the xp values can't just be simpler? I mean, I know I can use simple arithmetic for xp budgets and players leveling, etc, but why can't a Level 1 creature reward 100 xp, and a Level 2 creature reward 200 xp and a Level 3 creature reward 300 xp? Elite would be double, Solo would be Quintupled.

If a player is Level 1 they have 0 xp
Getting to Level 2 requires, let's say they have to overcome 10 threats of their level, so 1,000 xp.
Getting to Level 3 requires, let's say 10 threats of their level, so 2,000 xp.

Why can't it be as simple as this? I'm just spitballing here with advancement thresholds, but why can't xp values for threats just be simpler? What's up with a L1 Centipede giving 70 xp and a L1 Goblin giving 120 xp?? If they're both the same level, doesn't level equal threat? And why can't it just be 100 xp for Level *1*?

Because Next is Old School and weird XP values are Old School. It's something we should just give up about fighting, since it's not a big deal and the Old School players like it.

Me I personally think it's pointless and finicky and puts WAY too much emphasis on specific XP values, Dungeon Crawl style (rather than epic adventure style) but this is me.