S
Sunseeker
Guest
This is one reason I've generally felt that class benefits should come as "packages" every say, 3 levels, instead of every single level. Updating your character sheet with another +1 to hit or +1 defense in the middle of a session isn't too hard. Choosing new feats, spells, abilities, and that sort of stuff can be. Also, some people gain more than others, some people take more time to level up than others. Having it come in "blocks" every 3 or so levels would mean it would be easier to plan out a "level up night".My concern is more for the amount of table time it take to level, rather than the amount of game time. If 6 easy combats or 2 tough ones nets you a level gain, given how quickly combat moves thus far, you'll probably level every game session. Again, I know this can be altered at whim by the DM-- it's just a strange baseline.
But those resource recharges don't matter if you're not expending them, they don't get saved up until you do(which would be an interesting feature).Regarding your interesting examples of an expansive reading of "adventuring day"-- Gandalf taking three days of travel in a paragraph, e.g.-- there is a gamist twist. Three days of travel technically gets you three extended rests, i.e. complete resource recharges. The "adventuring day" as defined in the playtest has to do with how many resources a party can expend before needing to completely recharge, which maps to a solar day because sleeping overnight is the trigger to recharge all that stuff.
Regarding XP-for-killing, I'm definitely with you in being a bit concerned about that focus and the effect it can have on gameplay. They do include some vague guidelines about giving XP for achieving goals, though. Hopefully those rules (along with other variants such as XP-for-GP and so on) will get full treatment as options in the DMG. I try not to advertise for myself, but rather than copy-pasting a long thing I'll link to this: Megadungeon XP for D&D Next | Megadungeons.com which suggests two alternate systems I cooked up for awarding XP at the same rate as the playtest guidelines, but for different achievements other than killing.
Indeed, while it is more difficult to plot out how much a skill challenge should be worth, it is one thing I liked about encounter-based XP numbering, as I feel that rewards should go for successfully overcoming the challenge, by ANY means. Cleverly avoiding the carefully laid Goblin traps can be just as challenging and therefore rewarding as running head-first into the Goblin War-Camp and wholesale slaughtering them.