Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Jeff Wilder" data-source="post: 4643858" data-attributes="member: 5122">In my game, PCs have to take downtime in order to &quot;absorb&quot; the knowledge they've gained.&nbsp; I call it &quot;training,&quot; but it isn't, really.&nbsp; There's no cost, and the time is free to spend in other pursuits ... just no adventuring, or it doesn't count as downtime.&nbsp; If they gain one level, required downtime is one month.&nbsp; If they gain two, required downtime is four months.&nbsp; They can't gain more than two levels without taking some downtime ... their XP totals freeze just before that third level.&nbsp; You could extend it to three levels -- nine months downtime required -- without too much effect (because most of the time the players will take the downtime at the one month or four month point), but I wouldn't go beyond that.(I do charge a lifestyle cost for downtime equal to 10 gp per level per month, adjusted up or down depending on how luxuriously you want to live.&nbsp; My PCs generally take the default.)It works pretty well.&nbsp; My PCs are now 11th and 12th level, and three years have passed in Eberron.&nbsp; Without this mechanism, they could easily have made 11th or 12th level in three months of game time, which annoys the hell out of me.I've toyed with the idea of a tightly-linked episodic game in which the PCs gain a level, then go back to their lives for a year or more, then gain a level, then go back to their lives, and so on.&nbsp; Theoretically, 30 years or more could pass.This would be kinda cool because it would definitely emphasize things like Craft and Profession skills, stronghold building, running businesses, politics, and even romance and marriage.&nbsp; If the time between episodes was long enough, the effects of aging would actually be a factor in the campaign.&nbsp; I'll probably end up doing it one of these days.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jeff Wilder, post: 4643858, member: 5122"] In my game, PCs have to take downtime in order to "absorb" the knowledge they've gained. I call it "training," but it isn't, really. There's no cost, and the time is free to spend in other pursuits ... just no adventuring, or it doesn't count as downtime. If they gain one level, required downtime is one month. If they gain two, required downtime is four months. They can't gain more than two levels without taking some downtime ... their XP totals freeze just before that third level. You could extend it to three levels -- nine months downtime required -- without too much effect (because most of the time the players will take the downtime at the one month or four month point), but I wouldn't go beyond that. (I do charge a lifestyle cost for downtime equal to 10 gp per level per month, adjusted up or down depending on how luxuriously you want to live. My PCs generally take the default.) It works pretty well. My PCs are now 11th and 12th level, and three years have passed in Eberron. Without this mechanism, they could easily have made 11th or 12th level in three months of game time, which annoys the hell out of me. I've toyed with the idea of a tightly-linked episodic game in which the PCs gain a level, then go back to their lives for a year or more, then gain a level, then go back to their lives, and so on. Theoretically, 30 years or more could pass. This would be kinda cool because it would definitely emphasize things like Craft and Profession skills, stronghold building, running businesses, politics, and even romance and marriage. If the time between episodes was long enough, the effects of aging would actually be a factor in the campaign. I'll probably end up doing it one of these days. [/QUOTE]

Verification