Alternative to XP expenditure?

[Sorren]

I'm considering ditching XPs and just levelling the PCs up when I feel they are ready. The question is: What do I do about XP expenditures if XPs are meaningless?

Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but I have an artificer in the group and he will be making a lot of items.

Anyone done something similar? How did you handle it?

 

[Sejs]

Required power components.

 

[calypso15]

I'm considering ditching XPs and just levelling the PCs up when I feel they are ready. The question is: What do I do about XP expenditures if XPs are meaningless?

Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but I have an artificer in the group and he will be making a lot of items.

Anyone done something similar? How did you handle it?

I would give each player a number of "Experience" points along with each level you give them. So, when they reach 2nd level, they each get 200xp. 300 at 2nd, and so forth. Or whatever amount. Then explain that the amount has no bearing on their level, it is just there for use with item creation or spells with XP components.

Calypso

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

As above - think of it like everyone getting a sizeable Craft Reserve, just like the Artificer.

That's a really good idea, actually.

 

[andargor]

IMHO, I think that power components (a variant rule, actually) is the way to go. There's no such thing as a free lunch, and it provides plot hooks to boot.

Andargor

 

[shilsen]

I actually do level PCs up as and when I feel they should, but I do so by handing out a sufficient amount of XP per session to get the levelling speed I want. So there is actually an XP total to use if required for item creation, powerful spells, etc.

 

[Sorren]

I'm trying to dump XPs altogether. I'd considered doing something like requiring the loss of permanent hit points somewhere along the lines of -1 per 500xp spent. Power componants would reduce or eliminate the cost.

Artificers would retain their buffer as usual and treat it normally.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'll move this to House Rules.

-Hyp.
(Moderator)

 

[Markn]

Xp Expenditure

Hi,

In our campaign we have switched from giving xp out to leveling up every couple of sessions. We have tried several rates but currently we settle on about 2 sessions per level. Each session lasts about 6 hours so we have 12 hours of gaming per level. Anyways, to answer the question of xp expenditure we have a house rule that if you spend xp equal to your level x 1000 you are now a level behind. For example if you are 4th level and you have spent 4000xp due to item creations, spells, etc then you are now a level below the party.


Technically, it's not perfect and a wise player can work around this but it does put some limitations. Besides, our campaigns have never seen a massive amount of xp expenditures. In addition to the above rules, 3.5 awards higher xp's to characters on lower levels than the rest of the party so we even allow that player to gain the level back at some point. I believe we have said that after 5 sessions you gain a lost level. This also works for people who have lost a permanent level too.

 

[painandgreed]

I haven't gotten rid of exp points, but I feel that requiring xp expenditure for just about anything is a piss poor kludge that doesn't fit into the game system and just needs to be done away with. The solutions that I'm looking at are along the lines of requiring rolls to make said items much like masterwork items and special components. Thus a bad roll may mean loss of money or possibly loss of special ingredients where the PC going out and getting some more might be the quickest and easiest. Afraid that I haven't spent enough time looking into such solutions to give any details.