An alternative to Milestones

[keterys]

One valuable control on the milestone mechanic is that it's _not_ just every 2 encounters.

If people are goofing around not doing anything useful, or trying to find 'a kobold' to kill to refresh action points... it doesn't work. On the other hand, you can have one big encounter count as a milestone.

I know one DM who was running KoS and as his party started the Irontooth encounter said 'If you get him bloodied, it counts as a milestone'.

That's a very interesting use of the mechanic.

 

[Syntallah]

What about tying an experience point total to a Milestone?

In other words, every XXX amount of experience earned counts as a Milestone.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

What about tying an experience point total to a Milestone?

In other words, every XXX amount of experience earned counts as a Milestone.

Oh god here comes an adventurer and he's 15 XP short of his milestone!

 

[pukunui]

I don't think I'm the only one who finds the concept of Milestones a little cumbersome. I get the idea - that there are some resources which shouldn't be replenished as often as once per encounter, but which need to be replenished more than once a day - but in practice, it feels just a little too arbitrary and artificial.

Currently, each milestone earns you one Action Point and lets you refresh one magic item's Daily power.

I would suggest the following alternative:

After each encounter, you gain one of three benefits, which you must choose immediately. You may choose to:

• Gain one Action Point
• Regain one Daily magic item power
• Or regain one expended Healing Surge

This should provide a similar rate of resource-recovery, with more options, without the need to track Milestones.

Comments? Criticism? Abuse?

Ooh, I like this too. I don't have an issue with the artificiality of the milestone concept in and of itself. My concern is simply that it seems like an easily forgotten mechanic. I'm worried that I won't remember to mention that a milestone has been reached, and I doubt my players will remember either.

 

[keterys]

Hmm, one way you could alter things up is to use this as presented:

Each encounter, gain one action point, one use of a daily magic item power, or upgrade one ring property (I'm a little iffy on the healing surge thing, honestly, but you can obviously stick that back in)

But you start with 0 daily magic item uses and action points after an extended rest.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Oh god here comes an adventurer and he's 15 XP short of his milestone!

Like "Damn, I am short 15 XP of my next level. Are there any dire rats around here... Wait, what did you say your Will defense was, Bob?"
Of course, the alternative might be worse - he could be talking about his horrible halfling childhood and how nobody wanted to play with him, getting some "roleplaying XP"

 

[andarilhor]

I think will make Action Point a Roleplaying Reward.

 

[pukunui]

I think will make Action Point a Roleplaying Reward.

I was doing this toward the end of my 3.5 game, and I'm thinking I'll continue to do this. Except that I'll probably make it that action points earned through roleplaying won't go away if you haven't used them by the time you take an extended rest ...

 

[darkwing]

I know one DM who was running KoS and as his party started the Irontooth encounter said 'If you get him bloodied, it counts as a milestone'.

Great Idea. Makes sense too considering the encounter outside + half of a difficult encounter inside = 2 encounters = milestone. And most importantly it sounds fun.

 

[keterys]

Y'know, the 'regain one healing surge' bugged me, but I do think I'd be cool with 'spend one healing surge' as another option on this house rule. If you're resting 5 minutes anyways it does you no good, but if you can't...