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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Piratecat" data-source="post: 2825057" data-attributes="member: 2">This post is going to appall all the members who like using the CR system and calculating experience points precisely. Don't go away just yet, though -- you're the folks I need to find holes in my suggested solution.First, a confession: I detest calculating XP. It requires figuring out the actual CR of all my home-grown monsters and NPCs, it requires a spreadsheet for each character and encounter, it doesn't take into account the massive story content of my game, it doesn't factor in the fact that my game levels far slower than average, and it requires me to keep better bookkeeping than I currently do (especially when xp-draining spells and item creation gets used.)  When I figure out XP, I usually throw a big honkin' story award on top, then even out the numbers so it at least appears that I calculated it the official way.Shhh, don't tell my players.Ultimately I want my PCs to all level at the same time, and I can know when that is based on game play and what adventures they've been on (in my game, about every ten 3-hour sessions.) I suppose I could technically just discard XP, except that it's intrinsically tied into item creation and spell usage. So here's what I'm considering:1. I will add Action Points (AP) from Eberron into my game. Action points normally give you a d6 bonus on any d20 roll (or can be traded in to get extra use of limited class abilities.) As per Eberron rules, you get 5 + 1/2 your level in Action Points every level, and unused ones are discarded. I'll do it differently.  Instead...2. Every level each PC will automatically gain 5 AP and an XP Pool of (1/2 old level x 1000). (Thus, a PC going from 10th to 11th level would get 5 AP and an XP pool of 5000 xp.)  Action points can be spent normally, as per Eberron. The XP Pool can be spent to power xp-cost spells and to fund item creation.  -- A character may change their XP Pool into Action Points on a 1-AP per 1000-XP basis. (Thus, the aforementioned character hitting 11th level could eliminate their XP Pool entirely and get 10 Action Points instead, which is how many they'd have gotten automatically in an Eberron game. Or they could use up 3000 xp on an item, and get 7 Action Points.)  -- A character may donate their XP Pool to a spellcaster to help in making magic items, but on a 2-for-1 basis. Thus, if a fighter was donating to help make a magic sword normally costing 1000 xp, he would spend 2000 xp out of his pool.)3. Any Action Points or XP Pool points left over at the end of a level are lost.4. When a character dies, of course, they lose a level. The actual DMG system allows them to eventually catch back up to the group, because they get more XP for any given encounter than their higher level buddies.  My system doesn't model that.I think it could, though, by saying that if a character dies, they lost a level. If for the next two levels in a row they give up their 5 "automatic" AP that they would have gotten, they regain their lost level. In other words, you lose an level and get fewer AP for two levels, then go back to your normal character level and number of Action Points.Consequences I foresee:   - Players get Action Points, which they didn't have before.  - Characters who make items or use spells like wish get far fewer Action Points.  - Everyone levels at once.    - No DM bookkeeping for experience.  - There's a player tradeoff between using Action Points, making magic items, and using XP-draining spells like wish.  - Players track their own XP Pool and Action Points, removing some DM bookkeeping.  - Non-spellcasters get more Action Points, but spellcasters can use spells like wish a very limited number of times.  - The prohibitive XP cost of expensive magic items can be reduced by sharing the load with non-spellcasters, albeit at an inefficient rate.  - Level loss from dying is a temporary thing, really only affecting the PC for two levels before they revert.Okay, what am I missing? Why would this be a horrible mistake to use in your own game?  Where is it possibly open to abuse?And thanks!</blockquote>

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