DSC-EricPrice said:
Hypothetically, does this system make it easy for a DM to hand out partial abilities as a character progresses through a level in a class, so that perhaps if they are a druid progressing from 1st level to 2nd some point between 0 and 1000 XP the DM would say "ok, your BAB went up by one". Later, give the player +1 to Will, or some other piece of the abilities, skills, and powers that he'd normally receive when he hits the magical 1000 mark?
Hypothetically, very easy. The DM knows (to use an earlier example) that it costs 150 XP to get a +0 BAB to a +1 BAB. So when the player has picked up 150 XP, he gets the increase. Then at, say, another 150 XP, he sees his caster level go up... and so on.
How much does this gradual front loaded progression of abilities skew the game mechanics in the PCs favor?
Surprisingly, not much. I actually "aimed" to have the average class build of level X land "past" the "minimum required XP" to have a PC of level X.
Which is to say, on average, getting all of the Level X abilities happens when the character has the XP required for Level X
plus about 25-50% of the XP required for Level X+1. In other words, your character usually doesn't gain all of his "4th-level abilities" at exactly 6000 XP - it often happens around 7000 or 8000 XP instead. Some classes (and some levels) gain things a little early or a little late, but on average, it all balances out.
As a hard example, the "average" 1st-level core class (i.e., starting character) requires a shade over 2000 XP to "build." Some classes require less (a 1st-level fighter can be built on just over 1000) and some require more (a 1st-level cleric approaches 3000). I have characters start with 1500 "generation points" which are basically the virtual XP you use to build a starting character. On average, you come up short of a "1st-level character." But you quickly catch up and by the time you're around 900 XP you're more powerful (on average) than a "starting 1st-level character." The differences in starting builds usually even out after 3-4 levels, and as I've mentioned elsewhere, there are some levels that are more expensive than others (at 12th level you see all your saves increase, all classes improve BAB by one, you get a Feat, and you get an attribute increase - at 13th level, you see none of the above unless you have fighter-type BAB in which case you see only a BAB increment - naturally, all the abilities of 12th level tend to cost more than all those of 13th level for this reason).
In other words, I tried to aim for something in the "range of XP that a level X character would have" rather than "the minimum XP that a level X character would have." I hope that allays any of the concerns you might have.
--The Sigil
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