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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 5531800" data-attributes="member: 1210">EXPERIENCE AND TREASURETreasure is the basic goal of an adventure: not merely the gathering of it and using it to improve one's gear, skills and relationships, but the spending of it for its own sake. EXPERIENCE POINTSGAINING EXPERIENCE POINTSExperience points (or xps) are the main way a character advances. Once a character accumulates sufficient xp to gain a level, she must spend a full day resting, studying and training; this is in addition to any other training, time or cost requirements for gaining a level in a specific class (see the Advancement section). After she rests again, she awakens refreshed and with a bit more potency.Experience points come from two sources: Overcoming Challenges and Frivolously Expending Treasure.OVERCOMING CHALLENGESPcs earn experience by defeating monsters, evading traps, navigating through social challenges, etc. However, it is important to realize what constitutes a challenge. For an event or encounter to be considered a challenge, failure must have serious consequences for the pcs.  “Serious consequences” might not mean death, but a pc should not earn xp for a friendly arm wrestling match or a bar brawl where the stakes are a bump on the head and a small fine to pay for the damages. When in doubt, do not award xp.FRIVOLOUSLY EXPENDING TREASUREThis is one of D&D Jazz' few explicitly gamist constructions. When a pc spends money frivolously, he gains experience points at a rate of 1 xp per gp spent frivolously. For money spent to earn the pc experience, it must be spent in a way that gives the pc nothing more than fleeting pleasure: feasting, ale and whores, drugs, downtime vacations, etc. If the character ends up with something on his character sheet in exchange for the money spent, it does not qualify. Likewise, money that improves the character's relationships, repairs damaged equipment, gains the character fame or notoriety, is donated to an organization that may later aid the pc or otherwise has any gain for the pc does not qualify. (However, note that a pc cleric could “spend money frivolously” by donating it to his church anonymously; as long as there is NO POSSIBILITY of a “return on investment”, the expenditure qualifies.)This rule exists for the following reasons:-To promote treasure-gathering as a primary pc motivation;-To ensure that spending money on improving your character's gear is not always the best use for money;-To help drain the pcs' resources so that those who become rich have given up something else. THE PACE OF ADVANCEMENTD&D Jazz is designed with a pace of advancement similar to 1e in mind. However, a great deal of the pacing is in the hands of the pcs, since they can decide to plumb more dangerous areas in search of greater treasure (which they can spend to gain xp) or stick to easier, less dangerous areas at the cost of slower advancement.    A character can never advance more than one level in one game session, and the pace should be substantially slower.     Ideally, pcs should level more and more slowly as they go up in levels.     All pcs use the same chart for advancement, as follows:Experience Point Total --- Level 0 - 999 --- 1st1,000 - 2,999 --- 2nd 3,000 - 5,999 --- 3rd6,000 - 9,999 --- 4th10,000 - 19,999 --- 5th20,000 - 31,999 --- 6th 32,000 - 45,999 --- 7th 46,000 - 59,999 --- 8th 60,000 - 77,999 --- 9th78,000 - 97,999 --- 10th98,000 - 130,999 --- 11th131,000 - 166,999 --- 12th167,000 - 205,999 --- 13th206,000 - 247,999 --- 14th248,000 - 317,999 --- 15th318,000 - 381,999 --- 16th382,000 - 449,999 --- 17th450,000 - 521,999 --- 18th 522,000 - 597,999 --- 19th 598,000 - 697,999 --- 20th698,000 - 802,999 --- 21st803,000 - 912,999 --- 22nd913,000 - 1,027,999 --- 23rd1,028,000 - 1,147,999 --- 24th1,148,000 - 1,297,999 --- 25th1,298,000 - 1,453,999 --- 26th1,454,000 - 1,615,999 --- 27th 1,616,000 - 1,783,999 --- 28th1,784,000 - 1,957,999 --- 29th1,958,000 - 2,167,999 --- 30th EXTRAPOLATING THE XP CHART TO HIGHER LEVELS: It is easy enough to figure the xp required to attain higher levels as follows.    Each level requires additional xp equal to Level * N to advance.     N is equal to 1,000 + 1,000 per five full levels attained.     Thus, from 1st to 4th level, a character needs Level * 1000 to advance; from 5th to 9th, a character needs Level * 2000 to advance; and so on (the top of the chart, 30th level, reaches the point where the pc requires Level * 7000 xp to advance).TREASURETreasure is found in the hordes of monsters, in payment for services rendered, as a reward or hidden in ancient burial chambers. It is one of the primary goals for adventurers.     That said, remember the value of a gold piece. Only the mightiest monsters have hundreds or thousands of gold pieces; most have a much smaller amount of money. Eventually each monster will be assigned a Treasure Type (similar to 1e) but for now, determining the amount of treasure in a given horde is an exercise left to the dm, using the xp chart as a guide.    The best and greatest treasures, of course, are magic items.    Magic items are rare.  Almost all have unique histories, and many have individual names. Just because a sword's only mechanical benefits are a +1 bonus to attack and damage doesn't mean it isn't a valuable historical artifact with a storied history as the blade of a great hero.    Consumable items are the exception. Since they are typically single-use, most consumable items don't have a history. Even here, though, there are cases where they do, such as a scroll penned by the famed Acererak containing a powerful spell nobody dares unleash.Any type of magic item from D&D's history can be converted for use in this system with a little work. Typical magical treasure should be generated randomly but should be in use by its possessor (except in cases where that is impossible).  Pcs are free to provide the dm with “item wish lists” so long as those lists have plenty of room to be used as scratch paper before being mockingly discarded or are soft enough for the dm to use as toilet paper before flushing them away. If a pc wants a specific magic item, he should focus on learning the ritual in question and making it himself- which is far closer to 1e or 2e levels of difficulty as opposed to 3e or 4e levels of difficulty- or on locating and questing for the item.CREATING MAGIC ITEMSCreating magic items is an arduous and time-consuming process.  To do so, a character must know the proper item creation ritual and the recipe for the item in question.  The character must then perform the ritual, expend the required time, ritual components and ingredients and perform the various procedures required to create the item. If necessary, multiple creatures can work together to create the item, but all must work the entire time. Any interruption in the enchantment process will spoil it, with the loss of all ingredients and components; thus, most would-be item creators seclude themselves to make a magic item.    The item to be enchanted must be of high quality, although it can be disguised as a cheap or old item. The price to purchase such an item is anywhere from triple to ten times normal cost at a minimum.      Sometimes the enchantment process goes wrong, creating an item that is either cursed, intelligent or otherwise not as intended. Magic is never a sure thing. The more powerful an item is, the more likely it is to go awry, while the more powerful the creator is, the less likely it is. INGREDIENTSMost of the ingredients required for creating a magic item are subsumed in the cost of its ritual components and of buying the base item to be enchanted. All magic items require at least one ingredient that is not so easy to find, as specified in its description.BUYING AND SELLING MAGIC ITEMSMagic items are rarely for sale, but it happens once in a while. But what do they cost? There is no set cost, but look at the cost to create such an item for a beginning guideline. Note that, in addition to the cost of the components, the creator must go to the hassle of finding the ingredients, then must spend a great deal of time and effort to make the item. All that time and effort costs! On the other hand, an adventurer who is short of cash but recently found an item he cannot use might let it go at a much lower price than one would expect, especially if unaware of its properties and true value.RANDOM MAGIC ITEM GENERATIONAbout 10% of discovered magic items should be cursed.  About 50% of discovered magic items should be consumable. The lists given should not be seen as exhaustive by any means.</blockquote>

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