D&D 5E Downtime XP farming with animate dead or conjuration spells

[Legatus Legionis]

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[Maxperson]

I suspect that there are more gradations than trivial or certain death. Maybe even something like easy/medium/hard/deadly....

Yep. I didn't limit what I said to those two, though. Even an easy encounter, given enough of them, will eventually roll(mechanics) well enough to kill one of the wizards. It has to at least be a threat to the wizard to warrant exp.

 

[Seramus]

Remember, you can't animate a corpse that has been previously animated:

That's a pretty uncommon interpretation. Most tables have no issue with repeat animation - especially if some of the bodies have story or sentimental value.

 

[Harzel]

So What?

This is when players can enjoying playing some of those very low level modules and come up with some of the craziest ways to defeat your enemies.

Heck, in one group, we had a 15th level warrior and a 13th level barbarian. Both had gauntlets of Ogre Power and Girdles or Giant Strength.

We encountered a hallway guarded by a dozen skeletons.

The two decided to play their version of Auzzie Rules Football. The first skeleton they were able to knock the skull off by crushing the body between two full-sized shields they rammed into the skeleton into the wall with. They then proceeded to use the skull as the "football" and them began to run back and forth THRU the lines of skeletons, knocking them down, stomping on them, grabbing an upper thigh bone and using it as a baseball bat against the skeletons, etc.

And running back and forth many times, the hallway was left with nothing but bone dust in the air. The players (including those watching the mayhem) were laughing hysterically and enjoyed the would encounter tremendously.

Months afterwards, the players were still talking about it.

That is what high level characters are for. A time for fun! A time to let go.

Sure, sounds great. (Well, not exactly my cup of tea, but sounds like they had fun.)

But if you want a high level character (and don't want to wait to get there), just make a high level character. Unlike an MMO, there's not a batch of inflexible software between you and having a high level character (and even some MMOs have realized you should just let players make a high level character if that's what they want). The whole XP farming charade is unneeded and pointless.

 

[Li Shenron]

Has anyone else run into this little gem?

1) 5th level necromancer has corpses
2) Casts animate dead on them
3) Orders them to attack him.
4) Slays his own undead for xp.
5) Rinse and repeat
6) Profit to level 20

Also works with conjuration spells, perhaps even better because you can get more xp out of higher level creatures.

What is the point of levelling up without playing the game?

 

[snickersnax]

What is the point of levelling up without playing the game?

As I mentioned before, it could be used to level up low level NPCs so they can adventure comfortably with the party.

Also other down-time options are do things like: make magic items, run a business (and hopefully make money, gain reknown, gain inspiration, etc.

You could say the same thing about almost all the other down-time activities, what's the point of getting magic items without adventuring for them? What's the point of making money without adventuring?

 

[snickersnax]

Yep. I didn't limit what I said to those two, though. Even an easy encounter, given enough of them, will eventually roll(mechanics) well enough to kill one of the wizards. It has to at least be a threat to the wizard to warrant exp.

When was the last time an easy or medium difficulty encounter TPK'd your party?

 

[Oofta]

As I mentioned before, it could be used to level up low level NPCs so they can adventure comfortably with the party.

Also other down-time options are do things like: make magic items, run a business (and hopefully make money, gain reknown, gain inspiration, etc.

You could say the same thing about almost all the other down-time activities, what's the point of getting magic items without adventuring for them? What's the point of making money without adventuring?

Why do you need to justify this by silliness? If you want the new players to be higher level ... this gets a bit tricky here ... just make them higher level.

I find it more interesting to work with a player to come up with a story of what they were doing* to gain the level(s). That story can be as varied as the PCs. Some may have gained experience sailing the seas as part of a pirate crew and are now trying to put that life behind. Maybe they were bounty hunters and always looking over their shoulder. Several of the backgrounds can give you justification for being a higher level.

You don't need to worry about how they got there, just come up with a story of how it happened. Yes, this option could be one of the ways to justify it, it's just not one I would use.

*Assuming I care, which to be quite honest I normally don't. Some people love writing up backgrounds or downtime activities (I know I do) others don't.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Lanefan]

What is the point of levelling up without playing the game?

For some people, of whom I am not one, levelling up is the game.