Experience for nuthin and yo chicks for free

[S'mon]

You jest, but it seems appropriate to me to raise an NPC a level or so when time is skipped. Why wouldn't I do the same for the PCs?

If the NPC has been adventuring or similar major achievements off-screen, I might level them up. This would apply only to a minority of highly active NPCs though - and in some campaigns I might also be rolling to see if they get killed.

If your PCs are likewise held to be adventuring off-screen, then sure, give them XP and levels. That might apply to eg the PC who rejoins the group after a long time away. But I would never ever give XP just for 'being alive'.

 

[S'mon]

You jest, but it seems appropriate to me to raise an NPC a level or so when time is skipped. Why wouldn't I do the same for the PCs?

So, let's say the PC's meet a young boot that has just joined the Duke's Guard. He's 15 years old and a 1st level Fighter.

The campaign takes the PCs away from that town, then several years are skipped. The PC's return to the town, but now, it's five years later. The NPC they met before is 20 and a veteran of the goblin front.

It would be appropriate to raise that NPC to level 2.

If the NPC has gone from novice to battle-hardened veteran, I might well raise him several levels. He might also be missing an arm, or dead.
What I wouldn't do is give PC or NPC routine XP just for living. I really, really dislike the "80 year old 12th level Commoner" meme that started in 3e.

 

[S'mon]

You jest....

Well: the 1e AD&D Lankhmar book has a lot of low level NPCs with the note "Quark used to be a 14th level Thief, but his physical skills have deserted him". I kinda liked that. In my Southlands campaign last time, Baron Parre of Bisgen (NPC) was asked by Varek (PC), her former guards captain, if she thought Varek could beat the rebel Nerathi Lord Halvath Cormarrin in a duel. Parre commented that years ago *she* could have beaten Halvath, but with 20 years of rulership her battle skills had declined; and she didn't know if Varek could beat him, either.

As it happened, they did duel to the death at dawn, and Varek just managed to beat Halvath.

 

[pemerton]

I'm thinking of trying to have some time pass in my campaign. I certainly won't be awarding XP. The function of level and XP in my game is to provide an ever-changing (and stakes-escalating) backdrop to play. No play means no rationale for changing the backdrop.

 

[kitsune9]

[MENTION=92305]Water Bob[/MENTION] - Awesome!

 

[kitsune9]

I'm going to give the PCs XP for this time we skipped. Not much, but a little. I figure that they didn't stop learning and having at least some experiences as the time goes by--advancing them almost as I would an important NPC.

What I think is fair is 1,000 XP (3.5 based game) per game year. Since that works out to 2.7 points per day, I'll round up to 3 XP per day.

Now, before you D&D players start foaming at the mouth and telling me that my "system" is all wrong, know that I'm not playing D&D.

The question of this post becomes: Do you skip time in your game? And, if you do, do you award some XP to the PCs to account for that game time not played?

I don't think your system is wrong at all! Matter of fact, if you think it's a good representation to:

1. Advance at a slow progression of an adventure a year
2. Keep the advancement confined to within a level per year

then, I think you got something there. As for me, I have our modules at a "set" timeframe as well though probably not nearly as long as yours. If it's a short module, it's 2 weeks - 1 week to represent actual "game time" and 1 week for down time (for the players to craft things, make Perform checks, etc.). If it's a standard module (little travel, but a couple of levels to be gained), then it's a month, 15 days of actual game time and 15 days of down time. If there's travel involved, then some modules will be longer than others. I always include a downtime component to each module so players who are crafters, alchemists, or just want to be performers can make use of those abilities as well.

I personally don't like the concept of being Zero to Hero before your 21st birthday unless I'm running the Forgotten Realms, so I purposed lag the time between adventures.

 

[Water Bob]

@Water Bob - Awesome!

Thanks, brother!

I don't think your system is wrong at all! Matter of fact, if you think it's a good representation to:

1. Advance at a slow progression of an adventure a year
2. Keep the advancement confined to within a level per year

At 1000 XP per year, the only characters that will level up are 1st level characters.

I personally don't like the concept of being Zero to Hero before your 21st birthday unless I'm running the Forgotten Realms, so I purposed lag the time between adventures.

I'm not crazy about that, either. One of the things (among many) that I love about the Conan RPG is the XP system. It's totally in the GM's hands. That's one tool the GM has to control his game.

In my game, 500 XP is A LOT. Awards of 50 or 75 XP for a game session are not unheard of.

But, then, if the players really do excel, I'll reward the heck out of them. They pulled off a miracle three game sessions ago, and I raised them an entire level (which should take game years to accomplish).

Most of the time, though, I try to keep them with steady, slow progression.

 

[Stormonu]

This system works great until you start including Elves and Dwarves.

 

[Water Bob]

This system works great until you start including Elves and Dwarves.

Do you adjust XP for PC Elves and Dwarves while adventuring?







Changing gears...

Here's an idea for PCs.

How about awarding them 1 pt per X days, where X = the character's level. The thinking is: the higher the character, the more able he is to deal with these miscellaneous challenges that happen "off camera", the less he is really challenged. The effect is that the PC gets something but not much.

A modifier could be thrown in to adjust for the PC's environmental conditions. The thief living in Shadizar's Maul might get 1pt per (X times 3) days, while the barbarian who risks his life regularly in his native environment will get the original 1 pt per X days.

Therefore, when skipping 3 years....

A 1st level Barbarian would get 1095 pts and become 2nd level. (1pt per 1 day)

A 2nd level Barbarian would get 548 pts (1pt per 2 days).

A 5th level Thief in Shadizar's Maul would get 73 pts (1 pt per {5 * 3} days).

Just a thought.

 

[Living Legend]

Hey Water Bob, congradulations on an awesome post, I tried to be the first person to give you some exp for it, but it said I have to spread it around first, and that makes you the first person I have ever given that much exp to.