Experience

[Turin Turambar]

Being new to this board, I am asking this question hoping it hasn't been mentioned before....?

My DM and I (I DM too alternantely) have seen the experience rise to quickly and levels gained to fast for our liking. Following the rules of tabulation even, it seems to quick. So we have devised our own system for in-house, and I would like opinions.

Level XP
1 0
2 1,000
3 3,000
4 6,000
5 10,000
6 20,000
7 26,000
8 33,000
9 41,000
10 50,000
11 100,000
12 111,000
13 123,000
14 136,000
15 150,000
16 300,000
17 316,000
18 333,000
19 351,000
20 370,000
21 740,000


As you can see, the first 5 levels are the same. But then it doubles to 20,000 instead of 15,000. We feel, that after 5 levels of advancement, the character has to work harder to reach the next stage of advancement. In my game, most characters are only at level 3-4 right now, so the chance to implement this new table has not yet arisen.

Comments?


Thank you!

 

[hammymchamham]

why not just give less experience?

 

[maddman75]

Here's what I've done. I highly recommend it.

Throw out the creative fictions that are CR ratings. Assign experience based on the group's progression through the game. Level them up as fast as you like.

Problem solved

 

[KnowTheToe]

You could also just Halve the experience given. Your chart works well and you have already done the work, so you might as well go with that.

 

[Number47]

I now use the patented Ultra-Lazy Experience™ charts. I give my players 20% of the experience needed to gain a level each time they show up to game. Seeing as how none of them like to show every single game, it actually takes about six or seven game days to level.

 

[mmu1]

It's potentially a workable idea, but your implementation of it isn't very good. The major problems:

1. At 5th and 15th levels, wizards and clerics will get their new spells, and happily settle down for the long wait, while sorcerers and psions (don't know about classes like Bards, no PHB at work) will gnash their teeth in frustration at needing to double their experience before they get theirs - they'll spend a lot of adventures without access to abilities they really should have had by then. It's a similar problem for classes that get extra iterative attacks at 6th, 11th and 16th levels, lots of waiting with one less attack than they should have...

2. Magical item costs, and 15th level wizards... With 150,000 xp needed to get to 16th level, they're effectively locked in place level-wise, and better off just converting xp into magical items, getting a boost that way, because they sure as hell aren't going to level... (And I weep for 15th level sorcerers... They'll never see 8th level spells)

3. Since levels 6, 11, and 16 will be several times longer than others, your characters will spend a lot of time stuck at a certain CR / level of ability. It can easily get tedious if they spend as much time doing level 6 as all the ones before it.

You're much better off just keeping the table as is, and reducing the xp you hand out by a fixed amount, it'll work much more smoothly.

 

[kreynolds]

Personally, if you want to slow down level progression, I can only advise that you go back to AD&D...

...or just give 50% XP (nods to hammy and Know).

 

[IceBear]

nods to kreynolds

IceBear

 

[Number47]

nods off

 

[IceBear]

nods off

Be careful, you'll go blind if you do that too much

IceBear