Fun with XP -- let's make up a reward that fits

[Jeff Wilder]

I have a follow-up question. These characters might level up in the midst of an apocalyptic storm. Can they fully level up? I mean, do the wizards suddenly pen new spells into their books? If the ranger decides to summon an animal companion (which he hasn't before), does it arrive despite the fact that any living creature coming within miles of this place is struck dead?

We always allow level-up during a daily rest. It can take a little bit of thought to make it pass suspension of disbelief, but it's not too bad.

"Wizards tinker with spells constantly. I guess Harald finally figured out how to toss a fireball."

"That is one smart bear, playing possum whenever a dangerous creature got too near. What in the world did you do to inspire that devotion?"

 

[irdeggman]

I have a follow-up question. These characters might level up in the midst of an apocalyptic storm. Can they fully level up? I mean, do the wizards suddenly pen new spells into their books? If the ranger decides to summon an animal companion (which he hasn't before), does it arrive despite the fact that any living creature coming within miles of this place is struck dead?

Per the RAW - yes, there is no default "down time for training". You can use the option "training rules" in the DMG (pg 197) if you decide to.

As far as scribing the bonus spells gained for leveling up - it takes no time or cost to do so.

PHB pg 179

Note that a wizard does not have to pay these costs in time or gold
for the spells she gains for free at each new level. She simply adds
these to her spellbook as part of her ongoing research.

As far as the ranger's animal companion goes - it takes a 24 hour uninterrupted ceremony to do this.

PHB pg 35

If a druid releases her companion from service, she may gain a
new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted
hours of prayer. This ceremony can also replace an animal companion
that has perished.

Now this assumes that the druid begins play (i.e., did the cermony beforehand) with an animal companion, otherise it takes performance of the cermony again.

Now since rangers get an animal companion at 4th level instead and rules for animal companions are the same as they are for druids (except for the class level) - I would say that if the ranger didn't choose his animal companion when leveling up to 4th level then he must perform the ceremony just like a druid would.

It seems that where they are they can't get 24 hours of uninterrupted time and hiding in a rope trick shouldn't work since you can't affect things outside of your "space".

 

[coyote6]

I think I would have given them xp for the 5 who actually attacked, plus probably another xp equal to CR 6-8 for getting away from the other 34 (and the 4961 behind them).

Did they actually get away from the area?

Edit: Also, I'd probably let them level. I'm usually pretty nice about it in game, though I used to ask what they planned on taking in advance.

 

[aboyd]

Yes, they made it closer to the ancient evil source. They decided to move only at night, caked in mud and leaves, moving at a slow pace. I figured if they were going to be that obnoxiously paranoid about it, I'd let 'em advance. When they got close to the ziggurat/pyramid thing, it was fogged in with Fog Cloud. I rolled for encounters on every square (about every 500' of movement), and they got some, but they used the fog against the spirits, and gained concealment and continued to move toward the goal. So they've actually entered the pyramid against all odds, but mostly by avoiding every single encounter.

I will indeed let them level up. I'll go with Jeff's idea, and presume that the wizards had been noodling around with their spells books all along, and finally got their new spells right.

 

[irdeggman]

I will indeed let the level up. I'll go with Jeff's idea, and presume that the wizards had been noodling around with their spells books all along, and finally got their new spells right.

Which is exactly as the RAW states - see the quote about new spells taking no time or cost and being a result of their ongoing research.

 

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

If you look hard enough, there's a little-known rule that says you can't get enough XP at once to level twice - any excess is wasted unless immediately spent it on crafting, XP-costing spells, or similar (but regardless, you're not leveling twice).

So defeating 5,000 CR 6 beasties all at once when you're 7th or 8th? You level to 8th or 9th, and are 1 xp short of 9th or 10th.

wow. This is a very very useful rule to me.

 

[irdeggman]

wow. This is a very very useful rule to me.

Yup it is a major change from 2nd ed (I believe it was the same way in 3.0, but I might be mistaken).

 

[Noumenon]

Mightn't Fog Cloud help the storm spirits find invisible creatures by finding the human-shaped holes in the fog?

It's not that the players are clever so much as the spells Invisibility and Rope Trick are written with tons of flavor and simulationism but no thought for how much they will screw up your game. The definition of invisibility in 4E includes a box explaining your options against an invisible creature. In 3E there's no indication of how to handle it, and I had to go first to an Enworld thread about flour, dust of appearance, and faerie fire, then learn the Scent rules, and then read a big Rules of the Game article that put down actual DCs for all the variables (ie Moving at half speed, DC to Notice, DC to locate). Otherwise I felt totally helpless against it. I have a full-page summary tucked in my DM binder about it still (can share if anyone's interested).

 

[Invincible Overlord]

It seems that your PC's are flying low under the radar, just as Frodo did on his epic quest to destroy the One Ring.

Reward ingenuity in your players, but more than a (single) level in this case would be too much.

Let them level up during the adventure, unless you already have existing rules on how to deal with training.

 

[aboyd]

Mightn't Fog Cloud help the storm spirits find invisible creatures by finding the human-shaped holes in the fog?

Yes but since Fog Cloud obscures vision beyond 5' so too will the "human shaped holes" be obscured. That's the problem -- these spirits cannot see any better than a person, and thus must be right next to an enemy in order to notice anything. It reduces encounters to almost pure coincidence.

Thanks for the mention of Rules of the Game. I've bookmarked it.