Getting XP without adventuring

[Horoku]

I remember, back in Second Edition (kind of fuzzy on 3.5, because I'm old-fashioned like that... I'm fine on the player's side, but don't know a darn thing about DMing for it), there were rules for optional XP bonuses. Like, the thief got XP for using thieving skills, the Cleric and Mage got XP for casting spells, the Fighter got a small bonus for killing stuff... That's how I usually explain the bloody powerful raise-your-dead clerics in temples, who for some reason don't go out and slay evil on their own time.
As for level-0 "normals," I just consider them to be highly skilled in whatever their profession is. Unless they suck at life. Then they're very badly skilled in whatever their profession is.

 

[dead]

http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/misc/theoryaboutpeasants.html

Hope it helps.

Thanks, Ambrus, this was very interesting.

However, SKR seems to say that if a PC gets XP for downtime he can only spend it on advancing/aquiring an "non-adventuring" class: Commoner, Expert, etc. I'm not sure about this one.

 

[dead]

Just a possibility, but maybe you both could just agree on feats/skills he could actually get while off studying. This way he is not going up in battle tactics if he is actually just sitting in a monastary studying gardening.
But, I think, he should get something for all the studying.

Giving a PC bonus feats or skill points for downtime could be an easy fix but I'm not sure. You see, the D&D game presumes that you can only get feats and skill points when you advance a level. And how do you advance a level? You get XP, of course.

So if you trace this problem back to its roots, I think there has to be some XP for downtime mechanic in place.

 

[dead]

Simple. XP are for PCs. That is all the system is made for.

If XP were only for PCs, why is their a comprehensive level progression chart for NPC classes?

I'd like some system that allows me to quantify why such-and-such a peasant is Com1 while another is Com6. What do you have to *do* to get to a higher level?

Also, if a player retires his character for 5 years in the game, I tend to think he should get *something*; even if this something is the just a pittance of XPs.

 

[Ron]

I guess commoners gain experience points by killing rats, bugs, and so on...

Seriously, don't worry about, experience points are one of the worse D&D rules, in any edition. Think about, there are better ways to keep your self development than killing all people or animals around you.

 

[jmucchiello]

If XP were only for PCs, why is their a comprehensive level progression chart for NPC classes?

I'd like some system that allows me to quantify why such-and-such a peasant is Com1 while another is Com6. What do you have to *do* to get to a higher level?

It's in the DMG. The DMG grants xp to characters who overcome challenges. Commoners overcome challenges by just living their normal life. Most NPC challanges are on the 1/20 - 1/10 CR level. Thus, a challenge for a 1st level commoner will yield 15-30 xp per challenge overcome. Takes a long time to level unless they take on stronger challenges. (Or life throws them hard challenges, depending on how you look at it.)

Imagine the farmer bringing his goods to market. Sounds like a 1/10 CR challenge to me. If he gets the goods there on time he'll get 30 xp. If they area is highly civilized that might drop to a 1/15 CR. Or maybe there's a harvast problem that means he has to push his mule cart hard to get the best market price. Those are experiences that will eventuall get him up to 2nd level.

Just because most PCs gain xp through monster challenges doesn't invalidate the system. I can't understand people who complain about the lack of xp awards for roleplay. Just call the various npcs whom the pcs must interact with challenges and give them a CR for "defeating". Need to get the informant to talk, perhaps he's a CR 5 information source. Need to get the prince to fund your exploration expedition, call that overcoming a CR 8.

SKR's article is similar to the above, but he makes more of a system out of it, IIRC.

 

[pogre]

That's one of the things I love about Ars Magica - the wizard who stays home and studies in the lab usually advances more than the guy out trouble shooting.

 

[Psion]

If XP were only for PCs, why is their a comprehensive level progression chart for NPC classes?

I don't need to know what the XP total of a commoner is much less how they got there. It's just extraneous information.

 

[Umbran]

In most senses, the exact XP total of a commoner is extraneous information. However, how he got to be level 6 or level 10 is frequently not extraneous. a 6th or 10th level commoner is an unusual thing. They've lived an unusual life (for a commoner), and that'd impact their life, position in society, and their personality. The history of exceptional NPCs of any class is hardly extraneous.

NPCs gain levels for the same things PCs do - for overcoming challenges. Adventuring is merely an occupation that is rich with challenges. Note that a challenge is not necessarily a combat encounter. A challenge is merely a difficulty that tests the person's mettle, and from which they could be expected to learn. Commoners typically don't run into many challenges each year, so most of them don't progress very high.

 

[CalrinAlshaw]

There are also those who advance simply through training for years and years. I'm almost inclined to say for every year of consistantly training, it counts as about 1000 XP. (10 years for elves since they are so flighty and have a harder time concentrating on 1 project)

Maybe 5 years for dwarves, cuz they like to make sure they do everything right, etc.

These are just ideas and no real system. I've never used it etc.

Using this, a commoner starting at age 18 could be 63 at level 10, same for any schmoe who doesn't really overcome major challenges and just trains.

Basically, the chart in the PHB that lists total experience to achieve a certain level. (1k for level 2, 3k for level 3 etc.) Just use that number divided by 1000 (200 for dwarves, and 100 for elves) to get amount of years training. People who advance beyond 10th I would think have generally overcome some sort of major challenge or challenges to get there. This could be as simple as fighting to be on the city/town counsel and succeeding. Perhaps theres a drought and the commoner travels to find a druid willing to assist him and his neighbors. Stuff like that.

Calrin Alshaw