Gold and XP Farming

[painandgreed]

OK, this isn't about computer versus table top games. It's always been an issue with D&D that the PC would come back, the XP and treasure would be decided and given out, and some character would be soem almost trivial amount of gold or XP short of what they needed. Do you allow them to resolve this without going on another full on adventure? If so, how?

Within the rules, a PC can use his skills to earn money. That's simple and quick, but hardly worth it when your 10th level character only makes double what a 1st level character made. Unless the DM uses some ad hoc XP, the CR system prevents any nickel and dime XP.

 

[jgbrowning]

On the few times it's been an issue I just pulled a Picard, "Make it so."

joe b.

 

[Ravellion]

The XP is abstract anyway, so I just allow them to level. I don't give them actual XPs though. They level, but they don't get the XPs.

Rav

 

[Treebore]

I'm with Joe Picard. Letting them level and then earn the xp's on the next adventure is a good idea too.

So is telling them, "You little baby! In the old days I had to wait years to earn enough xp to level and your crying because your so close and only have to wait until next session?! For crying out loud! You leveled up twice just last weekend! You can go a whole gaming session without leveling! Suck it up you pathetic simpering dog!"

Or something to that effect.

 

[Thanee]

They just level up after the next encounter (or other XP worthy situation).

Bye
Thanee

 

[Vorput]

I usually just hand-wave it and give them the level...

I've never encountered the gold situation, presumably they could borrow from another PC or something.

Vorp

 

[Mycanid]

Sigh. Well, I must admit that I tailor the adventures I make to pretty much "guarantee" leveling up ... assuming the characters don't totally blow it. I believe in making the pc's work for their levels. Hard. To me each level is then more rewarding and valued. I don't like making things easy for them, because they they grow to EXPECT a level as a reward for completing an adventure. For me it just don't work that way.

But that's just my approach.

 

[tzor]

To be honest I've never really thought about it in that way before. I tend to be very encounter oriented, probably a result from my old 1E days when different classes needed different exp levels to advance, and 10% bonuses were often common on top of that. So I generally design the encounters to move the party at a pace, and throw in a suitable amouont of extra for role playing and other factors. (Consider it a tip on their experience bills.) And I'm on occasion not only a generous tipper, I like to round things up on occasion.

So in general, if the numbers were really close, there would be a good chance that they would simply get enough as a result of other factors. If the result was close enough to be a real encounter, I'd throw in an urban encounter, perhaps a little solo one if necessary and use that to tie it to some other aspect of the advanture.

 

[painandgreed]

I've never encountered the gold situation, presumably they could borrow from another PC or something.

Similar situation happens when one player wants to take downtime and another doesn't due to training, research, solo adventures, etc. Or for that matter, if there is any significant downtime at all. Other DMs I have played under have provided "jobs" or other systems to privide the non-active PC with a token amount of money or XP.

 

[shilsen]

Sigh. Well, I must admit that I tailor the adventures I make to pretty much "guarantee" leveling up ... assuming the characters don't totally blow it. I believe in making the pc's work for their levels. Hard. To me each level is then more rewarding and valued. I don't like making things easy for them, because they they grow to EXPECT a level as a reward for completing an adventure. For me it just don't work that way.

But that's just my approach.

I take precisely the opposite approach, since I dislike the idea of power/levels in the game as something PCs earn. I'm not interested in handing out XP based on what the PCs do. As a teacher, I grade enough in the classroom, without having to use it in the game. Instead, I've completely dropped the standard XP system and simply hand out a fixed chunk of XP per system. So if the PCs are short of a level, it's completely intentional on my part.