loseth
First Post
Based on what we’ve seen of quests so far and on how much I like skill challenges (tried my first one last night & loved it)...
Guideline 0: These guidelines are entirely optional and intended only for those that might like this sort of thing. None of what I say below should be taken to mean, ‘You should play D&D this way’ or ‘D&D would be better if played this way.’
Guideline 1: Don’t hand out any XP for defeating monsters. PCs may need to defeat monsters in order to complete a particular quest, but they get no direct XP for doing so.
Guideline 2: All XP comes from quests. There’ll probably be one or two major quests, constituting 40-60% of the total adventure XP and a host of minor ones, granting the rest of the XP. Alternatively, XP may be given out only for major quests, with minor quests being non-XP-bearing ways of accomplishing the major quests. In this case, 2-5 major quests will probably constitute the ‘chapters’ of the adventure story.
Intended effects of Guidelines 1 & 2: PCs may have to fight to finish a quest, but skill challenges are an equally valid way of finishing a quest and getting the XP. Sometimes, PCs may accomplish a quest entirely through skill challenges, without drawing their swords at all. Sometimes they’ll need a mix of skill challenges and combat. At other times, they’ll need to hack and slash their way through the whole quest. But, however they finish the quest, they’ll get the same amount of XP. Less combative groups will not suffer an XP penalty for their lower body count.
Guideline 3: Quests are always dynamic, meaning that they can be modified at any time through DM-player negotiation. For example, Major Quest A may begin as ‘bring the head of the hobgoblin king back to the duke.’ However, in the course of the adventure, the PCs may decide that the hobgoblin king is actually the lesser of two evils and the real problem is the duke. As a result, the players may negotiate with the DM to change Major Quest A to ‘help the hobgoblin king topple the duke and establish hobgoblin rule over the duchy, as long as the hobgoblin king promises to respect the laws of the land.’ The XP reward for Major Quest A stays the same, but the means of getting that XP changes when the players and GM decide that they want to change the way the story is going.
So, how could these guidelines be made to work in a fun way? Are more guidelines needed? Do some need to be modified?
Guideline 0: These guidelines are entirely optional and intended only for those that might like this sort of thing. None of what I say below should be taken to mean, ‘You should play D&D this way’ or ‘D&D would be better if played this way.’
Guideline 1: Don’t hand out any XP for defeating monsters. PCs may need to defeat monsters in order to complete a particular quest, but they get no direct XP for doing so.
Guideline 2: All XP comes from quests. There’ll probably be one or two major quests, constituting 40-60% of the total adventure XP and a host of minor ones, granting the rest of the XP. Alternatively, XP may be given out only for major quests, with minor quests being non-XP-bearing ways of accomplishing the major quests. In this case, 2-5 major quests will probably constitute the ‘chapters’ of the adventure story.
Intended effects of Guidelines 1 & 2: PCs may have to fight to finish a quest, but skill challenges are an equally valid way of finishing a quest and getting the XP. Sometimes, PCs may accomplish a quest entirely through skill challenges, without drawing their swords at all. Sometimes they’ll need a mix of skill challenges and combat. At other times, they’ll need to hack and slash their way through the whole quest. But, however they finish the quest, they’ll get the same amount of XP. Less combative groups will not suffer an XP penalty for their lower body count.
Guideline 3: Quests are always dynamic, meaning that they can be modified at any time through DM-player negotiation. For example, Major Quest A may begin as ‘bring the head of the hobgoblin king back to the duke.’ However, in the course of the adventure, the PCs may decide that the hobgoblin king is actually the lesser of two evils and the real problem is the duke. As a result, the players may negotiate with the DM to change Major Quest A to ‘help the hobgoblin king topple the duke and establish hobgoblin rule over the duchy, as long as the hobgoblin king promises to respect the laws of the land.’ The XP reward for Major Quest A stays the same, but the means of getting that XP changes when the players and GM decide that they want to change the way the story is going.
So, how could these guidelines be made to work in a fun way? Are more guidelines needed? Do some need to be modified?
