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<blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 4847319" data-attributes="member: 80487">The XP factor might -- when it is present -- weigh more than lethality, but we've got to keep it in context. In old D&amp;D, getting home with the loot is a &quot;narrative milestone&quot;. It's the completion of the goal, and that -- not trifling over so many points for this or that incident along the way -- is where the focus lies. There's a lot of elbow room for keeping treasure as a token, because it can be come by in so many ways. It need not even all go into the character's coffers (and indeed cannot in the case of a paladin or ranger). Almost anything for which heroes might quest will do. It could be a medicinal leaf from a tree, a Word to open a door, a treaty between two nations. Again, the precise means by which the goal is achieved is irrelevant -- what matters is that the attainment be a worthy challenge.What I have seen is that high-level characters, although quite able to fight a lot, do not balk at quests requiring other methods. That they can survive some otherwise deadly mistakes gives confidence in dealing with intellectual puzzles that are potential traps. They have access to magic capable of doing things more interesting than killing.&quot;When all you have is a hammer ... !&quot; If combat is the most interesting thing to do, then players are likely to want to do a lot of it. It is perhaps also notable, though, that it takes a LOT of XP (e.g., a quarter million for a fighter) to gain each new level. Where that might once have been a roughly monthly (real time) event, now it might take a year of play. For non-spell-casters, even gaining levels becomes mechanically a bit lackluster eventually. So, more immediate gratification may be more significant.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ariosto, post: 4847319, member: 80487"] The XP factor might -- when it is present -- weigh more than lethality, but we've got to keep it in context. In old D&D, getting home with the loot [I]is[/I] a "narrative milestone". It's the completion of the goal, and [I]that[/I] -- not trifling over so many points for this or that incident along the way -- is where the focus lies. There's a lot of elbow room for keeping treasure as a token, because it can be come by in so many ways. It need not even all go into the character's coffers (and indeed cannot in the case of a paladin or ranger). Almost anything for which heroes might quest will do. It could be a medicinal leaf from a tree, a Word to open a door, a treaty between two nations. Again, the precise means by which the goal is achieved is irrelevant -- what matters is that the attainment be a worthy challenge. What I have seen is that high-level characters, although quite able to fight a lot, do not balk at quests requiring other methods. That they can survive some otherwise deadly mistakes gives confidence in dealing with intellectual puzzles that are potential traps. They have access to magic capable of doing things more interesting than killing. "When all you have is a hammer ... !" If combat is the most [i]interesting[/i] thing to do, then players are likely to want to do a lot of it. It is perhaps also notable, though, that it takes a LOT of XP (e.g., a quarter million for a fighter) to gain each new level. Where that might once have been a roughly monthly (real time) event, now it might take a year of play. For non-spell-casters, even gaining levels becomes mechanically a bit lackluster eventually. So, more immediate gratification may be more significant. [/QUOTE]

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