level adjustment

[CsonTep]

Level Adjusted Races http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a

 

[UltimaGabe]

Why would the rest of the party get less XP ? Standard DMG XP distribution doesn't care about different members have more or less levels, just how many ppl you have in the party.

Actually, to find the amount of XP a party receives, you first have to find the average party level. So if you've got 4 people, two of them level 6, one level 8, and one level 20, the average party level is 10. Therefore, you'd look on the XP chart in the DMG, and compare the party's level (10) to the CRs of the opponents to find out how much each PC gets. This means, of course, that a party with a couple really low-leveled PCs gets more experience, but at the same time, the battle will be harder for them, as a portion of the core demographic of the system is off-center. Likewise, you'd get less experience traveling around with Elminster or Tenser, since he'll probably be laying waste to everything.

Unless you're saying you should get experience for having a really high-level character killing everything for you...?

 

[irdeggman]

Actually, to find the amount of XP a party receives,you first have to find the average party level.

Actually this is irrelevant to determining how much xp the party gets.

The "only" thing it does is to determine what an equivalent EL the party can "survive".


pg 37 of the DMG has it in a step-by-step listing.

1. Determine each character's level. Don't forget to account for ECL if any of the characters are of a powerful race.

2. For each monster defeated, determine that single monster's CR.

3. Use Table 2-6: Experience Point Awards (Single Monster) to cross-reference one character's level with the CR for each defeated monster to find the base xp award.

4. Divide the base xp award by the number of characters in the party. this is the amount of xp that one character receives.

5. Add up all the xp awards for all the monsters the character helped defeat.

6. Repeat the process for each character

 

[irdeggman]

but I suspect that everyone's assumption the character start at 0 XP is not correct.

I don't have that assumption and while the DMG is "confusing" in the issue the FAQ gave a good example. This is the way I've always interpreted the rules. Anything else makes it far too complicated IMO. I also prefer the savage progressions method for handling LA races since I think it keeps things in a more linear balance between all characters being played.

A succubus with four levels of wizard is an ECL 16 character (6 HD, LA +6, 4 class levels). How many experience points does she have, and how many does she need to become a 5th-level wizard? How much wealth should she have if I’m creating her as a new character to play?

Use your character’s Effective Character Level (ECL) to determine XP needed to gain a new level. If you were creating a 4th-level succubus wizard from scratch, she’d have 120,000 XP (normal for a 16th-level character), and she’d need to earn another 16,000 to reach 17th level and take another level of wizard (or any other class), just like any other 16th-level character.

Assuming your campaign uses the normal wealth guidelines, your 4th-level succubus wizard should have about 260,000 gp worth of gear and treasure, as appropriate for being 16th level. After all, she’s likely adventuring with other 16th level characters, so it’s only fair for her to have a similar amount of gear.

 

[Infiniti2000]

pg 37 of the DMG has it in a step-by-step listing. ...

... none of which is OGC, so once you read what is quoted you have to eat your computer screen.

 

[udalrich]

Actually, to find the amount of XP a party receives, you first have to find the average party level.

I believe that's how it worked in 3.0. In 3.5, if an ECL 10 character is in a successful encounter against a CR 15 enemy, you get the XP for a level 10 character beating a level 15 opponent divided by the party size. As long as the party size is the same, it doesn't matter if the other party members are Elminster or untrained kobolds.

(It will matter to the other party members if they are Elminster or kobolds.)

 

[JoeGKushner]

I believe that's how it worked in 3.0. In 3.5, if an ECL 10 character is in a successful encounter against a CR 15 enemy, you get the XP for a level 10 character beating a level 15 opponent divided by the party size. As long as the party size is the same, it doesn't matter if the other party members are Elminster or untrained kobolds.

(It will matter to the other party members if they are Elminster or kobolds.)

That is indeed how it worked in 3.0 and boy was it stupid.

On the other hand, it was easier as it takes more work if you're running a multi-level party because levels x, y, and z eac get different amounts of xp.

 

[glass]

My take...

You start with 0 xp. as any other char. The kicker is that when xp is divied up, you get the 3rd level chunk instead of a 1st level chunk.

You start with as many XP as everyone else. Generally, if you are starting as a thrid-level character, so will everyone else and you will start with the 3000 XP.

A DM might allow you to start as a drow in a first-level group as you'd only be slightly strong and the other players would catch up (and overtake) you very quickly. In that case, you'd start on 0XP like everyone else.

Hope that helps.


glass.

 

[glass]

as an aside...

... none of which is OGC, so once you read what is quoted you have to eat your computer screen.

Whether it is OGC or not does not make a blind bit of difference unless you include a properly filled in OGL in your post.

IANAL.


glass.

 

[irdeggman]

A DM might allow you to start as a drow in a first-level group as you'd only be slightly strong and the other players would catch up (and overtake) you very quickly. In that case, you'd start on 0XP like everyone else.

Hope that helps.


glass.

I'm sorry but if all characters are considered 1st level and one of them gets to be a drow - then the drow character is not "slightly more strong".

A drow gets 2 LA worth of starting abilities (like SR) and an inblanced ability score adjustment that clearly make then much more powerful than a human if LA is not factored - specifically at low levels.