Looking for other options for XP systems

Arthur Tealeaf · May 8, 2003

Just bumping it so I can check it out when I go home after school today!

Voadam · May 8, 2003

Here is an alternate system I used so that advancement does not go up at the standard rate but slows as you advance.

Each night of gaming is worth either 1000 xp if the group succeeded in their goals, 750 if they are in progress but did not complete a goal, and 500 for failure.

This is adapted from a campaign I played in pre-3e where they used the Arduin xp charts. The DM there also threw in +0-20% for roleplaying and +0-20% for tactics (based upon the players history, more was expected from experienced players than from newbies).

This means level one will take one or two adventures to advance while 10th would take 10-20 adventures. It also made things work well for mixed level parties as lower level characters advanced quicker but higher level ones still progressed. Also total party numbers do not matter, you get what you get for adventuring and meeting your goals, not based on the threat or relative danger level.

This makes the progression more like it was in 1e or 2e.

kenjib · May 8, 2003

EricNoah said:
If you want to reward players for certain behaviors (roleplaying, acting in character, avoiding metagaming, stuff like that) then you should maybe come up with a list of desired behaviors and give each one a challenge rating (or just a straight amount of XP).

On the other hand, maybe XP aren't the best reward (they're a good reward for the character, but maybe not for the player). Maybe something like a "hero point" system is in order -- when the players do one of the desired behaviors you could give them a hero point (or an action die or whatever mechanic you want to use), something they can apply to their actions. Some players might like that kind of reward better than XP.

Riddle of Steel's spiritual attribute system combines both of these in a really cool way. I'm not sure how the best way to convert it to d20 would be. Basically, you define five character traits that define your character's motives, so it might be something like:

conscience
faith (Pelor)
destiny (unite the broken lands under your sword)
passion (Princess Arthala)
drive (avenge my brother's death)

Each one has a certain number of points. When you attempt something that furthers these goals you get bonuses to your rolls according to the number of points in the attribute. When you accomplish something you might gain an extra point in the applicable attribute. They max out at 5. You can then also spend down the attributes to improve your character. There are also ways to change these attributes as your character develops.

I'm not sure how well something like this would even work well in d20, but it could be really cool as it encourages people to roleplay and also encourages people to choose to fight for the things that really matter to them.

Shadowlord · May 8, 2003

What I'm going to suggest is going to sound extreme- stop giving XP awards for killing monsters, period. Instead, give XP for accomplishing goals during the adventure, good roleplaying, innovative problem solving, etc.

What's wrong with awarding good roleplay & story in an RPG ?
I think d20 really screwed the game with their XP system. They introduced CRs but forgot to award what's most precious in an RPG: story & RP.

They really want us to play primitively...

I've got a question: is it truly necessary to even grant XP for combat, if you know the PCs usually will win? That only makes the game primitive dungeon-hacking.

I've been giving half the combat awards and added RP-wards (0-100 / level) and story awards (500-2000 / level) but I think I might drop all of this. PCs get 1000 XP / level, divided between the players. If they achieved something big, they get double that, if they did little, they get half. Then I could add some RP-bonus for good & clever play, like 0-100 XP / level.