next week, 3 years later...

[Elf Witch]

I don't know about giving the unearned levels it is nice to actually do the things to earn them. But taking downtime and advancing the story timeline can be fun and allow for some things that maybe not get to happen if you didn't have the time jump.

There are other things you can give the players other than levels. Maybe the mages have new spells or do items. The fighter types learned a new techingue of fighting so you give them an extra feat.

Items, extra feat or skill points, wealth can all be used as rewards.

 

[blargney the second]

I've played in a game where the DM told us before the game started that we'd do an adventure as first level characters, then a couple of years would pass and we would return as 3rd level PCs. I found that it worked really well, as our backstory from levels 1-3 was closely intertwined with the important campaign events.

-blarg

 

[ST]

I don't know about giving the unearned levels it is nice to actually do the things to earn them.

I hear a lot of this in the thread, and it surprises me, but I suppose it depends on the players. I've known a lot of players who wouldn't mind this at all, but I'd run it past your group first.

I think taking time out for advancement and developing backstory is a great idea. I've seen it used well in PBEM type games, certainly. I think it lets you do a lot with expanding the scope of the game world.

Another idea would be to have players prep up some ideas for what they want to have happen during the intervening time, and use a session to play it out, as more of a collaborative storytelling session. (That way PCs can freely interact with each other during the downtime, without getting into any "no, I didn't do that!" situations).

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

In my new campaign I plan on having a fair amount of time pass between adventures/episodes, possibly including a year or so in a couple instances, but I don't think I'd be giving out levels. I just want to kind of avoid the 22 year old 18th level PC situation...

In another game I played in (a kind Victorian age game set in 1875), we played from 5th to 12th level, and the DM is considering restarting the game 20 years later with the PC's having advanced to Epic levels. That could be cool. The key thing is that she asked us if we liked the idea or not. I can easily see how getting "free" levels could seem like "cheating." That needs to be avoided.

 

[alsih2o]

ps check is in the mail

never worried

 

[Pants]

I did it once...
After a major plot arc was done, the players had been nominated to very petty lordlings in a large city. They were given land and we made extensive use of the Stronghold Builder's Guide. Each player built a home and I told them 'I'm going to have 7 years pass, so if there is anything besides adventuring that you want to do, name it.'
The Gnomish Druid helped grow crops in the area, the Human Cleric worked at the local temple, the Dwarven Rogue began a mercantile business, and the Sun Elf Wizard... err he blinked.
During the off time, I gave everyone 800 xp for doing stuff like crafting items, honing skills, dealing with everyday enounters, that sort of stuff. No one went up a level with that.
However, in the end, the Human Cleric got kinda screwed as he became Middle Aged during that time. His Stats were ALL even numbers, so his Str, Dex, and, Con got worse while his Int, Wis, and Cha all went up by one point... with no discernible effect at all.
I'll still remember his comment when he realized that:
DM: Seven years pass...
Cleric: Ahhhh, damnit!

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I hear a lot of this in the thread, and it surprises me, but I suppose it depends on the players. I've known a lot of players who wouldn't mind this at all, but I'd run it past your group first.

I don't quite "get" the attitude myself... Then again, I never understood the "no XP if you aren't there but I might kill your character anyway" line either. Advancement to me isn't a reward for killing things and not getting killed, its just something that evolves the story. Slow advancement, fast advancement, jumped advancement, whatever, as long as the level I'm at has an interesting story going on...

Kahuna Burger

 

[Berandor]

We once had a time jump for twenty years as most of our group (except my humble wizard) was imprisoned despite being innocent.
The players all had a rough streak on them, but stayed good mostly - except for my wizard again, who changed into a cynical bastard. He was later killed because the gods decided he was too dangerous to live on (Damn Deck of Many Things!)...

 

[S'mon]

I do time jumps, but I don't normally give out free XP. XP are for overcoming challenges. No challenge = no XP.

 

[Celtavian]

re

I am experimenting with this exact concept in my current campaign. The pc's just had 90 days of downtime and were awarded xp according to a formula (level/2 x days of downtime...formula only used for levels 1 to 15).

I played around with the formula so that it gradually gives less and less xp as the PC's obtain higher level because I feel the more powerful the PC's become the less challenging common adventuring becomes. The player's must write up a suitable backstory to receive their downtime xp, and they can do with it what they will (make magic items, level up, cast spells, etc, etc.).

I really incorporated downtime xp and backstory so that at epic levels I could take breaks between earth shattering adventures. Epic adventurers shouldn't only have to earn xp by constantly facing extreme enemies. Given the way the D&D system is set up, an inactive adventurer really can't do much. How do you allow wizards to research spells? Fighters to train armies or fight skirmishes for nobles without the rest of the party? Basically, how do you show adventurous characters living adventurous lives without always having to run every little adventure they go on? I'm hoping the method I came up with is effective at allowing me to incorporate years of downtime for the players while still giving them the feel that there character is advancing.