Problem: want PCs to train, no money.

[Gnarlo]

Looking to bounce a few ideas off folks, and curious what others do. Now, my current group has leveled up, and I was wanting to have them go off and train in some fashion as the DMG explains. I'm an old school 1e DM, and I like using training time as a sink to help slow down the level progression a bit, in campaign time anyhow ("You young punks have it so easy! In my day, we'd play for 5 years and only be 7th level! And we liked it!") Now here's the rub, they don't have nearly enough money between them to get them all trained up (playing through Sunken Citadel, they have *pretty* much found all the treasures available up to now, only missed a couple). Is there anyone that uses training in their campaign, or does most everyone just *bam* you're 3rd level and you're better than you were?

1) What about giving them 1/2 of their new abilities for the first 1/3-1/2 of the new level, then filling them on in with the rest, as if they had "grown into" their new skills? And, if they get the training, of course, they get all the abilities.

2) Or perhaps allow them to partially train, gain some skills for a reduced amount of money, then train up in the rest when they have more?

3) Train as per the book, with no gold expenditure, but with 50-100% additional time spent training.

I think any of the three is a perfectly viable solution, anyone point out any problems, or handles it differently? It seems to be only a low level problem, due to the lack of funds (another old school difference, it may be a faulty memory or just nostalgia, but I swear even low level critters used to have mountains of treasure and magic items stashed in the old sock or teapot in their lair ), but I also don't want to "gift" them a level or two without training, and then listen to the complaints if they have to train for later levels. Any suggestion? critiques? anyone else ever have this problem?

 

[Darklone]

how i do it

I give them BAB, saves, hitpoints and spells per day at once. Skills, feats, new spells/miracles have to be "learned"... for clerics that means new religious rituals to gain the next circle (spell level).

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Well, here's what I do:

Leveling up in a class the PC already has is instantaneous from the moment of the qualifying experience award. All abilities go up, and all skills can be used from that point on. However, new spells/slots cannot be memorized/used until after the next rest period.

Leveling up in a class the PC does not have requires training in that field. This means that a fighter who wants to take his first level of wizard has to find a wizard to teach him the basics before he can take that level. If he wants to learn from another PC, he can so long as the teacher is at least fifth-level. (For example, a fourth-level fighter wanting to take his first level of wizard can learn from his fifth-level wizard friend.) But time to train is not ruled out, even for training from fellow PCs. Leveling up in a new class requires 1 week of training, after which the new class level is received.

Some feats require training. These feats include: all item creation feats, all armor proficiencies, all weapon proficiencies, Improved Unarmed Strike, Deflect Arrows, Stunning Fist, Mounted Combat, Sunder, Shield Proficiency, Track, and Two-Weapon Fighting. Unlike the training required to level up in a new class, any PC or NPC (regardless of level) who possesses the feat can train a PC in its use. PCs who train to receive a new class do not have to train individually to receive any feats or proficiencies provided by that class (such as a ranger’s Track or a fighter’s martial weapon proficiency.) Feat training requires 1 day of uninterrupted practice, at the end of which the feat is received.

I wrote my rules based mostly on believability, rather than slowing time, though. After all, if a ranger's been doing rangerly things, he shouldn't have to train outside of "standard" adventuring to level up. But a fighter wanting to suddenly take up magic is going to need that initial guidance to get into the swing of things.

I don't really follow the guidelines for the cost of training, though. Sometimes the PCs are going to find friendly folk willing to teach them for less. Sometimes the only trainers available are greedy S.O.B.s they'll need to pay a fortune. Usually depends on how much money I want to bleed off the PCs at the time.

Not sure if this helped or not, but there you have it.

 

[leaghe]

I don't know if this will work in your situation...

On one occasion, I had the local church sponsor training and equipment for the PCs. Naturally, there were a few problems popping up that the church wanted to quash, so it made an easy transition into the next module...

Leaghe

 

[Tsyr]

I've always seen as the level prior to your levelup as the training period.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Barter system - have the PC trade service/work for training. This is a good way for them to meet NPCs and have powerful contacts. Basicly you have them meet a powerful NPC that needs cannon folder for a ruin run, he offers to train the players during the trip.

 

[Bonedagger]

Things that requires training in my campaigns.

-New first level class.

-Must have used a skill prior to last leveling (e.g. If you haven't tried to fish you must spend time doing that... Or you need to have access to a language in order to learn it).

-First level in a Pretige Class... Goes without saying IMO

-Certain feats are treated like skills (e.g. Item Creation Feats & Weapon Specialization needs you to spend weeks learning them... More easy if you have a trainer. Iron Will & Run don't).

 

[Lady Danyon]

This may or may not help you, but check these training rules out.

Aedon Training Rules


Good Gaming!


-Danyon

 

[Luscious Mageris]

You could have the PCs agree to go on a mission in return for some training. That leads them into the next adventure. Or you could have them trade spells or magic items to their trainer.
I have a problem with how spellcasters( other than clerics) get their spells when they level. I like to make my players find spellbooks during their adventurers or spend significant game time researching. This also costs $$$.

 

[Oni]

I have thought of the down time most adventurers have (and they should have some, I've always disliked when a DM pushes them from adventure to adventure squelching the passage of ingame time.) as being time that is partially spent practising and training on their own.

Bards work on new songs and stories that they haven't performed yet.
Warriors work on perfecting that spinning move that they wouldn't dare try in combat just yet
Divine agents pray, and practise the rituals they have been taught already and sometimes new insights are imparted to them in the form of vision.
sorcerers....train....hah
wizards jot down random thoughts and ideas puzzling away in their books until they finally get the insight they need to have a fully realized spell (this doesn't take the lab time, or cost because they are just working on paper and in theory, they can't gain more than two spells per level this way because they entire time is spent working on those two).
rogues practise, playfully nick things from their friends. Fiddle with some lock they bought, swap tricks at the guild et c.


If you take a person and put him in a fight every day, he's going to get better (or killed) without any training.


There is one thought I have had regarding leveling up, and that is stating one level before hand what you are going to take when you level up (i.e, spells, skills, feats) just to know exactly what your character has been practicing in his down time and to put a little more forethought in to the character.