Smooth level progression

[SylverFlame]

Looking in the wrong direction

I don't mean to squish everyone's ideas but if you want a progressive non-static system for character development you HAVE to look at White Wolf games (I know, sacreligious in some people's eyes [long story]).

The way it works is that you purchase the ability and each new slot gets more expensive. All you have to do is break things done. For example:
HP
Magic (could go by level with each new purchase equaling one slot)
Skills (each calculated individually)
Fort save
Ref save
Will save

Well you get the idea. Then you spend experience points on the progression. Don't know if the other games mentioned (HERO, Shadowrun) work this way cause I haven't played them.

Besides, best part of this system is you can truly customize your character. If you want your fighter to sacrifice skills for feats fine. If your mage can cast any spell any time and still be killed by a blind, legless kobald with a toothpick that's your choice.

As for abuse, you just make the XP cost of things like feats higher than skills for example. Works well, check Vampire or one of the other games for the inner workings. Of course, the White Wolf games work off a much smaller XP award than D&D. Just means a little mental work to even it out.

 

[Plane Sailing]

It is an interesting idea, and less prone to abuse than it first appears since if someone takes the extra HD as soon as possible he still has to wait a whole "level" until he can take it again, so it would even out.

One very minor smoothing out which I introduced but which nobody has taken advantage of yet, is the ability to spend xp to purchase extra ranks in a skill.

At any time in the game when PC's are involved with a particular activity they can spend 50xp x (character level) to gain a rank in a related skill. They cannot exceed their max skill ranks, and nobody would want to waste lots of xps this way, but it gives characters (especially low-level characters) the opportunity to learn languagse when in foreign parts, to pick up sailing skills while serving at sea etc. etc.

Cheers

 

[SylverFlame]

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At any time in the game when PC's are involved with a particular activity they can spend 50xp x (character level) to gain a rank in a related skill.
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I like the idea, but is it when they go to use the skill? Like, a rogue kneels down to a lock and then boom, spends the points and makes the check?

And do you differ the mechanic for a trianed/untrained skill? Just wondering because it beats my "training" house rule.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I like the idea, but is it when they go to use the skill? Like, a rogue kneels down to a lock and then boom, spends the points and makes the check?

Sorry, I missed that bit out - it takes 1 weeks training time (or after 1 week has been spent working on that kind of thing)

Cheers