spell experience points?

[the Jester]

I use a variant xp system that's been very popular with our group because I like to reward roleplaying and because the system as written leads to very rapid advancement. This slows it down just a tad.

First, all monster xp is cut in half.

Second, at the end of each game each player gets a chance to show me how they roleplayed each of four categories: race, class, alignment, and personal. Just using your abilities doesn't count, so you don't get xp for casting your spells per se; but you might for using your spells to further your goals, acquiring new spells, etc. Each category nets a pc (25x character level) xp, so if you get all four you get 100 xp/level. I also give another award for props.

 

[Crothian]

I use a variant xp system that's been very popular with our group because I like to reward roleplaying and because the system as written leads to very rapid advancement. This slows it down just a tad.

First, all monster xp is cut in half.

Second, at the end of each game each player gets a chance to show me how they roleplayed each of four categories: race, class, alignment, and personal. Just using your abilities doesn't count, so you don't get xp for casting your spells per se; but you might for using your spells to further your goals, acquiring new spells, etc. Each category nets a pc (25x character level) xp, so if you get all four you get 100 xp/level. I also give another award for props.

I used to do something like this. However, instead of each person defending themself, they talked about how each other person played. It worked well when the party was small, but as it grew it became too cumbersome.

 

[kreynolds]

Re: hmmm

I guess they didn't playtest the D20 system before they made the books?

Don't you have some maps to draw? By the way, do you have any plans for city maps?

 

[gamecat]

Re: Re: thinking

No, they gain XP through the CR system. You can assign a CR to blessing crops. It would be rather low because it's easy to do unless he burns 80% of his spells on bless and blesses a 1000 acres of soy beans. In the end it's completely up to the DM to decide what rewards XP and what does not.

MMMMM... Sacred Tofu...

 

[castlewalls]

maps?

what maps!?
no city maps,.... go to columbiagames.com for great detailed city maps. OR darkfuries.com as Brian is working on his city of Visira (I've done some map work for him...).
I'm still planning on the Drow dungeon....

 

[Happiest_Sadist]

No, he does not need to cast spells to attack stuff. He gets experiance from being a part of the group that completes a challenge. Even if all the wizard does is cast a Mage Armor on the monk, a Bull's Strength on the fighter, and shoots a crossbow (missing with every shot); he gets full experiance from the encounter. Experiance is devided among the party, not given to whoever kills stuff.

 

[LordAO]

Spellcasters don't get experience for casting spells anymore than rogues get experience for sneak attacking or barbarians for raging. The experience rewards assume every character is using his abilities to the fullest. It doesn't matter HOW you defeat the opponent, only that you defeat them as far as experience is concerned. If you give a mage experience every time he casts a spell then you would have to give everyone experience any time they do anything. I only reward the players experience when they use a skill, cast a spell, etc. if they were particularly clever in how they did it. It's part of ad hoc experience described in the DMG. Giving out exp just for casting a spell is metagame thinking.

 

[Vanye]

Re: thinking

So then a spellcaster gains no experience for casting a spell? No exp. for casting a read/write magic spell to put a new one into their spellbook?
They only gain exp. thru attacking things with spells? A cleric casts a bless on the crops helping scores of people but gets no exp. for doing so?
Hmmm....

XP is gained for overcoming a challenge; if the spell was cast to overcome a challenge, they get whatever their share of XP is for that challenge.