dave2008
Legend
I was just reading a post by Keith Baker (University Adventures) were he was discussing the idea of setting a D&D campaign in a school. As part of that he discussed "Story Rewards." Here is what he had to say:
"Story rewards. I’d drop the standard experience point system and base character advancement either on time or on clearly established milestones. It’s also possible that you could tie specific class abilities to in-game situations. If you want to learn a specific spell, you’re going to have to sneak a particular spellbook out of the Library. You may be a 3rd level fighter, but to get the abilities of your Martial Archetype you’re going to have to find a mentor. This is a way to blend story and mechanics together. In a game at school you’re not likely to be amassing TREASURE—so one option is for the rewards you gain to BE access to locations or the favor of teachers—but those can be linked to concrete rewards, whether it’s access to your full class abilities or something beyond that, such as Supernatural Gifts or Marks of Prestige from the Dungeon Master’s Guide."
What I like from this idea is that you have to do something to get your abilities (find a spellbook/scroll to get a particular spell or have someone train you to get your class feature), you don't get them simply from gaining a "level." In fact, I could see pretty much removing XP and levels completely if you really follow this approach to the end. I have been interested in doing something like this before, but never implemented it.
So, I was wondering, has anyone used a system of advancement like this before? If so, how well did it work? What was your experience?
"Story rewards. I’d drop the standard experience point system and base character advancement either on time or on clearly established milestones. It’s also possible that you could tie specific class abilities to in-game situations. If you want to learn a specific spell, you’re going to have to sneak a particular spellbook out of the Library. You may be a 3rd level fighter, but to get the abilities of your Martial Archetype you’re going to have to find a mentor. This is a way to blend story and mechanics together. In a game at school you’re not likely to be amassing TREASURE—so one option is for the rewards you gain to BE access to locations or the favor of teachers—but those can be linked to concrete rewards, whether it’s access to your full class abilities or something beyond that, such as Supernatural Gifts or Marks of Prestige from the Dungeon Master’s Guide."
What I like from this idea is that you have to do something to get your abilities (find a spellbook/scroll to get a particular spell or have someone train you to get your class feature), you don't get them simply from gaining a "level." In fact, I could see pretty much removing XP and levels completely if you really follow this approach to the end. I have been interested in doing something like this before, but never implemented it.
So, I was wondering, has anyone used a system of advancement like this before? If so, how well did it work? What was your experience?