The Immortals Handbook

[Upper_Krust]

Hi Cheiromancer mate!

Time to bring out a dead horse for another beating...

I want to bring up the xp system again. I think that a good rule for assigning xp is to assign each challenge a raw xp value equal to (CR^2)*300. Then, when the challenge is overcome by a party, divide the raw xp by the total party CR, and award that amount to each character.

It really is a lot more straightforward than a lot of table look-ups, and gives appropriate values.

For more discussion, look here.

For example, suppose you have a party whose total ECL is 77. (A 20th level Rogue, 20th level wizard, 15th level Monk half-dragon, and an 18th level cleric) Versus a CR 15 Vrock. That's a raw value of 67500, or 876 xp per person. You give 37.5 xp per person, or between 675 xp and 750 xp. If you like, you can assign each party member a +1 CR for being created with the Standard Point Buy, and then each will get 833 xp.

Or suppose they are facing a CR 33 balor. That has a raw xp of 326700, or 4243 xp per person (or 4033 if you treat the group as having a total CR of 81 instead of 77). You give between 3800 and 4000 xp.

This method is really quite similar to yours, but far easier to implement (imho). You do have to use a calculator to compute squares and do the long division, but folks would probably use one anyone to calculate stuff like what 18.75 xp/level worked out to for their 17th level character.

Is there any great benefit though?

By the way who here has bought Bad Axe Games "Grim Tales"? Chapters 13 and 14 are essentially an abbreviated form (18 1/2 pages, and slightly larger text) of the IH appendices.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I have Grim Tales. It's a very nice book- not least because it contains (most of) the IH appendices.

 

[CRGreathouse]

I can't get the website sorted until I can get some kind of credit card and I can't get that until I sell the first pdf. I have the website finished, albeit with only a dozen or so articles at this point.

So at this juncture it looks like I may not have the website up prior to the release of the first pdf.

Obviously thats not an ideal situation, but since when has anything surrounding the development period of this book been ideal.

Well at least now you can focus full-force on finishing the books. Frankly the situation with the website has never ceased to surprise me -- I'm sure there are several people who'd be willing to set up the website for you (that is, pay the startup costs with their cc) with the understanding that you'd send them the PDFs (when they're done) in exchange, or a similar arrangement. It's not really a big deal, though.

How much typing is left on Apotheosis? Is the writing finished? How much typing remains on the other books?

 

[S'mon]

U_K, you could always put a website up on eg geocities - www.geocities.com - or is it a case of "if it can't be perfect it's not worth doing"?
Geocities provides 15 MB of space and the file upload is pretty easy, as is the online editing (esp if you know basic HTML). I've used it for many years and had no big problems.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi CR mate!

Well at least now you can focus full-force on finishing the books.

If real life wasn't a distract-o-matic at the moment I would agree with you.

Frankly the situation with the website has never ceased to surprise me -

That makes two of us.

- I'm sure there are several people who'd be willing to set up the website for you (that is, pay the startup costs with their cc) with the understanding that you'd send them the PDFs (when they're done) in exchange, or a similar arrangement. It's not really a big deal, though.

I sort of didn't want to do that, but it looks like that might be the only option to get it up before the first pdf release.

How much typing is left on Apotheosis?

About 20 pages, although the gaps are not coterminious, which slightly complicates things.

Is the writing finished?

Writing is about 90% done, I usually write up a working draft and then tighten it up when I am typing.

How much typing remains on the other books?

Lots, but the content of the other books really is much quicker to write up. For example I could probably finish off the bestiary within ten (working) days.

Its the more technical nature of the portfolios, powers and so forth that is grinding me down. Although the main problem at the moment is real world interference. I think I have managed about 16 hours work in the past week because of impossible to avoid circumstances, and of course an hour here and an hour there is never as fruitful as seven or eight hour stints.

Hopefully I won't be as busy over the next week or so and I can get this bugger wrapped up.

 

[Upper_Krust]

U_K,

Hey S'mon!

you could always put a website up on eg geocities - www.geocities.com - or is it a case of "if it can't be perfect it's not worth doing"?

I have the website done (albeit with spartan content for the moment because obviously I have other things to do), I have free webspace (thanks to sonofapreacherman) for the first month - once I start up. So its not the website or the webspace issue.

I don't have a credit card which would allow me to register the domain name (and of late most of my friends seem to be temporarily maxing theirs out).

Similarly without the credit card I can't get the message boards sorted although obviously thats a secondary issue at this juncture.

Geocities provides 15 MB of space and the file upload is pretty easy, as is the online editing (esp if you know basic HTML). I've used it for many years and had no big problems.

Like I said I have the website done. I have free webspace. All I need is someone to register the domain name for my IP address and I can have the website up in a day or so.

 

[Paragon]

whats the cost on registering the domain name there Krust?

 

[Fieari]

http://www.active-domain.com/ offers $10 per year for domain registering...

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi Paragon and Fieari!

whats the cost on registering the domain name there Krust?

The cost is incidental (even for me), its the inability to pay it thats causing the problems.

http://www.active-domain.com/ offers $10 per year for domain registering...

Wow thats very cheap! Only $9.95 for the .com

 

[historian]

Howdy Krust!

I don't have a credit card which would allow me to register the domain name (and of late most of my friends seem to be temporarily maxing theirs out).

Similarly without the credit card I can't get the message boards sorted although obviously thats a secondary issue at this juncture.

The cost is incidental (even for me), its the inability to pay it thats causing the problems.

This is a real bummer. I'm wondering whether it would be possible to take up small donations and open a checking account with a debit card service that you could use as a credit card.

I hate to see something like this constituting a 'barrier' (not merely for selfish reasons).

I'd be happy to brainstorm with you over e-mail.

And I plan to be following up w/more IH substantive questions.