I have been re-thinking xp some more.
First of all, if I give flat xp based on encounter difficulty, one of the main reasons for escalating numbers of xp required to advance- higher xp values for higher level foes- goes away. So does the number of xp required per level really need to climb?
I do want higher levels to take longer, but should (f'rex) 5th level take five times as long as first level?
So I am thinking about something like this:
Level- XP
1- 0 to 999
2- 1,000 to 1,999
3- 2,000 to 3,999
4- 4,000 to 5,999
5- 6,000 to 8,999
6- 9,000 to 11,999
7- 12,000 to 15,999
8- 16,000 to 19,999
9- 20,000 to 24,999
10- 25,000 and up
I'm not sold on the exact numbers yet but something like that.
Second, in setting how many xp a combat (or other xp-worthy thing) is worth, I need to decide how many of that thing should get a character a level when they are at the lowest xp tier and base the value on that. For instance, if the pcs don't do anything worth gaining xp other than roleplay, I feel like it should take ten sessions to go from first to second level, so rp xp should be roughly 100 per session.
So- what all do I want to give xp for?
Obviously, combat.
Roleplaying- I have a system for this, which I will detail in the next post.
Accomplishing goals and finishing adventures.
Also, I am a big fan of mixed level play, but in most systems, the way the xp charts are set up helps lower level pcs catch up. I want a mechanism for this, which I've already kind of worked up (again, details in the next post).