D&D General The Jester's Perfect D&D

[the Jester]

You could do something like each encounter is worth 100 xp per player per level. And then adjust the base by:

• Minimal Cost - XP*0.5; no PC less than half hp, no one use items spent, no favors expended, minor treasure gained.
• Average Cost - XP*1; Few PCs less than half hp, few one use items spent, minor favors expended, moderate treasure gained.
• Significant Cost - XP*2; Many PCs less than half hp or one with lingering injury, several one use or few permanent items spent, moderate favors expended, major treasure gained.
• Major Cost - XP*5; multiple PCs with lingering injury or down, several permanent items spent or borken, major favors expended or contacts burned, grand treasure gained.

This has the benefit of being calcuable prior the encounter and adjusted after should the dice be hot, cold, or the derp is strong with the PCs.

That's sort of the model I want to use, but something a bit easier to evaluate on the fly.

 

[the Jester]

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).

 

[the Jester]

So what is my roleplaying xp system? I am going to return to a system I used in 3e: the "four point" roleplaying system. At the end of each session, each pc can earn xp for each of four categories: class, race, alignment, and personal. It's easy to earn these xps; you just have to tell me how you roleplayed that category.

For example, an elf could claim racial xp by pointing out that they slept in a tree, or they were snooty to other races because they're short-lived, or for going off about how elven jewelry is superior, etc. A wizard could claim class xp by telling me that they spent time studying a book, or that they tried to figure out how a curse worked, or that they traded spells with another wizard. Someone could claim personal xp for spending time with their father, or for going to their favorite restaurant, or for discovering that they love to dance.

It's basically almost a given that every pc will earn all four categories of rp xp each session as long as they put even a tiny bit of effort into it- unless the game is almost completely focused on combat or something. Even then it's quite possible, even likely, that everyone will get full rp xp.

Assuming I start with 1,000 xp as the goal for level 2, and I want to stick to the "ten sessions of only roleplay is a level", then rp xp should be 25 per category.

Now, as far as the "catch up" part goes (catching lower level pcs up to higher level pcs)...

If a first level pc is in a party with 10th level pcs, that alone shouldn't earn a level in one session. How many sessions should it take? Well... I'd say only a couple. So I'm thinking that each pc who isn't the highest level member of the group should get bonus xp equal to slightly less than 50 x the difference in levels between them and the highest level pc. So a 1st level pc with a 10th level buddy should get... not quite 450 bonus xp. Maybe 40 x the difference? That makes 360 for a nine-level difference. That means that they'll level in three sessions, even given no other xp.

But! Given that I don't want any one-session levels- not a fan of that at all- that might be a bit much. (Remember, they're almost certainly getting 100 for roleplay, plus a presently undefined number for combat.) So maybe 25 x the level difference? That makes a maximum of 225 for a nine-level gap. At that rate, I feel like I can reasonably expect a two to three session level.

Which leaves goals and combat.

 

[the Jester]

I'm actually starting to think that, rather than giving xp per combat, I might want to give xp for combat in a session. Basically, figure out some numbers for little combat in a session (less than 1/3), a moderate amount of combat in a session, and most of the session is combat (more than 2/3), and a multiplier for how hard the combat is.

Mulling....

 

[the Jester]

So I am liking my "per session" thing for combat, but am going to change it to being for danger. So it will include traps, hazards, etc.

Something like-

If up to 1/4 of the session is spent dealing with danger, the pcs earn a base 50 xp.
If up to 1/2 the session is spent dealing with danger, the pcs earn a base 100 xp.
If up to 3/4 the session is spent dealing with danger, the pcs earn a base 200 xp.
If more than 3/4 the session is spent dealing with danger, the pcs earn a base 250 xp.

And- a multiplier for the level of the danger. So:

If no pc is bloodied during the session, x.5.
If more than half the party is bloodied during the session or at least one pc drops to 0 hp or below, x1.
If multiple pcs drop to 0 hp or below, or if all pcs are bloodied during the session, x1.5.
If at least one pc dies during the session, x2.

This means that a basically all-danger session that kills a pc is worth 500 xp, or half a level by itself.

I welcome any thoughts or feedback on this.

 

[the Jester]

XP for Goals

Each pc can choose to assign themselves up to three minor goals and one major goal at a time. A major goal should be one that can't be accomplished easily or quickly- it should take considerable effort and many sessions to accomplish. Achieving a minor goal should take some dedicated effort but be achievable with a few sessions of effort. A pc who achieves a minor goal receives 50 xp; a pc who achieves a major goal receives 200 xp.

In addition, the party as a whole can have goals as well, generally assigned by the dm. If the party achieves a minor goal, each pc receives 50 xp. If the party achieves a major goal (such as finishing a long adventure), each pc receives 200 xp.