D&D General The Old "Boil an Ant Hill" Problem

[Lanefan]

Well, low levels won't go by fast if I stipulate 5 adventures at each and every level - they'll go by at the same speed as all the other levels. I figure 5 adventures at each level should be long enough for the players to get comfortable with whatever new class abilities, feats, spells, and whatnot showed up at that level for their PCs before moving on. I'm going to give it a try - we'll see how it goes. (But in the meantime, I still have half a dozen adventures left to go in my current campaign - although we'll knock one of those out this Saturday.)

Johnathan

Silly question, but about how many sessions does it take you to get through each adventure?

Or are you using "adventure" to mean "session" here?

 

[Flamestrike]

I seem to have stopped doing XP and just went with milestone for now.

Id probably milestone at around 1 session each for levels 2 and 3, 2 sessions for level 4, then 3 sessions each per level for 5-20

That's 52 sessions or around a years play at regular weekly intervals.

Alternatively, its one level per session from levels 1-3, and from then on I'd award between 1-3 XP at the end of each session depending on how the Players went (1 xp for turning up, being present, and rolling dice, 2 xp for contributing to the success or failure of the adventure and roleplaying within your ability to do so, and 3 xp for an outstanding contribution and/or excellent roleplaying above and beyond).

Every 6 XP nets you a level.

 

[cmad1977]

For those of you that use XP rather than milestone leveling: How do you deal with the issue of players wanting to earn the final few XP to level up?

I have a standing policy to allow "extra credit" projects for bonus XP. Stuff like in-character journaling, painting your mini, and for-the-good-of-the-order options like buying a new set of wet-erase markers or building a new initiative tracker all count. I find that preferable to going out and murdering the nearest wolf just to ding, but I suspect there are simpler ways to address the issue.

How do you guys handle it at your table?

(Comic Related. Also, Munchkin card related.)

Game is over when Xp is calculated.

 

[Imaculata]

My players simply have to wait. I don't hand out exp based on how close they are to their next level. I hand out exp based on foes defeated, objectived completed, and party wide bonus exp for great roleplaying.

Sometimes this means that they are just a sneeze away from gaining their next level. Too bad. Suck it up.

 

[Horwath]

These days, if I am using XP, it is because I am running a game that is not intended to have desginated story-beats to use as milestones. The XP are just a ticking clock for, "well, they have probably explored their characters at this level of power enough, time to step it up a notch."

So, everyone's getting the same amount of XP anyway. They'll all level up at the same time whatever I do. So, if they are just a touch shy, I just round up.

if using XP at all, I find this the best approach.

I hate individual XP, both for combat and for roleplay.

When players get rewards for roleplay, that just invites more bad roleplay, just for roleplay sake.

And it is hard to be not biased towards "party face" that talk to all NPCs and gather information, while 8 charisma ranger is in the wood collecting healing and poison plants for an entire party.
And yet, most often than not, tshe loudmouth gets more XP from many DMs.
And both characters are just roleplaying their characters.

 

[Lanefan]

if using XP at all, I find this the best approach.

I hate individual XP, both for combat and for roleplay.

When players get rewards for roleplay, that just invites more bad roleplay, just for roleplay sake.

And it is hard to be not biased towards "party face" that talk to all NPCs and gather information, while 8 charisma ranger is in the wood collecting healing and poison plants for an entire party.
And yet, most often than not, tshe loudmouth gets more XP from many DMs.
And both characters are just roleplaying their characters.

Your points re roleplay are good, but I find not using individual xp for combat makes playing a coward the most rewarding option in the long run, as you'll survive where others do not.

That said, if a character who focuses combat gets more xp for combat, a character focusing on diplomacy should get more xp for diplomacy, right? Otherwise what's the encouragement to play a negotiator or diplomat or "party face" type?

 

[Horwath]

Your points re roleplay are good, but I find not using individual xp for combat makes playing a coward the most rewarding option in the long run, as you'll survive where others do not.

That said, if a character who focuses combat gets more xp for combat, a character focusing on diplomacy should get more xp for diplomacy, right? Otherwise what's the encouragement to play a negotiator or diplomat or "party face" type?

because you WANT to play it? Isn't that for d&d reward of its own.

also, for cowards; if it is fun for you to stand back and hide and do nothing whole fight...well that is your idea of fun, I dont get it, but hey, I do not get lots of things about lots of people, haha!

 

[Imaculata]

I don't think any of the players in my group would enjoy hanging back and missing out on all the combat. If a player plays like a coward, he could get his party killed, and then he will not accomplish anything in the game.

 

[jgsugden]

Tell them their PC is unaware of how close they are. The PC has no reason to go on an orc hunt to get that XP. If the player cheats this by starting a bar fight for no reasons, then switch to secret XP - you track it for them and tell them when they can level.

 

[Shiroiken]

Only once have I given out XP because the party was close to leveling... and it was just 2 weeks ago. We don't do individual XP, because it makes tracking easier and some players feel it's more fair, and after I tallied it up they were 1 XP short of level 4. I agreed to it, because I also knew that the next session was going to be mostly an in-town social/investigation adventure, and except for the cleric and wizard (who increased Wis and Int), none of it mattered. As I do XP for all three pillars, not just combat, they would have leveled again before it would have made much of a difference (which will be next session).