Too fast! Too fast!

[tennyson]

Hi Everyone,

My group and I have been playing 3E since its release, and now 3.5. On average, we play once every two weeks for about 7 hours.

We've started a new campaign and are coming up on the 8th session next week. The problem is (and it's something that I know has been discussed here before) is the rate of leveling. I'm using the formulas from the DMG for experience, and my players are already lvl 6 (not to mention, two of them are PCs with level adjustment +1).

It's not that I want to "keep them down", but they are advancing far faster than the storyline. At this rate, they will be epic characters by the time the main plot is half finished.

Does the leveling slow down after a certain point? How have you handled these situations? Sorry for rehashing an old subject, but I couldn't seem to find any related topics from the past.

Thanks!

 

[Henry]

If you use the tables provided, the levelling NEVER slows down, because 13 encounters of equivalent Level/CR will net enough experience to level. OTOH, depending on the XP system you do, one of your own or another, then the levelling dramatically will slow down after about level 6 or so.

I know that my group has gone through about 22 games, and have made it almost to 7th level. That's about a level a month, including breaks, and it's worked pretty well for us.

 

[Lladnar]

If you use the tables provided, the levelling NEVER slows down, because 13 encounters of equivalent Level/CR will net enough experience to level.

The rate of gain per encounter shouldn't slow down, but my experience is the encounters per session do. At first level you guard a caravan that get ambused by 1-2 orcs 4 times, thats 4 encounters, about 2-4 rounds (5-10 minutes max) per encounter. But at higher levels the set up to the encounter gets more involved due to more planning and research. Also a high level encounter (especially in 3.5) can take up to 15 rounds easy. 15 rounds of multi-attacks, exotic spells and posibly a large number of opponents lead to combats that can take an hour or two to complete. Assuming your idea of a fun game is 25% combat, 75% story then 1 combat per session gets you there, whereas at low levels you need a half dozen or more.

 

[Crothian]

Do you feel the players have earned it? I've had sessions were the players over fought and defeated things well above their CR and have leveled fast in those instances. But there is the feeling that they earned it because they did things above and beyond.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Hi Everyone,
Does the leveling slow down after a certain point? How have you handled these situations? Sorry for rehashing an old subject, but I couldn't seem to find any related topics from the past.

Thanks!

One thing you can try is Training. Don't let the characters level-up until they have a serious block of time to devote to serious training, study, prayer, vision questing, etc.

This will at least help you control the problem of a 5th level party entering a dungeon but being a 7th level party when they fight the evil guy at the end of the dungeon.

-z

 

[Saeviomagy]

Hi Everyone,

We've started a new campaign and are coming up on the 8th session next week. The problem is (and it's something that I know has been discussed here before) is the rate of leveling. I'm using the formulas from the DMG for experience, and my players are already lvl 6 (not to mention, two of them are PCs with level adjustment +1).

So your players are having 11 or so encounters a session? No wonder they're going so fast.

You might want to try having more non-combat encounters and a bit more roleplaying. That'll slow things down nicely.

 

[KarinsDad]

Another thing you can do is change the amount of experience required per level.

Judges Guild just put out their Players Guide to the Wilderness and in it, it suggests doubling the amount of experience needed per level (i.e. 2000 to get to second level, 6000 to get to third, etc.).

In your campaign, your characters would now be 4th level instead of 6th (assuming same experience points gained which would probably not be the actual case if they had not been higher level most of the time) with such a system.

Judges Guild evidently felt that characters level too quickly in 3E.

 

[AuraSeer]

One thing you can try is Training. Don't let the characters level-up until they have a serious block of time to devote to serious training, study, prayer, vision questing, etc.

This will at least help you control the problem of a 5th level party entering a dungeon but being a 7th level party when they fight the evil guy at the end of the dungeon.

I don't like that solution because it will tend to frustrate the players. Going strictly by the rules, you can only ever have enough XP to gain one level at a time, so the PCs will get stuck 1 point shy of 7th level. Anything in excess of that is lost, so if they do collect that much in the main part of the dungeon, they won't get any XP for killing the BBEG! Sure it would slow their progression, but at the expense of making them feel like they're sometimes being cheated out of deserved rewards.

Of course if you only reward XP after the adventure is complete, the PCs will never notice the difference. But they'll likely get suspicious after the first time they all end up 1 point shy of a new level.

I'd rather just reduce the award by a given amount-- say 33%-- every time XP is awarded. That way the PCs still get the gratification of advancing toward the next level, but they just do it a little slower.

 

[Piratecat]

Another thing you can do is change the amount of experience required per level.

Judges Guild just put out their Players Guide to the Wilderness and in it, it suggests doubling the amount of experience needed per level (i.e. 2000 to get to second level, 6000 to get to third, etc.).

I also give out significantly less XP per level than most folks do. Everyone understands why, and it works just fine for us.

 

[smetzger]

Does the leveling slow down after a certain point? How have you handled these situations? Sorry for rehashing an old subject, but I couldn't seem to find any related topics from the past.

Yes, it does slow down a bit around level 7 or 8. But thats usually due to less combats per session. I started my players off at level 5 and after 22 sessions they are level 10.

I haven't had a problem with the level progression. It pretty much matches how quickly PCs leveled in 1e and 2e with my house rules for XP.

I will say this for 3e level progression. It is self correcting. Since the characters get less XP when they are higher level(for a given CR); if they get a little bit ahead of the DMs planned challenges then they will have it easy for a level or so, and then it things will settle in for a more even challenge.