What can supply XP?

[andargor]

What items, materials or spells can supply XP for the purposes of either casting spells, creating items or developing Epic spells?

I know only of the following:

• Rod of Excellent Magic (Epic)
• Golem Manuals

Any others? For example, a spell that drains a creature to mitigate the XP costs involved? A special plant? Special materials?

Anything?

Andargor

 

[Hypersmurf]

You need the Book of Vile Darkness

-Hyp.

 

[andargor]

You need the Book of Vile Darkness

-Hyp.

Heh, anything else an LN Wizard can use without stretching the "it's for the mission and they are enemies" line to avoid the DM switching him to LE?

Andargor

 

[AuraSeer]

There isn't much, and that's on purpose. Spells and abilities that have XP cost have it for game balance reasons, and there wouldn't be much point to that if the cost were easy to avoid. Even the items you list require the XP to be expended during item creation, so you're not really avoiding the cost, just paying another character to take care of it for you.

Allowing "power components" substitute for an XP cost is an optional rule, and AFAIK there isn't any official list of components.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Heh, anything else an LN Wizard can use without stretching the "it's for the mission and they are enemies" line to avoid the DM switching him to LE?

Ah. So human sacrifice and liquid pain is right out, then?

-Hyp.

 

[andargor]

There isn't much, and that's on purpose. Spells and abilities that have XP cost have it for game balance reasons, and there wouldn't be much point to that if the cost were easy to avoid. Even the items you list require the XP to be expended during item creation, so you're not really avoiding the cost, just paying another character to take care of it for you.

Granted, and I do understand game balance issues. I was just wondering why there doesn't seem to be a mechanic for converting resources to XP. Be it cannon-fodder, magical items or other materials.

There's the 1 XP = 5 gp rule for NPC spellcasting, IIRC, but there is no reverse rule. There is no way, for example, to substitute an XP cost by sacrificing magic items (other than the optional rule you mention, which is fully up to the DM). Of course, for balance purposes, the conversion cost should be much more than 5gp = 1 XP, perhaps twice or ten times that.

If I wish to sacrifice, say, a Robe of the Archmagi, wouldn't it be balanced if I received 1500 XP - 7500 XP from it for creation purposes? Or to cast a Wish? How about at Epic levels, to allow the development of Epic spells, which are horrendously expensive IMHO.

Andargor

 

[Bauglir]

Ah. So human sacrifice and liquid pain is right out, then?

-Hyp.

Very nearly spat tea all over my monitor there.

Not quite.

But close.