What is XP?

[Wombat]

I know that title sounds odd, but consider this basic situation.

You are a Wizard. You want to create a wand. This takes XP.

You are a Cleric. You Raise someone. This takes XP.

But what is this XP?

Putting aside pure game mechanics for a moment, what is it about your experiences, thoughts, memories and toe-to-toe encounters with the kobold hordes that powers magical items and/or allows you to raise from the dead?

If you put XP into an item, does that item contain a little piece of you?

When you give up XP, do you lose memories of events?

Like I said, this is a "Mechanics Aside" question.

Consider it a weird philosophical exercise.

 

[MerricB]

I tend to think of XP as your life force and the favour of the gods.

Cheers!

 

[Dagger75]

I guess since there is a new edition out we can rehash this old argument that raged in the rules forum a while ago.

First of off you asking about a rules mechanic from the game then asking to diregards the rules mechanics of the game to answer a question.

First your assuming xp is only gain in combat. What about XP for getting past a trap, convincing a noble to let you pass through his lands, getting XP returning a lost artifact to the church.

XP is that experience. Its what makes people grow. You gain knowledge and skill the more you do something, the more you help people, the more you accomplish. Creating a magic item or raising a persons, takes that small spark of what you used to grow and turns it into something physical a magic item or raising somebody from the dead.

But thats just my take.

 

[Keith]

Wombat, I don’t doubt that people have some clever and elegant answers to those questions, and I don’t mean to disregard them, or even argue with them. For me, though, burning off some of your “life experience” to accomplish tasks, however magical, is a ludicrous idea that could easily and productively not have been included in the game.
I look at XP as entirely a game mechanic, completely without connection to the character’s reality. They are unaware both of acquiring XP and of using it up. Attempting some pained effort at connecting the mechanic to “life experience” or anything else seems pointless to me.
XP is a way to control pieces in a game, nothing else. Think of how ridiculous both the class and leveling system are as a result. You have to ignore the fact that all player characters are stamped out with a very limited cookie cutter in order to present a world in which people in general are well-rounded and realistic. And leveling...months and months of no improvement in anything you do, followed by an overnight quantum leap in skill in almost everything you do?! There is no possible way to connect such a system to reality, in my view.

You’re right, it is a weird philosophical exercise. And really, a game would be a better one that could remove such glaring mechanical systems in favor of ones that might better mirror reality. Just a thought.

Cheers

 

[Zogg]

You’re right, it is a weird philosophical exercise. And really, a game would be a better one that could remove such glaring mechanical systems in favor of ones that might better mirror reality. Just a thought.
Cheers

Would it, though? I always thought DnD was a nice escape FROM reality...the reality of balancing my checkbook, watching the news or even doing some crunches at the gym (gotta raise that STR!)...sure, it's odd that a person would have a 'quantum leap' in skill overnight instead of a gradual increase but do you really want to play through 14 6-hour sessions and three years of in-game time before your PC levels in order to illustrate the reality of it all? Delayed gratification can be a good thing, but if it's excessive in order to illustrate reality I think most of us would just pass.

As for the question about XP - I think that describing it as "life essence" (at least for the examples you mention) is sufficient. In the Real World, anytime a writer writes a book or a doctor performs a surgery or a teacher grades a paper they are spending their "life essence". Often times there are works that are SO great the person really does put some of themselves into whatever they are doing - and thus leaving a part of themselves behind. Now in DnD the "works" are a bit different - a wand is hardly a "work of art" but it can be useful and even legendary given the circumstances. And raising dead is pretty cut and dry - you need to give up a part of yourself in the ritual in order to bring back life.

 

[Voadam]

I go with life essence/force as well, it works conceptually for me for powering magic items and potent spells.

As far as gaining xp, I don't put that into in game flavor terms.

 

[Voadam]

Putting aside pure game mechanics for a moment, what is it about your experiences, thoughts, memories and toe-to-toe encounters with the kobold hordes that powers magical items and/or allows you to raise from the dead?

If you put XP into an item, does that item contain a little piece of you?

When you give up XP, do you lose memories of events?

1 All of that forms the self and builds the soul (just do it, it's good for the soul) Magic allows you harness soul energy.

2 could go either way, either it has a piece of your soul, or your soul stuff was used to power the process to make the item.

3 No, you just get a little weaker, soulwise.

 

[Urbannen]

I think they got this concept from Tolkien, who shared this vision of item creation. In one of the "Lost Tales," there was a story about a member of the race of Gan-Buri-Gan who made a magic statue to protect a family of humans. When some orcs came, the statue animated and fought them off. Afterwards the little man had some of the injuries of the statue. He said that's what happens when you make something like that - you put part of yourself into it. And of course Sauron put a major chunk of his life essence in the one ring. I guess spellcasters could sacrifice stats instead, but XP is the most convenient game mechanic. In essence they are sacrificing spell-casting ability and skills (that they would have gained in the future) to gain more accessible power now.

 

[Faraer]

Levels are 'life energy levels'. Karma, mana, will, or however the game world describes it. That's the original intent, anyway. If I didn't like it, though, I wouldn't use the mechanic either.

 

[Verdigris]

I can't comment on whether XP is some sort of karma, mana, souljuice, chi or whatever -- but I can proffer an opinyun about why you lose some when you try to permanently tap into that magical flow:

Your mental and physical body is dummed down a bit as it would be if it were exposed to concentrations of any number of inherently toxic (if indeed powerful) substances. When industrial workers breathe mercury vapors, lead, formaldehyde, polyvinyl chlorate, etc. they suffer from a variety of symptoms which include muscle weakness, brain damage, and/or retardation. Exposure reduces them in ability and mental acuity.

Magic, wherever it comes from, is a similarly powerful substance that, if harnessed, can do wonderous things. But like its chemical analogs, it is also inherenly dangerous. Mess with it and you could turn your mind and body to mush.

That's why I stick to fighters. At least if I lose my memories it happens for an observable reason (i.e. the owlbear just lopped off my my head).