Unearthed Arcana WotC's Mearls Presents A New XP System For 5E In August's Unearthed Arcana

I have to say...not terribly impressed with this month's article...

http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-ThreePillarXP.pdf

I think my thread should be closed. So I repeat myself here:
Streamlined and probably very useful. I think level 1 and 2 should get an accelerator. Should be considered tier 0 probably.

 

[Waller]

I think [MENTION=6776322]HobbitFan[/MENTION] has a point.

Initiative and the core levelling system are not trivial parts of the game. If WotC’s designers aren’t using either in their own games as presented in the rulebooks, then that’s a problem. Unearthed Arcana as a vehicle for testing new expansions is great; if it’s an alpha test for major core rules patches, not so much. Revising initiative and XP isn’t trivial.

 

[Ovinomancer]

I think [MENTION=6776322]HobbitFan[/MENTION] has a point.

Initiative and the core levelling system are not trivial parts of the game. If WotC’s designers aren’t using either in their own games as presented in the rulebooks, then that’s a problem. Unearthed Arcana as a vehicle for testing new expansions is great; if it’s an alpha test for major core rules patches, not so much. Revising initiative and XP isn’t trivial.

Why is it a problem? Do you really want the designers to only play by the book and never innovate at their home tables? And revising XP and initiative have been some pretty recent topics around here without the UA articles, each spawning multiple threads in recent months. They're both bolt on systems that have little to do with the core mechanics of the game -- as evidence by the fact that both milestone leveling and standard book experience both exist and are popular but don't change the game. Initiative isn't much different.

 

[Uchawi]

As a general observation, the more granular you are with an experience systems the more likely players will fish for opportunities and/or go out on their own for solo missions. It will create road blocks and diversions in a campaign as players seek dead ends without any reward. I prefer to keep experience more generic and reward players with opportunities, items, short cuts, etc.

 

[robus]

I like it quite a lot. It dramatically improves the XP and leveling interface in D&D. You only have to track your current level and the percentage to your next level. If you wanted, you could even have an XP bar on your character sheet that slowly fills up to 100%.

What I'm not so keen on is breaking it up along the three pillars, as it feels incomplete. XP should be given out for:

• Making Discoveries
• Overcoming Challenges
• Achieving Goals

The rules should be organized around these concepts.

I liked this so much I just wanted it repeated in the thread as it seemed to be overlooked.

 

[Lord Rasputin]

And XP for treasure? No, just no.

Let me fix that for you:

And XP for treasure? Good, since dropping it 30 years ago made games worse.

 

[Arilyn]

Let me fix that for you:

And XP for treasure? Good, since dropping it 30 years ago made games worse.

How did it make games worse?

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

How did it make games worse?

Because it removed any incentive for sneaking or diplomacy.

If the characters sneaks past the bugbears and empties the treasure chest... no XP.
If the characters negotiate with the bugbears and gain the contents of the treasure chest... no XP.

The result is that violence becomes the players' first and only approach.

 

[werecorpse]

Because it removed any incentive for sneaking or diplomacy.

If the characters sneaks past the bugbears and empties the treasure chest... no XP.
If the characters negotiate with the bugbears and gain the contents of the treasure chest... no XP.

The result is that violence becomes the players' first and only approach.

I have come up with a remarkable and clearly novel solution to this problem!

Calculate the experience to be gained for overcoming a challenge based on the danger presented by the challenge. Then award that experience if the challenge is overcome!!

So in your example the deadliness of the challenge is the bugbears. The experience gained for overcoming them is the same whether by violence, negotiation or stealth. Further it doesn't depend on how wealthy or destitute they are.

This means that sometimes you overcome a deadly challenge (get lots of xp) but get little treasure and sometimes the reverse.

This is how we started doing it in about 1980.

 

[Shasarak]

Milestone leveling is the absolute best business call they can make as it simplified their job, eliminates the need to railroad everything, and appeals to a broad base of consumers.

Doesnt Milestone Leveling work best when railroading everything?

 

[Ovinomancer]

Doesnt Milestone Leveling work best when railroading everything?

Not in my experience, although it works there as well.