D&D 5E XP Per Adventuring Day Per Player is Ridiculous

[CapnZapp]

The only important criteria is

number of play sessions per level[/quote]

Do you level every other session on average? Every third? Fourth? Fifth?

On one hand, you have the DM that want to preserve at least a veneer of believability and not go zero to hero "too" fast. On the other, how long before your players grow bored with their current abilities and want to become faster harder scooter.

This is the only question. Everything else is just chaff.

 

[Green1]

The only important criteria is

number of play sessions per level[/quote]

Do you level every other session on average? Every third? Fourth? Fifth?

On one hand, you have the DM that want to preserve at least a veneer of believability and not go zero to hero "too" fast. On the other, how long before your players grow bored with their current abilities and want to become faster harder scooter.

This is the only question. Everything else is just chaff.[/QUOTE]

Well, if it is first level start, I would not leave them at first more than 1 or 2 sessions. But, past that, slowing down considerably regardless of increased XP. 10 to 20 should be long going and 20s, let alone those with epic boons, should be fairly rare.

 

[AntiStateQuixote]

Charts and math in an Excel sheet that may be useful for this discussion.

 

[Irennan]

I think that someone going from ''apprentice who can barely lit a flame with magic'' to ''archmage that can wipe an entire horde with a couple spells'' in a year is rather ridiculous, let alone in 33 days.

Same thing goes for the other crafts.

 

[Sacrosanct]

 

[Sacrosanct]

I think that someone going from ''apprentice who can barely lit a flame with magic'' to ''archmage that can wipe an entire horde with a couple spells'' in a year is rather ridiculous, let alone in 33 days.

Same thing goes for the other crafts.

Especially since it can take years (depending on background) just to become proficient enough to just be level 1

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I think that someone going from ''apprentice who can barely lit a flame with magic'' to ''archmage that can wipe an entire horde with a couple spells'' in a year is rather ridiculous, let alone in 33 days.

Same thing goes for the other crafts.

Granted, and I agree with your larger point. Except that in 5E, there are no such archmages. I have yet to see any wizard in 5E who can defeat even a modest division of five thousand troops, still less an actual horde of tens of thousands. 5E focuses on small-scale tactical skirmishes instead of large armies.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

I think that someone going from ''apprentice who can barely lit a flame with magic'' to ''archmage that can wipe an entire horde with a couple spells'' in a year is rather ridiculous, let alone in 33 days.

How long should it take, in game time? How long should it take, in real time (number of sessions)?

 

[Irennan]

How long should it take, in game time? How long should it take, in real time (number of sessions)?

In game time (I assume it means in-universe), it really depends on the setting. How long has someone to train to become a terrific swordsman, how long has someone to study to become a competent mage? It usually takes years of training. In real time, it depends on what you and your group want. If you are willing to cope with the fact that a level 1 mook can learn basically all the tricks and advanced skills of his craft in 5-6 months (or less?), then you can do it in a limited number of sessions. If you want a more ''realistic'' (so to speak, forgive me the expression, can't find a better word) learning rate, then much more.

Personally, I don't think that adventures covering a few months of in-universe time should bring characters from level 1 to high levels. High stakes adventures covering a short period of time should involve high level characters, so that they may acquire skills/power/whatever as the story develops and be able to face the big threats at the end, without every single character being basically a genius/prodigy of his craft, capable of hyper fast learning.

 

[S'mon]

Just checked the notes on my 5e game - looks like the PCs have gone from 1st to 7th level in 84 game-days, playing IRL March-May and resumed late August. Advancement seems to have slowed down greatly now; many encounters with hordes of low-CR critters don't provide significant xp.