XP progression: too fast, too slow, or just right?

[Li Shenron]

I'm amazed at the number of "too fast" responses here. I wonder if these are all responses from DMs or if some players agree that leveling is too fast. Although I DM full-time and haven't been a player in a while, I do recall wishing that our DM would speed things up so I could get to the cool powers at higher levels. If I had to play eight sessions to gain a level, as some have suggested here, I think I'd be looking for another game.

I'm both a player and a DM.

As a DM it actually makes little difference to me. Ok, in a way if the players get new abilities very fast I could have problems to keep an eye on everything, but in practice I would probably not care that much... Even with a very fast advancement, 20 levels are enough to cover a long adventure, and if they are really too fast in getting to 20th, it simply means they won't get to play the same characters in the next adventure, but they'll need to create new ones.

In fact, I am more concerned about too fast advancement when playing a character. Levelling up too often means that my character becomes one of the greatest hero in the world, without actually (1) having much tales to tell really, and (2) without really knowing how to effectively use her own powers

Of course getting new abilities is always rewarding. But when a game makes me level up so fast that I don't have time to use them, then my PC is really reduced to a bunch of numbers on the paper sheet. I remember that once I played a wizard in an online game, and got to 3rd level before I had the chance to cast a single spell, it felt awful!

Eventually there could be a problem in the fact that casters get a lot of new spells all the time, while fighter-types get increases to "numbers" but a new special ability only every few levels. This might make spellcasters players be fine with a slower advancement, while the others are getting bored.

 

[Ghendar]

The default progression is way too fast. Fortunately, it's incredibly easy to slow it down to a rate which is acceptable to both the DM and the players.

Agreed, on both points. Although some players could have a problem with it, but results vary based on group I guess.

 

[smootrk]

I find it way to fast, and I would prefer slower progression.

I would also prefer a return to a non-epic top end as well... maybe a xp/level progression that progresses through 40 levels instead of 20, with 40th level being essentially the equivalent of what is 20th level characters right now... but this is likely another topic.

 

[DK]

Just right

Gaining level in 3.0/3.5 is exactly one of the thing I like the most!

In previous editions the game was build to last about 10 levels; from there on you didn't really earned anything new: no HP, no new ability. Except wizards and clerics that gained spells, but they had an XP progression that was incredibly slow. So after your wizard gained an enormous amount of XP and played for a year the only thing he would have gained was a single spell or two. For fighters life was even more boring!

This is way magic items were so important: they were the only thing that gave characters new skills and abilities. And that's way players always begged for magic items: to make their characters different and with new things to do.

I agree on the fact that leveling is much faster than in previous editions, but I like it because 3.0/3.5 is build (or it is supposed to be build) to play 20 full levels. I think this is what most of people have problems to realize. Now every level you gain something new and you gain it much faster. And players are happier, even without magic items.

And if you look at historical figures, most of the greater people were great when they were young: Alexander the great was in his 20's when he ruled half of the world!
So if you want an epic campaing I don't see the problem of doing it. If you want a slower pace you can just do it! I had a 3.0 Birthright campaing that lasted for about 20 years of game time and characters were around 15 level.

I don't see any problem with the actual leveling system and I prefer this one much more than the old one!

Bye,

DK