Alternate XP system

[nedz]

In UA there is an alternate XP system where monsters have a fixed number of XP. (AFAIK this is non-OGL so I cannot link to this)

I'm considering using this for a future campaign.

Does anyone have experience in running this ?
Are there any issues with this system ?

[Yora]

I don't see how. XP are not really a resource and lots of groups simply have the PCs level up when the GM thinks it's a good moment. How many XP you get out of an encounter doesn't really matter. The only important part is how much treasure you get to keep your equipment up to date and restock the potions and scrolls you used.

[nedz]

Well XP is a resource if you are crafting.

[Golden Ladybug]

I'm guessing that it would encourage "XP Farming", which I find is already enough of a problem in my games. Having a tangible benefit for your players picking fights they can't possibly lose and getting advancement out of it means that you might be spending a lot more time DMing frightened commoners/animals running away from comparitively godlike player characters.

I don't really like the idea of a "Grinding" system for D&D, which is what I'd be guessing this alternate system encourages. I can already tell that introducing this at my table would be a mistake.

...I think that this was the first thing I thought of when I read this is a sign I should get better players :smallannoyed:

Anyway, I'd be cautious implementing this, and for the most part, I'd prefer not to. But if you want to give it a try, I wish you luck :smallsmile:

[Glimbur]

That's a fair point, but there is a resource more rare than XP: play time. Sure, it's possible to kill a bunch of dogs and rats for the small amount of XP and eventually level, but it would get boring. The risk is still there though.

I'm not really certain what the benefit is, besides simpler XP awards and there are online calculators for XP anyway.

[nedz]

You can do XP farming in the standard system. That's more a playstyle issue which will not be a problem. I have plenty of strategies for stopping this anyway.

The advantage, I guess, is ease of calculation.

[Jeraa]

(AFAIK this is non-OGL so I cannot link to this)

It is Open Content, according to the front the Unearthed Arcana. I don't know why the Hypertext SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/) leaves it out.

[Togath]

pathfinder has a xp system like the one the op is talking about(though it also doesn't use xp for crafting, which fixes the crafting problem anyway)

[Jeraa]

pathfinder has a xp system like the one the op is talking about(though it also doesn't use xp for crafting, which fixes the crafting problem anyway)

Pathfinders Fast xp advancement is very similiar the the UA version. Pathfinders XP rewards are even more similiar. I would say its a good bet that Pathfinder used the UA rules as a base, and modified them some, as well as adding in 2 alternate XP advancement rates.

[Qwertystop]

You can do XP farming in the standard system. That's more a playstyle issue which will not be a problem. I have plenty of strategies for stopping this anyway.

The advantage, I guess, is ease of calculation.

Not really. You can only farm XP in the normal system if what you're fighting is a challenge to some degree. XP is based on overcoming challenges, not just kills, but a level 10 killing stray dogs and goblins would get XP under this system but not the normal one. Not much, but if you actually have the time required to make grinding worth it, it's still something.

Also, I don't think this system provides for non-combat XP.

[nedz]

Not really. You can only farm XP in the normal system if what you're fighting is a challenge to some degree. XP is based on overcoming challenges, not just kills, but a level 10 killing stray dogs and goblins would get XP under this system but not the normal one. Not much, but if you actually have the time required to make grinding worth it, it's still something.

Also, I don't think this system provides for non-combat XP.

Fixing either of these problems is not hard, albeit by Rule 0; but the standard 3.5 version assumes Rule 0 also.

The system is quite reminiscent of the AD&D system as well.

I was simply wondering if anyone had used in with 3.5 and what their experiences were ?

Ed: I'm sure I have seen it online somewhere, but it was quite a while back.

[Yahzi]

In UA there is an alternate XP system where monsters have a fixed number of XP. (AFAIK this is non-OGL so I cannot link to this)
I've not used the UA system (I didn't know it even existed) but I came up with my own (see the link in my sig).

As for issues running, yes; the issue was increased fun. D&D is a resource management game, and the players enjoyed managing the most important resource. (My XP was not only fixed, but tangible and transferable). In the end they chose to spend far more XP on their henchmen than the rules require.

BTW, the solution to high-level characters farming low-level mobs for XP is simple: make them roll every single attack. Pretty soon they get bored and start looking for higher level stuff that's worth the effort of picking up the dice.