[nWoD] XP Spending

[Elricaltovilla]

I really don't get how to spend XP in New World of Darkness.

If I want to buy something like a merit, which costs "new dots x2" does that mean that dot 1 = 2 XP, dot 2 = 4 XP, dot 3 = 6 XP, dot 4 = 8 XP and dot 5 = 20 xp (5th dot costs twice as much right?) for a total of (2+4+6+8+20)= 40 XP to raise a merit from 0 to 5 dots? And is the 5th dot in anything twice as much or is it just some stuff?

Yes I have the books, no I still don't get it. Can somebody please explain this to me?

[lightningcat]

Unless I've been doing it wrong, the fifth dot only counts double during character creation. After that, it costs normal.

So a merit, which costs "new dots x2" means that dot 1 = 2 XP, dot 2 = 4 XP, dot 3 = 6 XP, dot 4 = 8 XP and dot 5 = 10 xp; for a total of (2+4+6+8+10)= 20 XP to raise a merit from 0 to 5 dots.

Now if a merit only has a 2 dot and a 4 dot rating, you only buy the levels that you get. Meaning that dot 2 = 4XP and dot 4 = 8 XP; for a total of 12 XP to get the 4 point version.

If you want a fifth dot in character creation, it costs a total of 6 of your points to get it. One each for 1-4, and two for the fifth.

[Mewtarthio]

You could update to the God-Machine Chronicles (the rules update alone is free), where everything is a flat cost.

Barring that, I'm pretty sure you have to buy every dot of a Merit (up to the level you want), even if you don't get benefits for every dot. So, for instance, if you want a two-dot Merit, you need to pay 6XP (2XP for one dot, and 4XP for the second), even if the Merit does not have a one-dot version.

[Elricaltovilla]

You could update to the God-Machine Chronicles (the rules update alone is free), where everything is a flat cost.

Barring that, I'm pretty sure you have to buy every dot of a Merit (up to the level you want), even if you don't get benefits for every dot. So, for instance, if you want a two-dot Merit, you need to pay 6XP (2XP for one dot, and 4XP for the second), even if the Merit does not have a one-dot version.

Unfortunately we're not using that update. But I THINK I get it now (more or less). Why did they have to phrase the cost in such a weird way?

[One Tin Soldier]

Unfortunately we're not using that update. But I THINK I get it now (more or less). Why did they have to phrase the cost in such a weird way?

I blame the White Wolf editing department. Mostly because I blame everything on them. :smalltongue:

Really, it's only Merits that get confusing, IMO. It's never properly explained in the books how you pay for merits with "dead" dots, so it's up to each group to houserule. Our group says that you only pay for the dot levels that do something, while Mewthario says you have to pay for the dead dots as if it was a fighting style. Both of these interpretations are equally valid, because the wording in the book itself is highly unclear.

This isn't a problem with Attributes, Skills, and assorted powers. You have to buy all of those one dot at a time, paying X times the new dot rating in XP. (Barring exceptions like Werewolf Gifts or Promethean Transmutations, but those aren't really relevant right now.)

In any case, you only have to pay double for the fifth dot during character creation, and the rules update did away with that requirement anyway.

[SiuiS]

I really don't get how to spend XP in New World of Darkness.

If I want to buy something like a merit, which costs "new dots x2" does that mean that dot 1 = 2 XP, dot 2 = 4 XP, dot 3 = 6 XP, dot 4 = 8 XP and dot 5 = 20 xp (5th dot costs twice as much right?) for a total of (2+4+6+8+20)= 40 XP to raise a merit from 0 to 5 dots? And is the 5th dot in anything twice as much or is it just some stuff?

Yes I have the books, no I still don't get it. Can somebody please explain this to me?

There are two kinds of merits, though its unspoken and unclarified.

Tiered merits, which have multiple, sequential dots from 1 up to as much as 5. You buy each dot as a separate merit, so the first costs 2 XP, the second costs 4 XP, and the third dot costs 6 XP. If you go from 0 to 3, then the total cost is a 12 XP lump sum.
Fighting styles, contracts/arcanum, renown, attributes, skills and power stats all use this model.

Static merits are those which have only dots. A two-dot merit does not cost 6 XP, because there is no 1-dot you have to buy first. You just pay 4. Where this gets confusing is when there are multiple, exclusive versions, such as Striking Looks, or Trained Observer. Striking looks can cost two dots or three dots(?), but you don't have to buy both to get the maximum version. It's not a stacking bonus, it's either/or, like buying your choice of Lesser or Greater.
Some merits, gifts, rites and rote spells use this model.

This causes some minor quibbles, such as with Fey Mount being semi-sequential, or with what happens when you increase a non-tiered merit (going from two-dot trained observer to three-dot for example; you lose a bonus gain a different bonus... Or do you just buy both?) but it's the simplest measure.

Note some STs won't agree, and every dot costs sequentially more. Best to ask them before starting. :smallsmile: