[net.games.frp] High level player characters the quick and easy way

long@oliveb.UUCP (Dave Long) (02/24/85)

In article <ucbcad.113> faustus@ucbcad.UUCP writes:
| It depends upon how resourceful your players are. For instance, a ring of
| telekinesis, a big rock, and a convoy of fire giants walking along a narrow
| mountain pass can get people a lot of experience very quickly. Also,
| a bunch of poison and a fair number of crossbows (set off with wires) can
| have the same effect...

    I don't know about the rest of you out there, but I tend to give XP based
on how much effort it takes to do something, or how much the PC could have pos-
sibly learned from it, or whether the PC managed to successfully avoid something
This means that I generally only give full monster value when the monster is
fought directly, with the PC placing himself in a dangerous situation, and the
PC has shown some initiative in his actions.  
    I would give very little in the way of XP for the first one, since it really
doesn't matter what got knocked out of the pass.  The players could have knocked
off a group of elk with the same effort, and all that they've learned is that
big rocks and telekinesis rings can be fun.  However, they did stop the threat
to themselves without having to risk themselves, so that is what I'd be reward-
ing.
    The second situation I would also not give experience points for the monst-
ers that blundered into it.  I would, however, give quite a few XP for setting
the trap up.  The player characters will have to find some poison that will stay
on a quarrel for reasonable amount of time and retain its potency, they will
have to find some method of reliably rigging trip wires that are pretty much un
spottable, yet can trigger the crossbows, which will have to have their actions
improved.
-- 
	gnoL evaD
{msoft,allegra,gsgvax,fortune,hplabs,idi,ios,
 nwuxd,ihnp4,tolrnt,tty3b,vlsvax1,zehntel}!oliveb!long

I'd rather be in a universe whose Creator had a bit more mechanical aptitude
and a little less imagination.