XP System: Divide by 100

[geoffrey]

I am both lazy and the sort of referee who likes to keep the treasures very small, each of which makes me not care for the xp system in the Men & Magic book. Here's an idea for keeping the basic concept behind the M&M system, but making it easier for lazy referees and/or for those who want much smaller treasures than the norm:

Divide everything by 100. That's it.

Divide the number of experience points needed to gain a level by 100.

Divide the number of xp gained from defeated monsters by 100 (thus resulting in 1 xp per monster HD).

Divide the amount of treasure in modules and other game aids by 100.

In my next three posts, I will share the xp tables I made.

[geoffrey]

EXPERIENCE TABLES FOR FIGHTING-MEN

Fighting-Men with Strength of 3 to 6
1st level: 0
2nd level: 25
3rd level: 50
4th level: 100
5th level: 200
6th level: 400
7th level: 800
8th level: 1,500
9th level: 3,000
(1,500 more for each additional level)

Fighting-Men with Strength of 7 or 8
1st level: 0
2nd level: 22
3rd level: 44
4th level: 89
5th level: 178
6th level: 356
7th level: 711
8th level: 1,333
9th level: 2,667
(1,334 more for each additional level)

Fighting-Men with Strength of 9 to 12
1st level: 0
2nd level: 20
3rd level: 40
4th level: 80
5th level: 160
6th level: 320
7th level: 640
8th level: 1,200
9th level: 2,400
(1,200 more for each additional level)

Fighting-Men with Strength of 13 or 14
1st level: 0
2nd level: 19
3rd level: 38
4th level: 76
5th level: 152
6th level: 305
7th level: 610
8th level: 1,143
9th level: 2,286
(1,143 more for each additional level)

Fighting-Men with Strength of 15 to 18
1st level: 0
2nd level: 18
3rd level: 36
4th level: 73
5th level: 145
6th level: 291
7th level: 582
8th level: 1,091
9th level: 2,182
(1,091 more for each additional level)

[geoffrey]

EXPERIENCE TABLES FOR MAGIC-USERS

Magic-Users with Intelligence of 3 to 6
1st level: 0
2nd level: 31
3rd level: 63
4th level: 125
5th level: 250
6th level: 438
7th level: 625
8th level: 938
9th level: 1,250
10th level: 2,500
11th level: 3,750
(1,250 more for each additional level)

Magic-Users with Intelligence of 7 to 8
1st level: 0
2nd level: 28
3rd level: 56
4th level: 111
5th level: 222
6th level: 389
7th level: 556
8th level: 833
9th level: 1,111
10th level: 2,222
11th level: 3,333
(1,111 more for each additional level)

Magic-Users with Intelligence of 9 to 12
1st level: 0
2nd level: 25
3rd level: 50
4th level: 100
5th level: 200
6th level: 350
7th level: 500
8th level: 750
9th level: 1,000
10th level: 2,000
11th level: 3,000
(1,000 more for each additional level)

Magic-Users with Intelligence of 13 or 14
1st level: 0
2nd level: 24
3rd level: 48
4th level: 95
5th level: 190
6th level: 333
7th level: 476
8th level: 714
9th level: 952
10th level: 1,905
11th level: 2,857
(952 more for each additional level)

Magic-Users with Intelligence of 15-18
1st level: 0
2nd level: 23
3rd level: 45
4th level: 91
5th level: 182
6th level: 318
7th level: 455
8th level: 682
9th level: 909
10th level: 1,818
11th level: 2,727
(909 more for each additional level)

[geoffrey]

EXPERIENCE TABLES FOR CLERICS

Clerics with Wisdom of 3 to 6
1st level: 0
2nd level: 19
3rd level: 38
4th level: 75
5th level: 150
6th level: 313
7th level: 625
8th level: 1,250
(625 more for each additional level)

Clerics with Wisdom of 7 to 8
1st level: 0
2nd level: 17
3rd level: 33
4th level: 67
5th level: 133
6th level: 278
7th level: 556
8th level: 1,111
(555 more for each additional level)

Clerics with Wisdom of 9 to 12
1st level: 0
2nd level: 15
3rd level: 30
4th level: 60
5th level: 120
6th level: 250
7th level: 500
8th level: 1,000
(500 more for each additional level)

Clerics with Wisdom of 13 or 14
1st level: 0
2nd level: 14
3rd level: 29
4th level: 57
5th level: 114
6th level: 238
7th level: 476
8th level: 952
(476 more for each additional level)

Clerics with Wisdom of 15-18
1st level: 0
2nd level: 14
3rd level: 27
4th level: 55
5th level: 109
6th level: 227
7th level: 455
8th level: 909
(454 more for each additional level)

[geoffrey]

You will see that the above experience tables factor in the bonuses for a high prime requisite and the penalties for a low prime requisite.

If a character's prime requisite drops far enough to put him on a different table, he does NOT thereby lose a level. He merely henceforth uses the new table. For example, a 5th-level fighting-man with a 9 strength and 162 xp gets cursed and goes down to an 8 strength. But it takes at least 178 xp for a fighting-man with an 8 strength to reach 5th level! Never fear. This particular fighting-man stays at 5th level, but he will not attain 6th level until he acquires 356 xp (as opposed to the 291 xp he would have needed when he still had a 9 strength).

If a character's prime requisite increases far enough to put him on a different table, he does NOT thereby automatically gain a level. For example, a 5th-level fighting-man with a 12 strength and 310 xp gets his strength magically increased to 13. "Hey! He's now 6th level, right?" No. But the very next time he acquires any xp (even but a single point), he will rise to 6th level since a fighting-man with a 13 strength needs only 305 xp to attain 6th level.

[crusssdaddy]

The original goes to eleven.

[talysman]

I've thought about doing something like this. Also thought about "zeroing out" the tables and basing xp needed off characters with a 3 prime score. Then, instead of a full table for each score range, just add 1 HD for every 10 HD slain for prime score 7, 2 HD for score 9, 5 HD for every 20 HD at score 13, or 3 HD for every 10 HD at score 15+.

[talysman]

Now that I have the bluetooth keyboard synced with the tablet, I'd like to expand on my previous comment.

What I've been thinking about lately is not dividing XP by 100, but by 20. As written, the 100 xp per hit die rule assumes that you will be dividing XP by the number of adventurers. If you assume a standard party of about five active participants, though, each character would get 20 XP per hit die under the current arrangement. Divide XP requirements by 20 and you can award XP equal to hit dice to all participants, no division necessary... or, if desired, halve the hit dice for seven or more adventurers/henchmen, double for small parties, triple for solo adventurers.

Going along with that, if you change to a silver standard for your price list, you could keep a 1 gold piece = 1 XP if you do the following:

- for anything up to about 500 coins, convert silver or gold to copper and keep the amount the same
- for more than 500 coins, divide by 100 and keep the type the same

This helps keep encumbrance as an important factor, but still guarantees some gold in the large treasures. It does boost the XP value of smaller treasure finds a tiny bit, though.

[Finarvyn]

Most of the time I don't bother tracking XP, but all of my house rule charts have been on the "divide by 100" scale for a long time. I like it.

I tried "divide by 1000" (kilo-XP sounds cooler than hecto-XP) and the numbers work pretty well that way, too. The only glitch with kXP is that in the first couple of levels the numbers all tend to look alike.