Honestly, I think AD&D has the best rules for this. It's not much favored anymore, but this guy has a view similar to mine on why it does work and what it requires in the game: https://www.thebluebard.com/blog/adampd-why-we-train
And in my reading this
And conversely, they are more likely to put up with the loss of 5K for their 9th level cleric in order to finish the dungeon and find more magic items. They know they are going to level when they get back so why not? What's 5K when I need 250?
shows exactly why xp per kill or xp per gold is dumb.
In quest-based, challenge-based or skill-bases systems this "choice" wouldn't even appear. PCs would go through the dungeon until they're exhausted or they've reached their goal, not until they've hit some gamey lvl cap.
Honestly, I think AD&D has the best rules for this. It's not much favored anymore, but this guy has a view similar to mine on why it does work and what it requires in the game: https://www.thebluebard.com/blog/adampd-why-we-train
And in my reading this
And conversely, they are more likely to put up with the loss of 5K for their 9th level cleric in order to finish the dungeon and find more magic items. They know they are going to level when they get back so why not? What's 5K when I need 250?
shows exactly why xp per kill or xp per gold is dumb.
In quest-based, challenge-based or skill-bases systems this "choice" wouldn't even appear. PCs would go through the dungeon until they're exhausted or they've reached their goal, not until they've hit some gamey lvl cap.
The choice is interesting, though. It also isn't too unrealistic. The skills of people who just do their jobs without spending further time training tend to plateau or even decline over time as they become rote. The level cap can represent one of those plateaus, requiring the character to go train to break through it.
step 1. clear dungeon & collect loot, bring back to town
step 2. take loot back to dungeon, bring it back again
There's a big problem with your plan: If you try to pull this scam, you also end up having to declare it on your taxes and thus get taxed again FOR YOUR OWN LOOT. No one would do this! Worst scam! And if it hasn't been declared on your taxes, it hasn't been brought back to civilization, now HAS IT?
Last edited by Norfleet on August 3rd, 2025, 22:55, edited 1 time in total.
step 1. clear dungeon & collect loot, bring back to town
step 2. take loot back to dungeon, bring it back again
There's a big problem with your plan: If you try to pull this scam, you also end up having to declare it on your taxes and thus get taxed again FOR YOUR OWN LOOT. No one would do this! Worst scam! And if it hasn't been declared on your taxes, it hasn't been brought back to civilization, now HAS IT?
Taxes are paid to the government. Which is yourself when you own the fort.
Taxes are paid to the government. Which is yourself when you own the fort.
Well, just "you" isn't civilization. So it hasn't been recovered to civilization under this scenario unless you blow it on a public works project. In which case it is no longer available to haul into the dungeon. Taxes are simply the best option to declare loot "recovered to civilization", because at least you still have some of it afterwards. Every other option for recovery to civilization involves blowing it in some way, traditionally on hookers and booze.
This, incidentally, is a convenient way to keep the system going, since now the player needs more loot he can blow on hookers and booze.
Last edited by Norfleet on August 3rd, 2025, 23:09, edited 1 time in total.
Real public works of a sovereign ARE his booze and whores.
Right, see? You gotta build yourself your own Versailles Palace. Which means the money is spent, having been returned to civilization, and you can't just haul it back to a dungeon and try to reclaim it again.
If the players choose to play with the optional advancement rules, it's 1 hero point per 3 sessions by default.
In practice, I seed various locations, events, and beings in the world that allow the players to gain hero points by being interacted with in various ways. In most games, though, we don't play with advancement, per player preference.
