Delvers and Denizens: Experience Adjustments

Go to the Delvers and Denizens Index

It occurred to me the other day that I've written up and been using rules that I haven't talked about here. My ideas around these posts is to catalog my thought process and the context behind my rules, as I'm writing the rules strictly as a technical or reference manual with the assumption that anyone using them already know how to play the game. I've been thinking of eventually collecting these posts in a sort of designer's notes sort of document or book to go along with the actual rule books.

On to today's topic, I have modified how the adjustment applied to a PCs experience is calculated. the idea behind it was spurred on by this post by JB. Essentially instead of lowering the values of one ability score to raise the score a PC prime requisite as outline in BX, use those other scores to give a bonus to the XP gained based based ont eh prime requisite.

I've cleaned it up into a chart in my rules, each class has a 1st(prime) requisite, a 2nd(secondary) requisite, and a 3rd(tertiary) requisite, and they each give a different bonus or penalty as follows:

Ability Score |	Prime Adjustment |	Secondary Adjustment |	Tertiary Adjustment
3-5	-20%	-10%	-5%
6-8	-10%	-5%	-3%
9-12	+0%	+0%	+0%
13-15	+5%	+3%	+1%
16-18	+10%	+5%	+3%

the percentages are based on the original number in BX/BECMI, just extrapolated out to all 3 values. For the original 3 classes, followed by the thief in greyhawk, each requisite and its ranking was laid out inthe text, and for other classes such as elves and gnomes I base it on the prime req and required ability scoresin BX, and what if feel fits for the class. Below are the vaious reqs for each class as they are in their class descriptions:

Class |	Prime Ability |	Secondary Ability |	Tertiary Ability
Fighter	Strength	Intelligence	Wisdom
Magic-User	Intelligence	Wisdom	Dexterity
Ceric	Wisdom	Intelligence	Strength
Rogue	Dexterity	Wisdom	Intelligence
Sylvan Elf	Intelligence	Strength	Wisdom
Water Elf	Strength	Intelligence	Wisdom
Mountain Gnome	Strength	Dexterity	Wisdom
Garden Gnome	Dexterity	Strength	Wisdom
Forest Gnome	Dexterity	Intelligence	Wisdom

Using this means that each PC will have a customized xp adjustment and that more than one stat is important for each class. A fighter without a high stregth can make up for it with a high intelligence. It's not a huge change to the game, but I like how it shows the benefit of a well rounded character. This also takes away the choice of fiddling with your ability rolls; you just get what you roll and that's that.

Delvers and Denizens: Index

 So I realized I've written up more rules that I haven't posted here. Also it's a bit hard to keep track of what I have and haven't posted about, so I'm going to use this to index everthything and provide a link in each post back to here.

Core Rules and Ideas

Design Goals

The Little People

Training

Languages

Movement

Fatigue

Rolling for Abilities

Alignment

Experience Adjustments

Basic Classes

Gnomes

Elves

Rogues

Fighters

Mundane Classes

Merchant

Advanced Classes

Hermit

Magic

Vancian Magic

Vancian Magic-User chart 

Cleric Magic

Cleric magic using the Turn Undead table

Fae spell lists

Monsters

Dust Bunny

Equipment

Armour List

Weapon vs Armour adjustments