Topic: Old Experience Modifiers

[Tywyll]

So one of the weird elements to the RM system (to me) is the experience modifiers. How specific do you get with them? For example, say the character meets a new monster and kills it. Is everything that happened with it x5 (the crits you inflicted, the crits it inflicted, the hits, and the kill value) or do you only modify the kill value (assuming they've already taken the crits and such)?

When does something become routine? That's probably something I'm not going to bother using but just curious about how other people handle it.

[vector]

Sorry for not answering your question directly, but I believe the Rolemaster experience system is ridiculously over complicated.

I would advise scrapping it and coming up with something of your own. That's how I handled it.

[Ecthelion]

For many years we have handled it the way that for every new type of monster (orc, troll, dragon etc.) we'd give 5x the Kill Points if the character dealing the killing blow had not yet killed this type of monster. 2x the Kill Points were received for the 2nd time, then normal points for a long time and at some - rather arbitrary points - we decided that the PCs had killed so many orcs or so that it was routine and only 1/2x the Kill Points were earned.

After starting playing HARP we switched to a system of goal-based XP also for Rolemaster.

[Hurin]

We had the same evolution. We used to track every critical. It really bogged down the game. So now we just do goal-oriented experience. I think RMU is also offering this as an option.

[intothatdarkness]

We had the same evolution. We used to track every critical. It really bogged down the game. So now we just do goal-oriented experience. I think RMU is also offering this as an option.

That's really the only way XPs are presented in RMU.

[Tywyll]

Yeah I know about the goal oriented xp and normally I might do something like that. But I am only running a pbem game with two players so it's not a big deal to use it

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[Spectre771]

We had the same evolution. We used to track every critical. It really bogged down the game. So now we just do goal-oriented experience. I think RMU is also offering this as an option.

It looks like we all followed some sort of evolution to get to the method we use now.  I stick pretty closely to the format laid out in  RM2, but I make the players track their crits, HP, ideas and such.  We have a group of 8 players at times and there's no way I'm going to track everyone's crits.

[Jengada]

I 'm either the odd-man out, or the last to the party. I track melee in close detail, including crits, HP, etc. I use the "basic multipliers" for crits, kill, and bonus kill points. No multipliers for HP given or received. I also give "avoidance points," equal to 1.1x(kill+hit+bonus), to encourage non-combat resolution of confrontations.
In my newest campaign, just starting, I have added a "motivation" characteristic for each character, chosen by the player. The options are linked to specific forms of xp like travel, ideas, and kill points, except for one called "cause". The latter requires me and the player to agree on what the character's current "cause" or mission is. For every 1000 xp the player gets in their motivation area, they get an extra DP when they level up.

Since I've found keeping the detailed melee logs is useful overall, I don't consider it extra book keeping.

[Spectre771]

I also add in Fate XP and "Stumped the GM Bonus XP."

After I've done up all the XP total for a player, I add an additional 5%-10% bonus to the total.  The fates were smiling upon the player that day and those were the bonus points.

The Stump the GM points are awarded during gameplay anytime a player stumps me, comes up with a great idea, or just adds something really really cool to the session/plot.  1-10 XP.  It does nothing really grand in the total XP for going up a level (especially when they need 20,000 XP) but it keeps them engaged and always looking for a way to get something added.

(And anyone who brings a bag of Funyuns for the GM automatically gets 5XP. Shhhhh.)

[Jengada]

I also boost XP by a % equal to the character's Memory bonus (capped at 10%). This is a new rule I haven't really tested yet, but I wanted to make ME worth something - it's otherwise a little-used stat. I might consider removing the cap but I don't want to imbalance things too much, giving Channelers and Bards a huge XP bonus, until I see how it works out.

[Spectre771]

I also boost XP by a % equal to the character's Memory bonus (capped at 10%). This is a new rule I haven't really tested yet, but I wanted to make ME worth something - it's otherwise a little-used stat. I might consider removing the cap but I don't want to imbalance things too much, giving Channelers and Bards a huge XP bonus, until I see how it works out.

That's a great idea!  Maybe ME/RE average?  I try to find uses for those stats so they aren't throw-aways, but that may be a good method to have players consider putting higher numbers in those stats.  Some players may want more DP to be better at skills at lower levels vs. players who want to level up a little quicker to gain access to better RR and spell lists at the cost of having the DP to spend.

Very intriguing.  I'm definitely going to work this into the next campaign I start.  I have one coming up later this year and all players will be rolling new PCs.  That would be the perfect time to introduce it.

[Hurin]

It is definitely a way to make Memory more useful! Neat idea.