High XP characters

[JimmyPlenty]

Considering the suggested XP gain for a session is less than 100xp, that means that to get a character for a 38th point is 2200xp or 22 sessions (at least).

The way TFT plays so leathally, I would assume they would be dead much much faster.

Personally, I am a fan of keeping things low and dirty, but I am curious to know what you folks do to get characters to high levels?

[hcobb]

Just playing RAW it is quite possible to make a starting witch who can with the help of her party manufacture greater wishes so it shouldn't be a problem to raise all stats to 14.

[Chris Rice]

Originally Posted by JimmyPlenty

Considering the suggested XP gain for a session is less than 100xp, that means that to get a character for a 38th point is 2200xp or 22 sessions (at least).

The way TFT plays so leathally, I would assume they would be dead much much faster.

Personally, I am a fan of keeping things low and dirty, but I am curious to know what you folks do to get characters to high levels?

I just award an attribute point after an adventure is finished and don't worry about XP. Beginning characters will get their first point after surviving a single session, later on an adventure may span several sessions. But I like to keep it that simple.

[larsdangly]

The obvious solution here is to simply increase XP awards per adventure. I would not recommend awarding stat points directly, as you will very quickly realize that the game works beautifully when everyone is forced to choose between various priorities and feels broken and boring when everyone has maxed out the useful stat ranges. The way to progress after your stats have settled in to the ~40 point-total range is by gaining spells, talents, staff power (if you are a wizard) and XP-based minor wishes. There is no end of ways you can improve with XP after your stats plateau. As for how fast you do that, it is just a matter of taste and the RAW recognizes this by saying that XP awards are at the GM discretion. 100 per session is just an opening suggestion. You could base it on anything you wish and raise it to any rate you like.

[Chris Rice]

Originally Posted by larsdangly

The obvious solution here is to simply increase XP awards per adventure. I would not recommend awarding stat points directly, as you will very quickly realize that the game works beautifully when everyone is forced to choose between various priorities and feels broken and boring when everyone has maxed out the useful stat ranges.

The original game was about increasing Attribute points as a means of mechanical character progression; it was simple and worked elegantly. The problem was - there were only 3 stats. The new approach adds a complexity which works, but doesn't much appeal to me. I far prefer just splitting the stats, as I've mentioned before, then there's always something useful to do, especially with the Talent buying portion of Intelligence. However, I realise that's not RAW.

[Skarg]

Another thing that greatly impacts campaign deadliness, is how the GM roleplays the NPCs and how he handles encounters.

On one extreme, there is the approach where the GM rolls on an encounter table that includes things like 2 dice hungry lions, and then always puts the players on a Wizard map with them and has them fight to the death. That can be quite deadly, especially if the players are just something like 4 x 32-point humans.

What I find more interesting and more survivable, is to do something like:

* Make encounter tables reflect the supposed dangerousness of the actual place. If it's a road that small groups of non-warriors typically travel and survive, the chance of even 2 dice wolves or 3 dice humans who are armed and hostile on a 1d6 reaction roll, probably should be low or else the danger would be statistically inappropriate.

* When an random encounter does get rolled, I don't start it on a Wizard map. I think about the layout of the terrain being traveled through and the typical distance at which groups would tend to be able to notice each other. Then I consider the party's march order, talents, and how they say they are behaving while they travel. I use that to assess rolls for each side to notice the other first at what distance.

* I figure out what the NPC group is doing in that location and what their goals is and what they do if they spot the PCs first.

* Both groups then get to decide what they do about spotting the other group, which may or may not include them coming together right away. (e.g. if 4 PCs spot 7 lions, they may want to move away and/or hide)

* If the groups come together, I make a reaction roll with modifiers including the situation and behavior leading up to the meeting.

* When NPCs do fight PCs, I tend to roleplay the NPCs, usually including their own desire to stay alive, often leading to them retreating or fleeing if they get worried about that.

* Similarly, I often tend to want my worlds' cultures to have some tendency toward mercy rather than slaughter. If one side is losing and can't flee, lives may tend to be spared on surrender.

[larsdangly]

The game is incredibly deadly when played as what amounts to a series of gladiatorial fights to the death. That is preferred when you are after a board game experience, and it is why Melee and Wizard combatants advance through experience very quickly and linearly. In a roleplaying game, lots of things are going on besides toe-to-toe fights to the death; you can easily imagine wonderful character types who never do that at all. And XP advancement need not be coupled to combat (like, at all). In that context, there is no reason to think of TFT as a deadly game; it is just a game in which unconstrained violence remains deadly. In that game, a character might advance greatly over many years, provided they play their cards right (and are a bit lucky).

[xane]

Originally Posted by Chris Rice

I just award an attribute point after an adventure is finished and don't worry about XP. Beginning characters will get their first point after surviving a single session, later on an adventure may span several sessions. But I like to keep it that simple.

I think this is much simpler, make attribute increases, skills and mage staff mana a flat cost (1 XP each, maybe 2 XP for attributes), but adjust the adventure accordingly and only earn 1 XP if it was worthwhile and successful. Easy adventures relative to the "level " of the party earn nothing, clearing out a camp of goblins would be 1 XP for a starting party but earn nothing for a couple of 40-pointers.

[Chris Rice]

Originally Posted by xane

I think this is much simpler, make attribute increases, skills and mage staff mana a flat cost (1 XP each, maybe 2 XP for attributes), but adjust the adventure accordingly and only earn 1 XP if it was worthwhile and successful. Easy adventures relative to the "level " of the party earn nothing, clearing out a camp of goblins would be 1 XP for a starting party but earn nothing for a couple of 40-pointers.

That's pretty much what I do and it works fine. Also see p42 of the TFT Companion for a simple way to add more variety to characters without adding much complexity. I start characters with the normal 3 Stats and if they survive the first adventure I give them 2 Att points and split the Atts into six. After that they only get 1 per adventure.

[Skarg]

Cool, so our characters who survived 4-5 years of play, maybe 2 sessions per month, would have how many attribute points?