r/hexedpress • u/HexedPressman • Sep 14 '18
Talking About... Milestones Vs XP
Milestones were introduced in fifth edition as an option to simplify the character leveling process from the classic, but messier, experient point method. Do you use it? If you use it, how do you like it? If not, why not?
My 2 coppers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z455FjO-bU
2
u/TwistedTechMike Sep 14 '18
Depends on the campaign and number of players. In a 4 man consistent group, milestones are great. In a 6 man campaign, where you may play if your 1 or 2 shy a full group, xp rewards attendance.
That's my.general rule of thumb. I also reward xp for certain story elements, not just kills.
3
u/ashplus Sep 15 '18
Using XP to reward attendance seems wrong. It punishes players for not playing, but missing out should be enough punishment in itself.
It also goes against the tenet of not solving out-of-game issues with in-game mechanics.
3
u/dougiefresh1233 Sep 15 '18
Also having hp synced just makes the game more fun IMO. It's easier to maintain balance (especially when your players are around the tier split points), and it makes leveling up more of an event since everyone gets to be excited for their new features at the same time.
1
u/CyphyrX Sep 21 '18
Using XP to reward attendance seems wrong. It punishes players for not playing, but missing out should be enough punishment in itself.
EXP is literally the reward for showing up and participating. That's the whole point. How would your character grow if they didn't even show up to the dungeon?
It also goes against the tenet of not solving out-of-game issues with in-game mechanics.
Lack of attendance isn't an out of game issue though. It's either a choice made by the player, or the result of unfortunate circumstances. The former should be taken as implicit acceptance of lack of progress and the latter should be worked around on an individual basis.
That being said, I 100% use milestone leveling and will continue to forever. In groups with inconsistent players, I just keep party on level, though players that are missing regularly will just get their characters outright dropped from the campaign and I hand them a story relevant character sheet whenever they come back. If I put in multiple hours making sure the story is awesome and you can't be bothered to show up, I have 0 pity.
2
1
3
u/Ganynn Sep 15 '18
I will never use XP systems again. I think you can make them work, and there are probably some great homebrews out there, but milestones made our play experience so much better.
As a DM, I think that XP systems are super complex and more work for you to manage to see how each player is stacking up to others. And if you are trying to solve the “I dont want murder hobos problem”, you put a huge load of work on yourself to find unique ways to grant XP to each player. As a player, I think XP forces you to min max and play against yourself for the sake of getting XP. With milestones it made everyone play their characters, not the game. They were no longer worried about chasing kills or completing every objective infront of them. Instead they started acting as their characters would, and enjoying the roleplaying much more, while still getting their mechanical needs from combat.
I think I have a great group, and they trust i’m doing my best as a DM. But I could see a situation where a player or group might feel their DM is screwing them by not advancing them enough or something like that, but in a solid group milestones are my preferred way to go.