Hi there, I'm reading the first installment of this STAP, and I understand that it's designed for four 1st-lvl characters that are supposed to level up till 3rd level.
BUT!!
Counting the number of monsters and the PX awards....
Each of the 4 characters would win 6700pxs!!! (4th level)
Each of the characters would finish with:
562 px (1st lvl) in part II
862 px (1st lvl) in part III
1950 px (2nd lvl) in part IV
6700 px (4th lvl) in part V!!!
Is that correct?!?!
Nanmaniac
PD I have an excel worksheet that calculates the pxs...
Your players are bound to miss out on some of that XP. Plus you may end up with ore or less players depending on the availability of your players, so its really hard to say how they end up. My players dindt make 3rd until the beginning of BWG because they missed a fair amount of things (mostly Rowan fast talked her way out of a fight and escaped-s no XP there)
Maybe...
Our group of 4 characters finished the first installment in the high end of 3rd level for XPs, just a encounter or two from 4th.
That's ok...
If the players skip part 4 (let's say: they decide not to go down the cave), they will finish with 5662px (3rd lvl).
And well. If they play so well, they have to have some awards!!
Thanks anyway!!
Nanmaniac
In the end, it will even out. If they are a level above, the rock for a bit, but don't get quite as much XP proportionatly. Helps with the hero mentality, to a degree. My group is floating about 1 level above, but thats because I throw in the occasional random encounter. Now that they've reached the Isle of Dread, I'm cutting XP in half, but upping the random encounter chances to normal DMG ratios. Can't let those wonderful encounter tables go to waste!
okok, get it.
If they level up too fast, then they'll get less pxs per encounter, and that level down the party...
Doesn't it?
By the Way... http://personales.ya.com/ivanblanco/Pxs_Calculator.xls
this is my Px Calculator
Nanmaniac
Creative Director
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We tend to overload the XP awards in these adventures, since we can't assume that PCs are going to do every encounter. In addition, PCs lose XP by dying, by casting certain spells, and by creating magic items. Not as much an issue in low levels, but it can cause problems at high levels if the adventures give out just enough XP to barely level up.
I think the encounters in the STAP are often tough. I don't have run it yet, but I think there is a lot of chance for PCs to die and very often. Having a level more can only help them. And it should be corrected when some will die and come from the dead with one less level.