ACR combat XP

[AcadiusLost]

Currently, we've got it switched over to anchor on creature CR, modified by a danger factor based on the comparison of the CR to the highest level PC in party.

the base formula is 30 * CR^0.6 - which would be the amount of XP a single PC would get for soloing a monster where CR=character level(or ECL).

so, for a CR 1 orc, level 1 PC can get 30 xp.

The Danger Factor can modify the base XP up or down, depending. If the CR of the kill is higher than that of the highest PC in party, it scales up linearly until reaching a maximum at 4 CR above (level 2 rogue killing a CR6 beastie), at which point it plateaus at 3.5x base XP. (87 base XP, danger factor pushes it to 307 XP). Note that this is split among the party by level, so 10 PC2's doing the same would get 30 xp each.

This scales down on the other side (PC level > CR), linearly to a CR difference of 1 (level 3 fighter soloing a CR2 hobgoblin warrior gets 2/3rds the normal amount - base of 45, danger factor pushes it down to 30xp).

Any further than 1 CR below, and it goes to a 0.1 multiplier, so a 4th level PC killing a CR2 hobgoblin gets (45 base, x0.1 = ) 4 XP.

Seems to me this is all generally higher than ALFA normally goes with. Should we drop the anchor down, say to 10? That would give the following for solo kills:

Level 1 vs. CR1 = 10 xp
Level 2 vs. CR6 = 80 xp
Level 3 vs. CR2 = 10 xp
Level 4 vs. CR2 = 1 xp

That sound more reasonable?

[ç i p h é r]

Well remember, the CR rating is designed for a party of 4 well balanced characters. A level 1 player facing a CR1 creature should be at a disadvantage. With 4 level 1 characters in that party, that's about 8-9 xp per kill. A level 2 player facing a CR6 creature should be near certain death, short of a very lucky die roll or two.

[Runestaff]

Seems to me this is all generally higher than ALFA normally goes with. Should we drop the anchor down, say to 10? That would give the following for solo kills:

Level 1 vs. CR1 = 10 xp
Level 2 vs. CR6 = 80 xp [note: should be 102 if I understand your description correctly -- RS]
Level 3 vs. CR2 = 10 xp
Level 4 vs. CR2 = 1 xp

That depends on your definition of what "ALFA normally goes with". Personally I think getting a meager 10 xp for defeating something that could likely kill you in one hit is pretty cheap. At the same time, your original numbers (constant set to 30) weren't too far out of line, especially compared to some of the higher danger servers ALFA has had in the past. Presumably there is not a desire to make them a standard, however.

Figuring out what is "reasonable" unfortunately has to take into account a lot of factors, one of which is the frequency with which a particular PC is likely to engage in combat (which tends to vary based on PC, server, DM availability, etc.).

Let's split the difference. Here's the same set of scenarios with the constant set to 20:

Level 1 vs. CR1 = 20 xp
Level 2 vs. CR6 = 205 xp
Level 3 vs. CR2 = 20 xp
Level 4 vs. CR2 = 3 xp

So having an anchor of 20 seems more reasonable than 30. Figuring you'll likely need 4-5 PC2s to take down a CR6 (at least), that would award each PC 40-50 xp or so. That seems suitable for the challenge. By comparison, a PC2 vs. CR 2 would get 30 xp with an anchor of 20, or 15 xp with the anchor set to 10.

For another example, a PC5 soloing a CR 5 creature would get 26/52/78 xp for anchors of 10/20/30 respectively. If you make the anchor 15, you get 39 xp. PC10 vs. CR 10 comes out to 39/78/119, or to 59 for the anchor of 15.

Given these numbers, and assuming I haven't misconstrued your description, I'd suggest an anchor of about 15 or so would seem appropriate. Using 10 seems too low, especially as CR starts to increase, although 20 feels a bit too generous at higher CRs. If however you are assuming that higher CR creatures will rarely be soloed, then perhaps the higher number is more appropriate given the division of xp amongst party members.

[ç i p h é r]

Also bear in mind that we're trying to design critters to be more in line with their actual Monster Manual descriptions. Same gear, same attributes, and so on. At the same time, we're working to prevent players from getting access to gear that's inappropriate for their level, which could allow them to more easily overcome the challenge rating system.

Now we might need to adjust CR ratings down in cases where we cannot simulate the same creature abilities as described in the Monster Manual, but that should be enough to solve the challenge/XP disparity. Personally, I think ~10 xp per kill is already pushing the lower bounds of "reasonable" for a level appropriate challenge.

[AcadiusLost]

These will always be a bit tricky at the lowlevel end- 1st level PCs may be able to solo CR1 orcs (or be soloed BY them) quite easily- one crit or two decent hits do the job in either case. I'm hoping we can strike a balance that gives some reward without making "combat XP until 2nd level" an attractive route of advancement- as that's inevitably going to turn into a new PC meat-grinder, most will be killed off early on (with their starting gold and gear lying around persisting over module resets and skewing the economy).

15 isn't a bad spot to stake out either, really. I think we may find the upward scaling of this for higher-CR monsters somewhat unsatisfactory down the line, though.

I'd like to make a call on what to try today if possible, we can adjust it further later.

[ç i p h é r]

I'm hopeful that the spawn system will help address the problem with excessive player death. We need to make sure the game is always challenging but survivable. That will go a long way to reducing unintended skew, but one thing we could do is have monsters collect gear off players to "add it to their hoards". That might lead to some other interesting wrinkles we can eventually add in, but it would minimally serve to limit skew. It would also have the ancillary benefit of preventing exploits by players who lose their characters. Just a thought.

[Runestaff]

15 isn't a bad spot to stake out either, really. I think we may find the upward scaling of this for higher-CR monsters somewhat unsatisfactory down the line, though.

I'm not sure I agree. The worst case scenario would be a level 16 PC soloing a CR 20 monster, getting 316 xp as a result. I think that's going to be a pretty rare occurence. I'm assuming creature CRs will be capped at 20 for xp calculations, and that the incidence of high level spawns will be extremely low.

I think it's also safe to assume there will be few high level (10+) PCs having much opportunity to solo anything near or above their CR due to rarity and the need to form parties, dividing all xp gains several times. Hence fretting over solo xp gains past low to mid levels is probably not worth it.

You could also try a graduated system, using 20 for CR 1-5, 15 for CR 6-10, and 10 for CR 10+. Personally I suggest keeping it simple and just deciding on a single value.

[AcadiusLost]

For now, in this update, I dropped the combat XP anchor to 20, from 30. It's a minor change, but I think it will help the balance. We can tweak it a bit more as things go on if needs be.