XP for my intelligent mount? [Archive] - Wizards Community

XP for my intelligent mount? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ski309
09-24-07, 09:51 AM In my group's recent session, we decided to bite the bullet and draw from a Deck of Many Things. My intelligent silver dragon mount (Juvenile, 26 years old), decided to draw and drew a large amount at that--six cards.

He at one point drew the card that gives him 50,000xp. Our group was kinda at a loss here; dragons normally gain 'levels' by their age, not experience. So what should happen here? Should he 'age' an equivalent amount? Should he gain character classes? Something else? I have no idea.

[On another forum I asked this same question and the only response I got was "mounts do not gain experience unless they're also cohorts". I personally find this unacceptable, as my dragon mount had several very bad things happen to him, such as getting imprisoned by a balor (saved only by the fact that his very next card summoned a genie that gave him one wish), and deserves to get the good as well as the bad.]
heffroncm
09-24-07, 11:23 AM Well, actually, by RAW, they are right. Mounts don't gain experience. They gain benefits based on the PC leveling up.

As to the XP, if you insist on houseruling it, there are two options. He can gain some class levels, or he can save it to apply to his dragon-ness when he gets old enough. Most dragons would be more concerned with growing in power as a dragon than tacking on 2 levels of some Humanoid class. This also gives him a large reserve of XP to expend on spells and crafting. Really, every dragon encounters the same issue as they age. When it's 100 years between age categories, you earn a lot more experience than you need to go up the HD. I can't imagine a dragon deciding to take class levels instead.
mvincent
09-24-07, 12:19 PM He at one point drew the card that gives him 50,000xp. Our group was kinda at a loss here; dragons normally gain 'levels' by their age, not experience. So what should happen here? Should he 'age' an equivalent amount? Should he gain character classes? Something else? Dragon's can have class levels (which would be more appropriate than aging it). However, 50k XP is unlikely to advance a Juvenile Silver Dragon (whose ECL is likely above 20).
Some_call_me_Tim
09-24-07, 12:32 PM You could just either rule it as no effect or draw again, but I imagine you rejected that answer already or you wouldn't be asking.

I was thinking of giving him class levels as well. But I don't think it would be fair to add 50,000xp and say he is now mid way between 10th and 11th level. For one thing I don't think you can ever gain enough xp to gain two levels at once. Second, if you were to treat them as a character he would be epic level (16 racial HD plus a LA of at least +5) and 50,000 xp might not even advance him. (although, I think it would--I'm a little weak on the epic level-fu). Lastly, as a mount/cohort he always has to be lower level than you.

So, basically you end up with maybe 1st level in a PC class. The few extra hp, bonus to save, spells abilities, or the like will hardly be unbalancing at epic level.
Tedronai
09-27-07, 07:27 AM It depends greatly on how you managed to get this creature as a mount (though it really shouldn't, the rules say it does).
If it's a cohort, or similarly acquired NPC, then it will gain the XP ... sort of ... but not all of it (as that would put it at a level unavailable to you in all likelyhood). If you gained this mount by virtue of a class feature such as the Paladin's Special Mount feature, then it gains no XP (according to RAW).

As for what happens to the mount if it does gain experience, whether according to RAW or houseruling some sensibility into the situation, that's even more complicated.

That 'no more than one level at any given time' is now official (at least in 3.5), though it does seem to be a common houserule (perhaps a carry-over from previous editions? I wouldn't know), REALLY breaks down with the introduction of the Deck of Many Things. The potential hazards of such an item are designed around the environment that contains the potential benefits such as gaining absolute windfalls in XP. If you deny the drawer an opportunity to benefit from the gains available from the Deck, you must also lessen the impact of the equivalent catastrphes (which are already generally more punative than their counterparts) or the item loses it's incentive.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ski309 09-24-07, 09:51 AM	In my group's recent session, we decided to bite the bullet and draw from a Deck of Many Things. My intelligent silver dragon mount (Juvenile, 26 years old), decided to draw and drew a large amount at that--six cards. He at one point drew the card that gives him 50,000xp. Our group was kinda at a loss here; dragons normally gain 'levels' by their age, not experience. So what should happen here? Should he 'age' an equivalent amount? Should he gain character classes? Something else? I have no idea. [On another forum I asked this same question and the only response I got was "mounts do not gain experience unless they're also cohorts". I personally find this unacceptable, as my dragon mount had several very bad things happen to him, such as getting imprisoned by a balor (saved only by the fact that his very next card summoned a genie that gave him one wish), and deserves to get the good as well as the bad.]
heffroncm 09-24-07, 11:23 AM	Well, actually, by RAW, they are right. Mounts don't gain experience. They gain benefits based on the PC leveling up. As to the XP, if you insist on houseruling it, there are two options. He can gain some class levels, or he can save it to apply to his dragon-ness when he gets old enough. Most dragons would be more concerned with growing in power as a dragon than tacking on 2 levels of some Humanoid class. This also gives him a large reserve of XP to expend on spells and crafting. Really, every dragon encounters the same issue as they age. When it's 100 years between age categories, you earn a lot more experience than you need to go up the HD. I can't imagine a dragon deciding to take class levels instead.
mvincent 09-24-07, 12:19 PM	He at one point drew the card that gives him 50,000xp. Our group was kinda at a loss here; dragons normally gain 'levels' by their age, not experience. So what should happen here? Should he 'age' an equivalent amount? Should he gain character classes? Something else? Dragon's can have class levels (which would be more appropriate than aging it). However, 50k XP is unlikely to advance a Juvenile Silver Dragon (whose ECL is likely above 20).
Some_call_me_Tim 09-24-07, 12:32 PM	You could just either rule it as no effect or draw again, but I imagine you rejected that answer already or you wouldn't be asking. I was thinking of giving him class levels as well. But I don't think it would be fair to add 50,000xp and say he is now mid way between 10th and 11th level. For one thing I don't think you can ever gain enough xp to gain two levels at once. Second, if you were to treat them as a character he would be epic level (16 racial HD plus a LA of at least +5) and 50,000 xp might not even advance him. (although, I think it would--I'm a little weak on the epic level-fu). Lastly, as a mount/cohort he always has to be lower level than you. So, basically you end up with maybe 1st level in a PC class. The few extra hp, bonus to save, spells abilities, or the like will hardly be unbalancing at epic level.
Tedronai 09-27-07, 07:27 AM	It depends greatly on how you managed to get this creature as a mount (though it really shouldn't, the rules say it does). If it's a cohort, or similarly acquired NPC, then it will gain the XP ... sort of ... but not all of it (as that would put it at a level unavailable to you in all likelyhood). If you gained this mount by virtue of a class feature such as the Paladin's Special Mount feature, then it gains no XP (according to RAW). As for what happens to the mount if it does gain experience, whether according to RAW or houseruling some sensibility into the situation, that's even more complicated. That 'no more than one level at any given time' is now official (at least in 3.5), though it does seem to be a common houserule (perhaps a carry-over from previous editions? I wouldn't know), REALLY breaks down with the introduction of the Deck of Many Things. The potential hazards of such an item are designed around the environment that contains the potential benefits such as gaining absolute windfalls in XP. If you deny the drawer an opportunity to benefit from the gains available from the Deck, you must also lessen the impact of the equivalent catastrphes (which are already generally more punative than their counterparts) or the item loses it's incentive.