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Normal Topic Calculating Villain Experience Points (Read 1570 times)
polarboy
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Calculating Villain Experience Points
Sep 22nd, 2009 at 11:30pm
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Stewart Wieck's Dragon magazine article "Even the Bad Get Better" (January 1986) described how villains can gain experience points in these five ways.

1. Capturing heroes: use the same formula used when calculating how much heroes ear for capturing villains.

2. Killing heroes: The author says...
"There are certain villains who are so very evil and vile that they make the killing of heroes a habit. Such villains should receive the full amount of experience for any hero slain in combat with the villains.  If the villain slays an incapacitated hero, he should only receive half the experience value due him. Be careful not to use too many killer villains, as this may disrupt the campaign by driving out players."

3. Killing citizens: 5 xp for an ordinary person.

4. Stealing money: 1 xp per $100.

5. Destroying Landmarks: 100 xp is earned per landmark point assigned to the location. These examples appeared in the article.

up to 100 xp: a home
200 xp: elaborate mansion
300 xp: college campus
700 xp: Chicago Museum of Science and Industry; a national museum might be worth more
1,100 xp: St. Louis Arch
1,600 xp: Hoover Dam
2,000 xp: Eiffel Tower

In other words, a villain can reach 2nd level by killing 400 people, or stealing $200,000, or knocking over the Eiffel Tower.

Villain Tip: The bank in Organized Crimes has roughly $100,000 in cash, with $1 million in bonds and jewels in the safety deposit boxes.
« Last Edit: Sep 22nd, 2009 at 11:31pm by polarboy »  
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Guardian7
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Re: Calculating Villain Experience Points
Reply #1 - Sep 23rd, 2009 at 1:42pm
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I believe this is the article where I got my idea for extending the Experience chart (both to positive and negative).
Especially the LM (Landmark) Pt.

It was this article that made me rethink it was too easy to gain XP when you actually hadn't done anything or EXPERIENCED anything to earn it.

In my eyes experience is mostly combat. You learn to fight and hit better.
Money has always been that questionable zone as far as getting XP for it (At least to me). Not that it doesn't help improve the chara's finacial standing thus making it easier for them to purchase things that could help them along... but if that is the case... why not give them XP for the money they "Truely" earned on a day to day basis?
I once found a wallet with over 500 bucks in it... in 1982 (lot of cash then)... . I gave the wallet back and though I was rewarded for doing so... it didn't change the fact that I gave the money back because it wasn't mine, it didn't make me more experienced than the money I actually EARNED for doing my job (or jobs I would later get).

I have ALWAYS been a stanch believer that gaining XP has to mean something... not body counts... certainly not money/Gold Pieces... Villains in my game had to really steal a considerable amount of money to get any XP worth mentioning.
Pulling off an incredibly heist... such as the Joker scene in Dark Knight Returns is one thing... it was an elaborate plan, But if Absorbing Man walks in rips off the vault door while composed of steel... I don't consider him doing anything anymore straining than opening the refrigerator (It is his battle with the heroes who may try to stop him that he gains xp from... not the money).
Frankly this is just one of the many problems and over emphasis we place on the VALUE of money - it's a social disorder.
So I wonder... if by this system... do the Avengers (some of whom actually get paid by the Maria Stark Foundation) gain extra XP because they are REWARDED/PAID for doing their/a job?

Nobody becomes a skilled Black Belt because they got money...

G7
  
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Majestic
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Re: Calculating Villain Experience Points
Reply #2 - Sep 27th, 2009 at 1:05am
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I agree with G7, and have never used the method of giving away money to gain XP.  Even back in high school we found that to be ridiculous and changed it.

For villains, I have that article but have never used it, as we really don't see what happens to the villains in all of the "down time" between their adventures against our heroes.  A year might pass between the time Dr. Apocalypse last fought our heroes, and he might have skirmished against numerous foes during that time.

I've always found the rules (from the Main Rulebook, p. 30) for advancing NPCs works excellently for increasing villains (and upping their Level to make them a match for the PCs).
  
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John
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Re: Calculating Villain Experience Points
Reply #3 - Sep 27th, 2009 at 1:25am
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I just assign them levels and increase their levels as I feel it.   Rule of thumb, NPC's go up one level every time the party goes up, if they participated in the adventure.   The villians learn from getting their assess kicked too you know.
  
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Paul Sunderland
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Re: Calculating Villain Experience Points
Reply #4 - Oct 9th, 2009 at 5:17am
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With villains I usually just check the stats of the group members and then choose/revise villains accordingly.  I agree with Majestic that you just don't see all the things a villain gets up to when they're not fighting the characters.  So when the villain reappears to take on our heroes, there's really not much point in them being too 'experience poor' to cause some grief.  I see villains primarily as plot devices and fun characters for me to mess about with roleplaying-wise.  I don't really see the need to progress them like you would a character.
  
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