Adaptive Experience (5e Variant Rule)
Adaptive Experience[edit]
This rule is intended for games of D&D 5e using Experience Points (abbreviated as XP).
Rather than mere linear progression, Adaptive Experience allows a player to choose how their character develops over the course of a game. Instead of automatically leveling up after gaining enough Experience Points, this variant rule allows for characters spend their XP as they wish. Upon completing a long rest, a character can spend their XP in the following ways:
| Benefit | Base XP cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Level Up | Varies | The character gains a level in one of their classes. |
| Multiclass | 300 | The character gains their first level in a new class. |
| Ability Score Improvement | 500 | The character increases one of their Ability Scores by 1 |
| Gain a Feat | 1,000 | The character gains one Feat that they fulfil the perquisites of. |
| Additional Proficiency | 250 | The character gains proficiency with a new Skill, Tool, or Language. |
Character Advancement[edit]
You can determine the XP cost of your next level up by consulting the Class Level Cost table.
The class a character gains at 1st level becomes their Primary Class. To determine a character's equivalent level, add together a character's level in their primary class, and half their levels in any Secondary Classes (rounded down). A character's equivalent level cannot exceed 20. Use this total to determine where your character lies on the Character Advancement table.
The Character Advancement table determines your character's proficiency bonus, as well as the maximum number of Ability Score Improvements and Feats you buy.
After you purchase a level of a class that would normally give you an Ability Score Improvement as a feature, you instead are refunded 1000 XP if it is for your Primary Class. Otherwise, you are only refunded 500 XP.
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Multiclassing[edit]
The class a character gains at 1st level becomes their Primary Class. All other classes a character gains are their Secondary Classes.
The XP cost of Secondary Classes is influenced by two factors: The number of Secondary Classes a character has, and character's level in their Primary Class.
Whenever a character purchases their first level in a Secondary Class, the XP cost for doing so is increased by 300 for every Secondary Class that character already has.
Additionally, each time a character's wishes to raise their level in a Secondary Class above their level in their Primary Class, they must spend 10% more than normal to do so.
This additional cost increases to 25% if a character's level in a Secondary Class exceeds the level of their Primary Class by 3 or more.
A character only increases their maximum hit points when they gain a level in their Primary class, or when they gain an even level in one of their Secondary Classes.
Finally, a character's level in their Secondary Classes is halved (rounded down) when determining their Spell Slot Contribution. For example, a character with 5 levels in Bard (Primary Class), 2 levels in Sorcerer (Secondary Class), and 4 levels in Paladin (Secondary Class) would have spell slots as if they were a 7th level spellcaster.
Other Improvements[edit]
This sections contains rules regarding the following: Ability Score Improvements, Feats, Epic Boons, Skills, Tools, and Languages.
Ability Score Improvements and Feats[edit]
At 1st level, the number of Ability Score Improvements (abbreviated as ASI) and Feats a character can have is limited to 1 each. However, a character unlocks the ability to buy more Ability Score Improvements and Feats as a character's equivalent level increases, as determined by the Character Advancement Table.
Like normal, a character cannot increase their Ability Scores above 20, unless they are benefiting from an effect or feature that allows them to do so.
Epic Boons[edit]
Upon reaching an equivalent level of 20, a character can begin spending XP to gain an Epic Boon. The cost for doing so is 30,000 XP. Page 231 of the DMG has examples of some standard Epic Boons.
Alternatively, a character could replace gaining an Epic Boon with an increase to one ability score by 2 or an increase of two ability scores by 1 each. When increasing an ability score in this way, it can be raised up to a maximum of 30.
Skills, Tools, and Languages[edit]
By expending XP, a character can gain proficiency with one Skill, Tool, or Language of their choice. This is in addition to all of the Skills, Tools, or Languages that a character is normally proficient with.
- For Skills and Tools, this means that your character can now add their Proficiency Bonus to ability checks using that skill or tool.
- For Languages, this means that your character now speaks the chosen language. For a character to be able to learn a new language in this way, they must have an instructor that is fluent in the desired language.
Supplemental Experience Points[edit]
Normally, characters can only gain XP by defeating or subverting combat encounters, and are rewarded based on the Challenge Rating of their foes. However, this does encompass the full range of challenges a character will face. For this reason, a DM can reward supplemental XP to characters when they complete any of the following challenges.
General Changes[edit]
No matter the source, experience points are always divided evenly to all members of a party. Due to this, all party members will obtain the exact same number of XP, and at the same rate. XP can be divided into decimals, if needed.
When a party is rewarded with XP, if they received substantial assistance from one or more NPCs, those NPCs are counted as party members when dividing up the XP in that instance. This should only come into play in situations when the NPCs made a fight or other challenge easier, and does not apply to NPCs that were summoned as part of a spell or class feature.
The XP reward of reaching a treasure hoard and completing a quest is based upon the level of the party that encounters them. For example, if a party has equivalent levels ranging from 1-4, they should be rewarded according to the 1-4 reward of the corresponding table (after facing an appropriate challenge, of course). For parties that don't fit perfectly into one of the designated ranges, the median of the party's equivalent levels should be used.
Finally, the DM should feel free to slightly modify the amount of XP rewarded when they deem it appropriate. For example, when characters complete a quest that is central to the campaign, the DM should increase the XP reward by 100%. Alternatively, when players do an exceptional job, overcome exceptional odds, or maintain exceptional roleplay, the DM might increase their XP reward by up to 25%. XP reductions should be used sparingly, but might be used to steer parties away from problematic behaviors that detract from the story, such as meta-gaming.
Skill Checks[edit]
Skill Checks should only reward XP when they help to further the progression of a story. For example, successfully unlocking a door in a dungeon for the first time could reward XP, while simply buying a lock and picking it would not.
Additionally, Skill Checks only reward XP when they are completed outside of combat and if they are succeeded upon the first attempt, or on the second attempt if both are made by different party members.
In order to maintain the pace of an adventure, a DM can choose to keep track of the XP the party would earn from successful Skill Checks and only reward them when they begin a long rest.
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Treasure Hoards[edit]
Upon finding a Treasure Hoard, a DM might decide that XP should be rewarded. As these Hoards are usually found at the end of dungeons, this XP reward encapsulates all of the traps, discoveries, and other challenges a character faced to reach this point.
In campaigns of a normal pace, the following XP rewards should be multiplied by the number of player characters in the party, then evenly distributed. Without NPC assistance, this means that each character gains the amount of XP listed.
| Level Range | XP Reward |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | 800 |
| 5-7 | 8,000 |
| 8-10 | 18,000 |
| 11-13 | 30,000 |
| 14-16 | 45,000 |
| 17-19 | 60,000 |
| 20+ | 80,000 |
Quest Completion[edit]
By granting players XP for completing quests, the DM can reward their characters for applying their abilities and for following pre-planned storylines. However, characters should only be rewarded with XP for quests that lack a specific Treasure Hoard, otherwise characters will gain levels too rapidly.
Each mainline quest is intended to reward players with enough XP to level-up (after a 100% increase), and like Treasure Hoards, the following XP rewards should be multiplied by the number of player characters in the party, then evenly distributed. Without NPC assistance, this means that each character gains the amount of XP listed.
| Level Range | XP Reward |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | 400 |
| 5-7 | 5,000 |
| 8-10 | 11,000 |
| 11-13 | 17,500 |
| 14-16 | 25,000 |
| 17-19 | 32,500 |
| 20+ | 50,000 |
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