Making ECL work

[Go'f]

I have heard allot of complaints about the current ECL system as it stands. The complaints are coming from current players of ECL who will pay the price whatever it is (then moan) and from people who have seen it and avoid it like the plague.
for the record I fall in the first group of complainer

Here are the rules (unless they have been changed and the documentation is not current)

http://www.nsrealm.com/boards/viewtopic ... highlight=

Here is the part that I believe is at the root of the grief

ECL is only used in the calculation of the party member's XP - it does not affect the amount of XP others receive, nor does it affect group or synergy bonuses, or the average party level. The only thing it will affect is the XP lookup (Player level vs.creature CR = amount of XP).

This means that, in a party consisting of a level 4 Drow and two level 5 Humans, the two Humans would receive the exact same amount of XP if the Drow were also a Human. The Drow, however, receives XP as if she were a level 7 Human. This is done to eliminate the affect of ECL on party members and prevent ECL-ed characters from drawing away all the XP in a party.

First I would like to restate this is about my opinion and my opionion is correct, maybe yours is different, that doesn't make yours incorrect
(thats the great thing about opinions, both can be true)

• Case "Solo or same ECL" Then I need to kill things 3 levels higher than a no ECL charactor for the same XP, half the time using equipment a Rank lower than a 0 ECL Charactor
  
  Case "Team same level no ECL" As an ECL charactor I am obviously more powerfull and do a greater share of the work, this is not recognised and I recieve the same % of the Kill but recieve less XP because of my ECL
  
  Case "Team with higher level no ECL" Here I am fighting monsters that are more of a challange, due to my increased powers of ECL, again my gear is not as good as my no ECL sidekick/partner. The effect is that we are doing some real damage and chances are about half work each, but when it comes to cutting up the Rewards % of kill is favouring the Higher Level no ECL, then with my smaller share i get to reduce the XP conversion thanks to my ECL... risk without reward is what I call this.
  
  Case "Team with Lower level no ECL" Here is where it gets good, I do most of the work, even more so due to my increased powers (granted thats why i have an ECL) but get only slightly higher XP, if at all.

I have partied with players and slingshot them past me several times, its a joke that I don't get right?

So the suggestions I have heard from various places, some more in line with my understanding of PnP.

• When calulating if you can weasr gear, add ECL to Charactor level, this would go along way to helping fight those monsters 3 levels higher for the same rewards as 0 ECL 3 levels higher
  
  When calculating Synergy and % of Kill you add ECL to Charactor level.
  
  Obviously the obove suggets a level cap of 40-ECL or Calculation of costs for the levels that are not included (41, 42, 43)

From my perspective as a player of mostly ECL charactors in a world that just got allot more hostile I see the current system as a discouraging not balancing the power.

Feel free to add to the subject with your thoughts or opinion, just keep it on subject

(this is not about KsT Havoc )

[P. Fricebottle]

The reason there is such an ECL in the first place is because the drow, duerger, etc. have so many bonuses (DARKNESS) that it balances it out. Sure it may be harder, but its still balanced with your drow skills and such. I'm not in favor of a level 2 being able to wear level 5 gear, just because he gets less xp because he chose to be a drow. On the other suggestions, I'm not really in favor of them as well.

[Celorn]

wow, you should have been here when ecl3 meant you get 1/3rd of the xp! The new system is a hell of a lot better, and I don't think needs any changes - i started a Drow a earlier this week, and she's at lvl 25 now... the darkness is definately effective, and the SR comes in handy, just wish it wasn't capped ;(.

(I do think the ECL3 Githzerai needs a revamp tho, I think it's quite strange that your favoured race is Monk, yet you get a Dex hit? it should maybe be +2 wisdom -2 Int instead? and taunt/persuade bonuses?? how odd)

[P. Fricebottle]

Agreed Celorn. In the Original D&D Monster Manual, when you choose to make a Ghitzerai character the bonuses are +6 dex, -2 int, and +2 wisdom (monk still favored class). ECL is only +2, but paper D&D is so much different than NWN so of course some adjustments are in order. Of course, switching around the wisdom from a + to a - and increasing the ECL with a decrease to +2 dex doesn't make sense at all.

[Go'f]

Agreed Celorn.

Great make a subject for individual race changes, my request is for the formula to be looked at.

The reason there is such an ECL in the first place is because the drow, duerger, etc. have so many bonuses (DARKNESS) that it balances it out. Sure it may be harder, but its still balanced with your drow skills and such. I'm not in favor of a level 2 being able to wear level 5 gear, just because he gets less xp because he chose to be a drow. On the other suggestions, I'm not really in favor of them as well.

It's a not a case of I believe he should get the gear because he gets less XP, its a case of in my understanding of ECL it means external references to Charactor Level should return (total class levels + ECL) maybe I have over simplified the case, and your right access to gear is way important, Can't say as think the case for this change is all that strong, however it was raised by someone as a simple fix for the lonely job of playing an ECL charactor and I am repeating it so as to offer other potential fixes.

However do I believe the solution is when calculating Synergy and % of Kill you should add ECL to Charactor level.