Level titles as DCCRPG quests

Thru henchmen, all things are possible, 
so jot that down.

So you've seen this idea from be before (when I did it for old D&Ds), but this time it is a DCCRPG flavored take.

In my upcoming game, I'll give an adventure credit per session a player attends. A PC can spend credits equal to a level to earn it, but first they have to finish a quest that matches with their level title (PCs or Judge can suggest different ideas, trying to weave quests into other PC's wherever possible).  

It's quite possible PCs will acquire quite a few credits between quest realizations, but that's fine.

There are a few entries where I came up with a couple ideas and put them in. Sometimes multiple ideas. I learned a lot about DCC doing this. Not only should you not feel restricted to the level up ideas here nor even the level titles. The book mentions that these are just the most common.

So let the player propose a title they are working towards. What could they do to get called that? Thus spoke Goodman: "Characters of 6th level and above are extremely rare, so much so that no generic titles exist. Players are encouraged to develop their own titles for such levels using Appendix T for inspiration as needed."

At other times, retroactive titles may be acceptable, based on level-appropriate exploits. "I am now Yak-friend!"

Cleric Title Quests

Lvl	Lawful	Chaotic	Neutral
1	Acolyte: Fetch an item that will serve useful in religious ceremonies to your gods.	Zealot: Slaughter a den of infidels. For chaos!	Witness: Observe a rare phenomenon and survive to tell the tale.
2	Heathen-slayer: Strike down a dirty cultist leader.	Convert: In a place where the gods must listen, reject the Law Lords.	Pupil: Seek and serve a hermit to learn their secrets.
3	Brother/Sister: Bring a small fortune to a monastic order and join it for a year and a day.	Cultist: Bring us three skulls; we need something to drink out of.	Chronicler: Travel to a ruin to record a name lost to time. •Witness a crazy ass thing your party gets into and write it down.
4	Curate: Find a relic of a saint--a foreskin or some-such that is purported to heal the sick. • Heal a sick community.	Apostle: Join a dark savior in their creepy pilgrimage.	Judge: Arbitrate a dispute between strange entities.
5	Father: Clear out and re-sanctify some ancient fane to house your flock.	High Priest: Gather your minions for a great ceremony. • Have a god-duel with another cleric, old testament style.	Druid: Kill the current druid title holder in mortal combat. Survival of the fittest!

Thief Title Quests

A lot of thief things feel urban and guild related to me. They might be good as play-by-post tasks done between games. Or maybe they can trick the other PCs into thinking they are in the guild too.
 

Lvl	Lawful	Chaotic	Neutral
1	Bravo: Win a duel in a public square to earn a spot in the thieves guild.	Thug: Bash some ponce and take their jewelry.	Beggar: Case and rob a temple that is foolish enough to let paupers in.
2	Apprentice: Accompany a elder-thievesman on a job.	Murderer: Garotte a guy that looked at you funny.	Cutpurse: Grab a bag and run.
3	Rogue: Take a job that uses your luck, guile, and charm.	Cutthroat: Lead a kidnapping of a high-value specialist.	Burglar: Steal 39 girdles from a high-security temple.
4	Capo: Discipline some underlings that snitched or killed the wrong noble.	Executioner: Someone pissed off the guild and you are taking them out.	Robber: Successfully hold up a noble's carriage: "Your money or life."
5	Boss: Take the reigns of a city's underworld; all the other potential bosses seem to have fallen out of windows.	Assassin: Kill a king or hero during a highly secure ceremony.	Swindler: Trick some nobles into investing in your sure thing.

Warrior Title Quests

Note that noble warriors should probably try out being part of a military order (p46). I say if you earn the title Knight then you are in!

 

Lvl	Lawful	Chaotic	Neutral
1	Squire: Save your mentor or a noble from a deadly threat.	Bandit: Raid a local outpost and escape with the pay-chest.	Wildling: Slay a predator with 2× your HD using primitive tools.
2	Champion: Deal the killing blow on a baddie giving a town trouble.	Brigand: Organize a gang and hold a strategic bridge for one week.	Barbarian: Crush your enemies. Hear the lamentations of their women.
3	Knight: Fend off those who disturb the king's peace!	Marauder: Search the land till you find something worth sacking.	Berserker: Defeat a monster 3× your size while naked.
4	Cavalier: Fucking joust to the death with mounted foe(s).	Ravager: Plunder a great hoard with your horde.	Headman: Slay the leader of a tribe in an honorable or brutal duel.
5	Paladin: Complete a mission for royalty or extra-planar big wigs. Check out Lankhmar DCC agents.	Reaver: Unleash the horde! Take out a settlement worthy of your military might.	Chieftain: Unite three disparate tribes under your banner.

Wizard Title Quests

Hey did you notice the rulebook has chaos first for wizards? Also, they share cultist with Clerics. 

Lvl	Chaotic	Lawful	Neutral
1	Cultist: Procure the heart of a monster to use for a cult party. •Make a pilgrimage to an entity's stronghold, and learn Patron Bond in the process.	Evoker: Get the components for a summon spell (Consult Spirit & Find Familiar counts), which you learn too.	Astrologist: Follow a supernova to witness a supernatural event. •Quest to change an ally's birth augur.
2	Shaman: Snort purple lotus. Deady, rare, and addictive! • Turn a family member into a magic servant.	Controller: Cow or boss around something with your arcane might.	Enchanter: Bewitch or transfigure an important creature or place.
3	Diabolist: Summon or manifest a creature from the seven hells.	Conjurer: Bring forth entities to fight for you. This could teach you a spell like Animal Summoning p129 or Monster Summoning p184.	Magician: Craft a magic staff or item (this teaches you a spell).
4	Warlock/Witch: Make a pact with a powerful entity for power. You know patron bond for this purpose.	Summoner: Call forth a great entity with a ritual-style spell.	Thaumaturgist: Warp a foe with your magic might.
5	Necromancer: Raise the dead for a great purpose (like a siege).	Elementalist: Specialize in elemental magic (this teaches you Arcane Affinity p162)	Sorcerer: Eat another mage's brain to absorb their power.

Dwarf Title Quests

Lvl	Lawful	Chaotic	Neutral
1	Agent: Recover a stolen clan item.	Rebel: Sabotage a king’s forge to protest unjust conditions.	Apprentice: Gather fine materials for your elders.
2	Broker: Negotiate a trade deal between two rival clans.	Dissident: Free political prisoners from a mountain hold.	Novice: Discover a new vein of metal in dangerous territory.
3	Delegate: Represent your clan to an supernatural entity or body.	Exile: Perform an act of greed so great you are kicked out of the clan.	Journeyer: Travel to the world's lowest depth and return with treasure.
4	Envoy: Deliver an important object.	Iconoclast: Destroy an ancient statue you believe is a "shackle."	Crafter: Forge a weapon using an extraordinary component. For this purpose, you have the ability to cast Sword Magic p229 until you succeed.
5	Syndic: Establish a new stronghold recognized by the Dwarf Kings.	Renegade: Lead a revolution that overthrows a corrupt Rune Pope.	Thegn: Lead a force of dwarves to reclaim a dwarven treasury*.

*: In my setting, hoarding treasure turns dwarves into monsters, so something big is waiting for ya.

 

Elf & Hobbit Title Quests

Elves and Hobbits have the same first level title. Odd. Also, the bookmark for the PDF has Elf as ELF and it bugs me. And I am also thinking we shoulda had a bit more Melnibonésé  in the titles.

Lvl	Elf (All Alignments)	Hobbit (All Alignments)
1	Wanderer: Visit a place not on any map; return with a strange plant.	Wanderer: Travel far and return with a new ingredient.
2	Seer: Get a patron (you learn the spell to bond) and get from them a vision of the coming end.	Explorer: Map a dungeon or wilderness. Gotta find all the rooms/features. • Visit another plane of existence.
3	Quester: Find visit three strange locations for three different purposes. • Make up an epic quest. It's in the name after all.	Collector: Acquire three impossible items (e.g. bottled moonlight). • Acquire a full set of something, such as The Rod of Seven Parts.
4	Savant: Research a new spell not in the book (you make and quest; Judge edits)	Accumulator: Amass a hoard so large it attracts a dragon.
5	Elder: Help one of the young kingdoms of the  with a great trouble.	Wise One: Win a riddle contest with a sphinx while pipe-weeded out of your gourd.

Old School Saving Throws as Milestone Advancement

 

Remember years ago when I talked about Barony/Conrad's Game? Today we're gonna mix the ignobles milestone advancement from that RPG with the old D&D saves. In never actually talked much about the ignoble deeds before. It’s a neat system. Maybe the first milestone system in RPGs! To advance from one job to the next in Barony, you need to check off the following things:

Adventure (Travel Exotic Lands, Danger and Intrigue) 

Bard's Tale (Fame, Triumph, Notoriety) 

Battle (Military Engagements and Strategy)
Crafty Deeds (Cunning Execution of Skills and Ingenuity) 

Desires Fulfilled (Profit, Revenge, Power)
Exercising Prudence (Forethought Plans or Precautions) 

Growth (Leadership, Comradeship, Political Authority) 

Heroics (Boldness, Courage and Audacity) 

Magical Events (Acquisition, Exposure, Use)

Each deed can only check off one thing. 

 

I could actually say to use this system and call it a day, but we are here to provide a slightly simple alternative to XP counting for old school D&D type games, or at least in the spirit of them. 

 

So, here comes my idea:

When, in the course of your wanderings, you character survives* something that falls under the following categories, check it off. If they are all checked, you erase the checks and you can level up.

□　Death Rays or Ray-guns

□　Poisons or Diseases

□　Mesmerism or Mind Control
□　Paralysis or Stonification
□　Dragon Breath or Explosions
□　Wands, Rods, Staves, Curses, or Spells

There you go, no need to count XP. 

You might have noticed that my old school D&D saves don’t match your rulespedia or whatever. That’s okay, none of the old D&Ds agree with each other. Just use yours. Mine are better tho.

Maybe undead can be slightly friendlier in this system; if you get caressed by a ghoul, you lose one of your check marks (not the paralysis one!) instead of a whole level. 

——————

*: Or is resurrected after experiencing.

----
Share good posts with good goblins. Claytonian at the gmails.

Session Achievements: Arduin XP rethought

While perusing the Arduin Grimoires, I kept thinking about the table of things you could do to weedle extra XP out of ol' uncle Hargrave and how to streamline them a bit for my needs.

A couple things I decide to change  are not mentioning core-D&D magic items*; to go from small, more likely to come up achievements at the top and Satan's own pitchfork type things at the bottom; and to integrate the XP for slaying monsters rules that were in a separate part of the grimoires.

As this is just a homebrew homage to Arduin, things are skewed a little to my tastes too. But you might find this useful fodder for any D&D campaign.

In session achievements

• 25XP for being a level 4~5 rear guard during most of session.
• 25XP for being a level 4~5 point man during most of session.
• 25XP per dangerous creature of HD less than you that you helped to slay.
• 50XP for figuring out a trap.
• 50XP for tripping a trap and taking damage.
• 50XP for cleverly using a lesser spell.
• 50XP for losing more than half HP.
• 50XP for doing extra-dangerous risky acts.
• 50XP per creature of HD equal to your own that you helped to slay.
• 75XP for being a level 1~3 rear guard during most of session.
• 75XP for doing simple detection spells.
• 100XP for being expedition leader.
• 100XP for coming within 1 point of dying.
• 100XP for acquiring potions (100 points per dose).
• 100XP for casting vitally-needed spells that keep the party alive or avoid great peril.
• 100XP per creature of HD more your own that you helped to slay.
• 100XP for besting foes that had magical items or powerful abilities.
• 100XP per spell lvl×uses or more XP for finding magik scrolls.
• 125XP for finding single or limited use items that aren’t scrolls.
• 125XP for using up supernatural items.
• 125XP for finding +1 items or very simple items.
• 125XP for casting spells like Wizard Eye that provide vital intel.
• 125XP for throwing a lightning bolt that kills the B.E.M. just in time to save the party.
• 150XP for being a level 1~3 point man during most of session.
• 150XP for finding +2 items, lesser rings, amulets, &c.
• 150XP for doing spells of the fourth order to useful effect.
• 175XP for acquiring +3 items, wands, most rings and amulets.
• 175XP for doing spells of the fifth order to useful effect.
• 200XP for acquiring items that are +4 or of unusual powers.
• 200XP for doing spells of the sixth order to useful effect.
• 225XP for acquiring +5 items, or most magikal staves or rods.
• 225XP for using a single wish.
• 225XP for doing spells of the seventh order to useful effect.
• 250XP for being cursed.
• 250XP for acquiring a cursed item.
• 250XP for dying but being regenerated back to life.
• 250XP for doing spells of the eighth order to useful effect.
• 275XP for doing spells of the ninth or higher order to useful effect.
• 300XP for acquiring a major artifact.
• 325XP for defeating, in single combat, any creature that is HD20+.
• 350XP for defeating, in single combat, a demi-god or major Demon.
• 375XP for being the sole survivor of an expedition.
• 375XP for acquiring the mightiest of artifacts (Satan’s pitchfork, nuclear weapons, phasers, &c).
• 400XP for dying (but somehow coming back).
• 400XP for reincarnation.
• 400XP for permanently being changed into another type of entity via a curse, &c.

--
*I don't like weapons with pluses to hit for pretentious reasons, so they might get axed out of this list at some point.

Experience expressed in terms of dice

This is a little update to the Kill It With Fire RPG rules. The concept is that while there are skill-sets that act like psuedo-classes, any PC can attempt to learn any ability, but those with the skill-sets and the associated traits can learn them easier. So there are no levels in KIWF, but there are HD and tricks that can be increased over time, if the dice come up in your favor. Good bye, experience points! Hello, experience dice!

Experience

When you finish a major quest and are out of harm’s way, be that clearing out a dungeon or what have you, the referee should allow your group 1d6’s worth of in-game weeks to improve your abilities as a reward for merely surviving, provided you made it back to a safe area to live and train.

It is not guaranteed that you learn anything of worth, however, and so sometimes nothing happens, but you can store up Experience Dice (xpdice) to shore up your chances. Experience dice are d6s that are awarded by the referee after each session for the following kinds of situations:

• You or your group have completed a minor quest: 1d6.
• As above, but a major quest: 1d6’s worth of d6s.
• You have pleased a god/power (and this action isn't covered by one of the others in this list): 1d6, or 2d6 if you are have a “Holy” skill-set.
• You said something in character that made the whole table bust up laughing something fierce: 1d6.
• You spent dungeon lucre on a night of carousing, buying or expanding a personal domain, or creating a pious work: 1d6 per 100 gold spent per the PC’S HD (for instance, a 3HD PC would need to spend 300 gold).
• Your ingenuity saved the entire party from certain doom: 1d6.
• You made a heroic effort to save someone in a grim situation: 1d6, or 2d6 if you were horribly wounded.

Example: Phinious the Sage is a PC of the arcane persuasion. During today’s session, his party stopped the machinations of Huruk the Mad Duke (minor quest), discovered a new dungeon complex (minor quest), and provided the ingredients to power a ritual that saved the free city of Cravenholm (major quest). After the excitement, during a lull between adventures, Phinious sacrificed 3000 gold creating some automatons to act as sentries to the temple of Tsathogunata, demon-god of wizards. He has 5HD, so that gives him 6xp dice for the sacrifice, plus 1 for the minor quest and at least 1 more for the major quest. His player may now roll some or all of them to gain new abilities now, or they can be saved for another session.

Experience Dice can only be rolled during the aforementioned PCs’ world's downtime, and any dice that don’t roll the needed result are lost.

Ways to spend those xpdice, and how many it will cost:

• Get an additional Hit Die: roll a 6 or better, but the amount of successes required is cumulative for every two extant HD the PC has. For instance, if the PC has 6HD already, then the player needs to spend xpdice until he has managed to roll three 6s in one sitting (using any amount of xpdice the player is willing to throw at the attempt).
• Get a new ability: each ability will have a number that you have to roll at or higher on an xpdie to earn, but you get one reroll to your attempt if you have a relevant trait score equal or higher than the target number. You also get a reroll if the ability is within your skill-set. Abilities that need to be learned before the one you want will be grouped together.
• Increase a trait score: spend three xpdice and have them all roll the number you currently have. Xpdice can only be spent this way in groups of three.
• Train with a weapon: each weapon is written up much like an ability with a target number to roll for basic aptitude, which is a minor weapon ability. Related weapon abilities will be grouped together on a weapon’s description.
• Get a free check: this is a way to actually use xpdice outside of downtime. Sacrifice one die to pass one check or make one combat die an automatic hit.

----
Want to give feedback? Share this on g+ and give me a tag (+claytonian JP) (if you want to keep it private, share with only me).
If you spot a typo or don't have g+, you can just email me. Claytonian at the gmails.

Gold for XP Option: Martial Training

This post is to update the old Martial Training rules. See more carousing rules here.

She obviously trained to be a rockin' assassin.

As with all carousing checks (carousing being a catch-all phrase for spending your gold to gain experience points), you can roll with a specific goal in mind or a generalized goal of getting better. Whichever you choose, you are going to make a Luck check. Fumbling means you have to roll on the bad results side of the results table. If you choose generalized training and pass the DC 15 Luck check, you get to roll on the good results side.

Whatever your goal, your game Judge is encouraged to think about how long the goal should take and, in the case of specific goals, let you know before you roll.

Possible specific goals:
1. Learn technique x (quivering palm!). 2. Gain a favored enemy 3. Learn a craft 4. Work on a save type along the classic lines (i.e. magic device) 5. Gain a skill 6. Get a reputation 7. Learn the seven arts of seduction 8. Learn a fighting style 9. Purify the soul 10. Prove worth to/gain trust of someone 11. Gaining knowledge of poisons 12. Building resistance to something 13. Impress the girl/guy 14. Learn a very specific deeds die attack with one weapon (no bonus to hit or damage) if not already a warrior

Results table (roll against a DC15 with Luck or whatever ability your Judge dictates:

Luck check fumble results:

Successful (DC 15) Luck check results:

1:You suffer an accident and lose an eye. If you get this result again, you are simply scared somewhere. 2: Trained too hard. You gain two strength points but lose a point of stamina. 3:Your martial might has caught the attention of the gods. A monster will show up to challenge you to single combat soon. 4: You lose a hand, but now have a wicked hook and intimidation rolls are easier for you. 5: You accidentally kill your master! Now all his other pupils are after you. 6:Your master is killed and his secret technique scroll is stolen by a fellow pupil. Master begs you to hunt the dude down with his dying breath. 7: You are seduced by the master, and become a target for their enemies. 8: Your master is less wise than they appear. Only half-XP for this training action! 9: Master has convinced you that you need to do a legendary task before you can gain anymore XP. 10: Your skill angers your fellow pupils. They gang up and attack you one night at the dojo. +1 Stamina if you survive. 11: You are struck with a strange sickness cause by a poison of a jealous rival (-1d8 stamina until you find the antidote). The rival has absconded into a dungeon... 12: You undergo an irreversible procedure that hardens up your skin (puncturing and slashing weapons are -1d to damage you), but you weigh a lot now, and your speed goes down by 10'/round and your armor penalty is now 4 higher. 13: You accidentally create an evil Tulpa through too much meditation. It looks like you and is giving you a bad rep somewhere. 14: You are conscripted and dragged down to hell to train with devil armies for a year. After that you escape the underworld with 2x as much XP as you have now. Normal fire cannot harm you and you save at +1d against all flames. You reek of sulfur and a devil is tracking you down for desertion. 15:You suffer a training accident and die. You come back as a ghost and are able to manipulate your old gear; manipulating other things takes a DC15 INT check. Possessing people is possible if they can't make their saves. You are invisible in daylight and glow at night. If anyone uses "turn undead", you disappear.

Goals will be fulfilled first, the below is generic good results for people without goals. If you roll a natural 20, you come out of the experience in such good shape that you have 10 extra luck to burn on any combat or damage rolls during the next adventure (once you burn them, they are gone, even if you are thief or halfling). No getting more temp luck when you have temp luck. Also, 25% more experience. Then check below. 1:Expert advice: You can re-roll a number failed checks equal to your intelligence modifier during the next adventure. 2: You gain a rep around the training grounds. Social interactions among your kind are easier for a while. 3: Extra credit: You gain training in a background that you can narratively justify and it will help you with appropriate skill checks. 4: You got groupies. They want to have your baby. You can have a baby. Or 1d3 of them. 5:You win the regionals! People in town think you are awesome and offer you the first round free etc. 6: The master is impressed by you, grasshopper. He teaches a technique so secret that it disappears from your mind after using it. The next time you wanna attempt a death-touch, let the DM know. 7: Fists of iron. Brawling damage from you goes up a step on the die chain. 8: Reinforcements: You make a good friend that will show up sometime when you call for it to lend a hand in combat or pass 1d3 checks for you. 9: A legend is born: You are the chosen one! You may perform Lay on of Hands once per day per level without possibility of angering the gods. 10: You are entrusted with a magical item of your master's. 11: You learn the ghost touch technique and can punch ghosts for 1d8 damage. 12: You get really skilled with a ranged weapon. Roll 1d24 when you attack with it. 13: Name a trick. You know it and can do it consistently. 14: You slay your father in a cave and his helmet has your head in it?! +1d to fear saves. 15: Secret of wuxia-flight: You can jump about 20 feet and balance on trees or even bounce off water. 16: Lock mastery: You get a free success on any one lock per session. 17: Trap sense: you will get +1d to find/disable trap checks that the Judge secretly rolls behind his screen like a proper Judge should. 18: Calvary to the rescue: Once, when you are in trouble in an applicable area, a cavalry of creatures you befriended during your training will ride up to join your side of the fray. This result can be checked for again after it is unlocked.

Shoutouts go to +Nathan Hill, +Jeremy Murphy,  +Brendan S and +Andy Hauge for giving me a couple ideas.

Revisiting Gold for XP

In my games, I don't like the idea of characters leveling up on the spot. They need to take some time somewhere and do something productive towards their idiom. I call such actions Carousing Checks for simplicity, but they are actually quite disparate actions. They cost money to do properly. Thus, in my campaigns, experience points comes only from gold spent on Carousing Checks.
Basically, there are a few different Carousing Checks I have come up with:

• Carousing as in epic partying (Conan, Fafhrd, etc. idiom)
• Researching arcane, esoteric, or alchemical mysteries (wizard, librarian, etc. idiom)
• Martial Training (ninja, fighter, ranger, specialist etc. idiom)
• Sacrificing gold towards a god, ancestor, spirit, or demi-human clan hoard (cleric, demi-human, anybody idiom)
• Establishing a keep (anyone)
• Vision quests (psions, shamans)

Luck plays a role in all these checks, as we play the DCCRPG. Thus, when you roll a carousing check, you are going to add in your Luck modifier, be it good or bad. If the carousing check comes up as a 15 or better, you get to roll on a good bonus effects table. If you get a 1, you have to roll on a bad side effects table. Each kind of carousing check has it's own table.
If you are carousing with a specific goal in mind, you can skip the table when rolling a 15 or higher and opt for that goal instead (the DM may set a DC of 20 for very hard things, or refuse things beyond your level and background). I'll give some sample goals for each kind of carousing:

• Carousing via parties: gain the eye of a fair lady, get some crucial gossip, case a joint, get rumors for a quest of your design
• Research: figuring out the magical properties of an object, researching how to kill a legendary monster, creating a potion, doing a ritual, creating a spell, communicating with demons, get rumors for a quest of your design
• Martial Training: learning the quivering palm technique, gaining knowledge of poisons, building resistance to something, get rumors for a quest of your design, get some martial followers
• Sacrifice: Appeasing a ghost, establishing a congregation, cleansing a tainted site, ascertaining the will of the gods (get a quest), find a magic steed
• Establishing: Building a new wing, gaining a library, ensorcelling/creating/hiring guardians
• Visions: Learning a mystery, communing with spirits, unlocking a riddle, get rumors for a quest of your design 

How does one distinguish a carousing goal from a regular goal? By resources (gold) and time spent to do so. Each of the carousing actions takes hours if not days to accomplish, and time is another factor the GM can use to curb abuse of the system. Of course, the more frequently one carouses, the more frequently they may roll a 1, so a player who carouses every day is living on the edge...

Fighters get 10% again on training actions, and Thieves and halflings get 15% again on carousing. If you invite your leveled team-mates to a carousing action, they get 10% the experience you do, but they have to roll a Luck check to see if they fumble (no good results are possible if you are a hanger-on).

Another 10% to any PCs who've completed a quest or slain a boss-monster since they last caroused. So this is another reason to save up between parties.

Gold needed to be spent to level:

1st lvl @ 100 gill	2nd lvl @ 900 gill	3rd lvl @ 4,000 gill
4th lvl @ 6000 gill	5th lvl @ 10,000 gill	6th lvl @ 15,000 gill
7th lvl @ 21,000 gill	8th lvl @ 28,000 gill	9th lvl @ 36,000 gill
10th lvl @ 45,000 gill plus a quest to placate or overthrow the ever-jealous gods

Carousing, orgies, and their alternatives

When the DCCRPG beta was first being played, how to gain experience and level up was a mystery. So I went with gold-spent equaling experience points. Then it kind of mutated into Carousing rules much like those that others before me have proposed. 

First, Jeff Rients came up with this famous table for carousing mishaps. Then I found the old article on orgies from Dragon Magazine (warning NSFW cartoonage). Ideas were gained.

Your character doesn't like to level up by partying like Conan? Not a problem. Check out Martial training, holy Sacrifice, and Esoteric research. But if wine and wenches is your bag, check out the system below.

---
When you perform this leveling action, you must roll a Carousing check (1d20+ luck mod, DC 15 for success), spend your gold (which becomes XP), then role-play through the results (though the DM can just tell you what happened). Success nets you a roll on the right side of the following table as a kind of bonus to the joy of getting XP. 

Failure means nothing special, but rolling a 1 means you have to roll on the left side of the table!

Due to the limitations of the local economy, you may carouse (throw a raucous party with many attendants and lots of food) every d3 weeks in a berg or d3 days in a city unless below half hit points in which case you need to rest. If your stamina is under 3, you need to roll a save or die...

1. Gain reputation as a lecherous lush. Social interactions in this town are *raises tone* awkward. 2. Get in a fight, lose 1d2 teeth, get a black eye, or break your nose and you'll be sore (-1d3 hp) in the morning. 3. Wake up next to someone ugly or crazy (50-50 chance) or both (5% chance). Lose reputation. 4. Alcohol poisoning. Constitution/stamina lowered by 1. 5. Things got a little crazy. Did we kill the stripper?! Move you alignment one step towards evil/chaos. Can be undone by Sacrifice carousing. 6. Insulted someone important, and challenged to a duel if you are equals or charged with a quest if you are the inferior. 7. Someone takes your bag by mistake, but leaves theirs, which has an interesting item... 8. A couple days after the party, someone claims you are the father. Even if you are a woman. Cause fantasy setting, that's why. 9. You are mistaken for someone else, and charged with their tab. Pay 30% more money (no xp for it) or wake up in the slammer. 10. You expose one of your important guests as a reptilian! Have a fight with our scaly secret masters. 11. You are inducted into a cult. It takes your friends a week to deprogram you. -10% XP from this leveling action. 12. You wake up in stocks. -1 luck. Authorities let you out after a day. 13. You were robbed whilst unawares. Was it that saucy wench that you swear came to your room? You lose everything of value that you are carrying. 14. You break some knuckles punching a dude. No two-handed weapons/shields for 6 weeks. 15. Nobody comes to your party. -1 personality/charisma until you throw at least 500 gold into one party. 16. You are challenged to a duel, but cannot remember with who. At the most inconvenient time they show up. 17. If you are a halfling or a dwarf, you are tossed (if not, reroll). -3 Intelligence from hitting your head. +1 Charisma.  18. Your boasts have gotten you into trouble. You can't gain experience until you do something really awesome designated by the judge, like killing a legendary monster or stealing a legendary treasure.  19. You upset the mercantile guild. Everything is 20% more expensive for you and your associates in this town, unless you go to the black market, where things are 10% cheaper. 20. An evil magic user has some of your hair and flesh... you wake up with a gash and covered in strange runes. 21. Parlor trick hypnotised. It would seem that whenever someone says the words "my, its drafty in here" you feel the urge to do something embarrassing...

If you role a natural 20 on your Carouse check, you gain double experience and a luck point, then check for results in this column. 1. Gain a reputation as the life of the party. You will be invited to a fancy one soon. 2. Humiliate that one jerk/bitch you hate. Gain one to your luck or charisma. 3. Get on the good side of the local government representative. They will help you out when you need them. 4. Someone dies from too much partying at your party. Pity, but you are offered their job! 5.  A comely lass or lad falls for you. 6. One of your guests is actually a supernatural entity that wants to be your bud, familiar or patron. 7. Your body adapts to all the partying. You get +1 to stamina checks versus alcohol and poisons until you fail a carousing check. 8. You run into a long-lost relative. Maybe they want to go adventuring with you?! (henchman) 9. You win a bar bet and gain the services of two henchmen with low morale for a month. They may stay on if you pay them. 10. You gain 3 rumors about the next adventure. 11. You are mistaken for an important figure and the party gets really going. +25% experience. 12. You make buds with a master and get a free training session worth 300 gold (roll on the martial training luck table now!). 13. The drunken friar joins your party! Get a friar as a NPC companion till he loses a morale save or you carouse again. 14. You totally see through Sir Bearington's disguise, but are cool about it, and he will show up when you need him most. 15. You gain a jester minion. He constantly grabs treasure from others (not you). You like him, but others may not... 16. You have a good gambling session. Get some booty and +1 luck. Your game judge determines the booty by their own system. 17. You judge some kind of bar event, and everyone praises your decisions! Gain +1 Personality. 18. You wake up next to a master spy that night. They mumble state secrets in their sleep that could be very lucrative for you. 19. You have an enlightening jape with some amazing adventurer! It nets you knowledge that gives you the saves (if better), hit die, or basic abilities of a random class different to your own. 20. Wake up with a random wand, potion, or magical version of a weapon from the weapons table.

Orgies and trips to the cat-house are also possible, but if you roll a fumble on your luck, we might have to check on the Dungeon Funk tables to see your fate.