Experience and Treasure Experience Each four-hour game session is worth 1000 experience points for each character. Dungeon Masters also receive 1000 experience points to apply to their character. The flat rate of experience means that leveling will slow over time. To compensate for this, certain adventures may be worth bonus experience in the future (sometime after the group reaches 5th level). Treasure Treasure is awarded normally for published adventures (such as Shadows of the Last War and Whisper of the Vampire's Blade). For home-brewed adventures, each DM will be asked to follow certain guidelines in awarding gold and magic items. The most important guideline is that no magic item given out in an adventure can be worth more than the amount listed in the Character Wealth By Level table (page 135 DMG) for the average level of the party. Thus, in an adventure for 2nd level characters, no single item can be worth more than 2700 gold pieces. Further details are given in the DM guidelines. Upkeep After each adventure, each character must pay for upkeep, representing living expenses incurred during the time between adventures. The costs are listed below, along with any benefits or drawbacks. Note that the Self-Sufficient and Meager upkeep levels (page 130 DMG) are not available in Sharn. A Favored in House check allows a character to avoid upkeep costs in Sharn, at the following difficulty: Poor (automatic), Common (DC 10), Good (DC 15) or Extravagant (DC 20) upkeep. Costs are slightly higher than those listed in the DMG due to the extra expense of living in a major city. Characters who can't afford upkeep default to the poor lifestyle, and start the adventure with one point of subdual damage per 5 gold they are short. This subdual damage cannot be healed until the character pays the full cost of upkeep. Characters who have permanent lodging in the city (see page 23 of Sharn: City of Towers) pay only half the normal cost of upkeep, as long as the residence is appropriate to their chosen upkeep level. Poor upkeep requires a minimum of an poor residence, Common upkeep requires an average residence, and Good requires an upscale residence. The Extravagant lifestyle is an exception to this rule, since most of the costs of the lifestyle are not related to lodging. The cost of an Extravagant lifestyle is only reduced by 50 gold (to 200 gold) if the character owns or rents an upscale residence. Upkeep Level Cost Notes Poor 20 gold -1 penalty on social interactions with working-class citizens, -2 on social interactions with merchants, nobility, and royalty. Common (default cost) 50 gold No bonuses or penalties. Good 100 gold +1 circumstance bonus on social interactions with working-class citizens, merchants, nobility, and royalty. Extravagant 250 gold +2 circumstance bonus on social interactions with merchants, nobility, and royalty, can make one Favor check at no modifier in the next module played. This functions as the Favored in House feat, and applies only to Sharn merchants and nobility. The maximum DC of the check is 15. Purchasing Magic Items Between sessions, characters will have the option to purchase magic items in Sharn. The maximum value of an item that can be purchased is equal to the amount listed in the Character Wealth By Level table (page 135 DMG). The character must pay the full market value of the item, and any item purchased is subject to approval by a majority vote of the group. Only items from Wizards of the Coast rulebooks are allowed at this time, and no item with a caster level of 13 or higher can be purchased - such items must be found during adventuring. Creating Magic Items Between sessions, characters with the appropriate item creation feats can make magic items. The maximum value of an item that can be created is equal to the amount listed in the Character Wealth By Level table (page 135 DMG). The character pays the normal cost of creating the item (usually 1/2 market value in gold and 1/25th market value in XP). Adventure rewards may include special materials that substitute for XP expenditure when used in the making of certain items, and artificers may always use their craft reserve. Only items from Wizards of the Coast rulebooks are allowed at this time, and any item not in the Dungeon Master's Guide requires a majority vote of the group for approval. © 2004-2006 Casey McGirt Back