The Underdog Bonus
Fixing Prime Requisite Experience Point Bonuses
Gygax, You Suck.
At least when it comes to experience systems. In the original Dungeons & Dragons game, and in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and the many B/X or OD&D clones that have followed it, there are many quirks to experience points that don’t sit well with me. Classes that advance at different rates, for example. Is it really easier to pick locks and disarm complex mechanical death traps than it is to hit things? But there is one experience rule that I have not only disliked, but actively hated.
That rule is that there is a bonus or penalty a character receives on their earned experience points (XP) based on their score in their class’s associated ability - the prime requisite.
Why do I hate this? Because it punishes players based on bad luck. Because it funnels players into playing “optimal” characters punishes them for resisting this. Every fighter needs to be a strong. Every wizard has to be a genius. Every thief has to have the reflexes of a cobra. You got lucky and rolled high on a stat? Well, congratulations! That just removed all choice from what you are going to play. And not only are you going to have an easier time of it, because you hit harder, can learn spells easier or get bonuses to all your skills, but you can have a chunk of extra experience points every time you earn some to boot! Welcome to D&D on easy mode!
And should the dice gods be displeased with you and you rolled a low stat? Well, that closes doors. For example, rolling low dexterity slams shut the door on playing a rogue. But what if I played a thief who is perhaps a tubby little stay-at-home, rather than a lightfingered cutpurse, I hear you ask?
What if I played a wizard who struggles with his letters?
Well the rules say that should you pursue this course, but you’re going to lag behind everyone else as not only are you going to struggle with thief skills, but on top of that, you’ll be penalised on how many experience points you receive.
Yes, you read that right. If you have a low stat in a prime requisite, then not only do you have to contend with the fact that some tasks in game will be more difficult, but should you beat the odds, slay the dragon and get the gold? Gygax and his scions think you should get less experience points than everyone else. That you should look on glumly whilst the muscular fighter and genius wizard gain a level whilst your clumsy thief languishes short of their extra hit die and skills.
That sucks. It’s unfair and it removes agency before the game has even started because its pushing you away from choices about what character you’ll play. I hate it.
So Just House Rule It Away, What’s The Problem?
Many Dungeon Masters, myself included, ignore this rule at the table. It rewards some players again and again for a single random dice roll during character generation and it makes some choices about characters so heavily penalised as to be untenable.
But, that also doesn’t sit right with me. Characters are still going to be optimised - unless you really are masochistic or looking to play D&D on hard mode, there really is no reason to choose to play against type and create a character that isn’t good at what they do.
But what if there was a reason?
Playing An Underdog
My simple fix is rather than penalise players for a low ability score tied to their class, we reward them. That someone who is prepared to play with a low stat in a Prime Requisite receive an XP bonus to reward their battle with adversity. And it’s not inconceivable that someone who isn’t built like an ox might compensate by learning cleverer ways to fight or have come this far because they are resourceful in other ways.
The Underdog Bonus
If you have 8 or less in the Prime Requisite ability for your Class, you receive a 10% bonus on all earned experience points.
Players are now incentivised to play against type if they want to, opening their class choices up to alternatives. There is no unearned “easy mode” any longer, with xp bonuses married to high ability scores that a player received at random. Instead, if a player chooses the high risk route of playing suboptimally, they are rewarded for overcoming that challenge.
The plucky but weedy fighter or the clumsy thief learn fast in order to survive but that reward is earned in play by overcoming obstacles with player skill when you aren’t strong, fast or brilliant.
And what could be more OSR than that?
I’m going to test this out when I next run OSE or Dolmenwood, but let me know what you think?
This is so good! When I was a youngster the exp bonus always bothered, but I never knew why. I just ignored it. I was GMing OSE recently and a player pointed out this bonus and I said, "Oh yeah go ahead," without thinking about it. Them's the rules.
My system heartbreaker is a game that rewards failure through wounds that translate into experience. Never got off the ground for obvious reasons. But this! This gets me closer to that game with different pathways to success. The pathway of the Underdog! Love it!
I like this an inordinate amount. Well said.