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The Hacktastic Blog
5.15.2004

Bonus Experience Point Assignments #2

Behold! Myreldon has graciously provided a wonderful selection of assignments to keep even the most scholarly of players up to their armpits in work in-between sessions. It keeps your mind on the game, enhances roleplaying, and best of all, is a prime source for XP! Enjoy:


Optional Bonus Experience Point (XP) Assignment #7
In days past, players provided food and drink for their hardworking DM. In the spirit of these more collaborative times, players may collect for sustenance and receive XP in kind. The DM appreciates chicken sandwiches, fresh fruit, meat-topping pizza, skim milk, and bottled water. The DMA collects for this tribute.
REWARD: At the conclusion of any game session in which you contributed all or in-part to the DM’s refreshments, receive a flat 400 XP bonus.


Optional Bonus Experience Point (XP) Assignment #8
Start an Online Venue
Create and maintain a website, blog, yahoo group, or other online forum featuring the UNDERDARK CAMPAIGN. Such a composition should detail campaign events, notes on PCS and NPCs, special items, goals, and related information. (But ultimately the design and contents are per your preferences.)
REWARD: At the onset of each game session, the DM will rate your website which he has visited as being decent, good, or exceptional. Each game session, your PC earns bonus experience points based on the DM’s rating, as follows:
✣Decent: The venue is one page, updated once a month, with bare facts and brief, one-sentence descriptions, and no images, sound files, or animation. There is only one contributor. The page is neat and informative. A typical blog is an example of a decent venue. This effort earns your PC 150 experience points per current character level, at the onset of the current campaign session.
✣Good: The venue contains multiple pages, updated at least once per session, with paragraph-long descriptions of PCS, NPCs, goals, major locales visited, etc.; including images, links, and brief commentary from one or more players. This effort earns your character 250 experience points per character level, at the onset of the current campaign session. All those who contribute earn a like amount.
✣Exceptional: The venue is a full-out website, supporting multiple pages, updated at least once per week, with a time line of campaign events, campaign news, scanned maps, and elaborate descriptions of every PC and major NPC, major locales visited, major magical equipment, plans of the characters, fears, etc. As well, this website sports images, and/or animation, and/or sound files, and links. (It could link to one of the many fan-sites dedicated to Underdark campaigning, for example.) This effort earns your character 590 experience points per character level, at the onset of the current campaign session. All those who contribute earn a like amount.


Optional Bonus Experience Point (XP) Assignment #9
Memorize a multiple-sentence saying (i.e., tagline) in a language your character speaks. (Of course, make up the dialect, or check online for sites featuring the dark elven tongue, goblin tongue, etc.)
REWARD: Reciting a new multiple-sentence saying at the onset of a game session, followed by the English translation earns your character 15 experience points per current character level.


Optional Bonus Experience Point (XP) Assignment #10
Print and/or cut-out three or more pictures (B&W or color) of an Underdark environment setting. Resources include: Half Price Books sells National Geographic and similar magazines for 50-cents an issue; there are numerous sites dedicated to spelunking, national preserve caverns, underground water flows, etc.; any public or campus library may have useable reference works and will have copiers. It is the DM’s hope to collect dozens of cool pics for use to set the tone of an encounter, illustrate surrounding terrain in different regions, and/or represent PC and NPC homelands.
REWARD: At the onset of any game session in which you donate to the DM at least three appropriate Underdark pics, apply 90 experience points per current character level to your PC. Each submission must be a different pic.


Optional Bonus Experience Point (XP) Assignment #11
Continued Writing
Campaign time has elapsed since the prequel game sessions of December, 2003. Players may submit typed journal entries detailing the events, people, and places of their character’s exploits during this elapsed time. This entry may be composed as a first-person diary, a third-person narrative, a third-person eyewitness account, or any other form.
REWARD: Submitting any entry earns your character 25 XP per full, typed page per current character level. (A page is 250 typed words.) A partial page earns no XP.
For example, a player with a 5th-level character types five pages in his log after a particular session. At the onset of the next session, that PC earns 625 experience points (5 character levels x 5 pages x 25 XP = 625 total bonus XP).


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Granted, this is specifically meant for the Chronicles of the Lightless Lands, but hopefully all you webcrawlers can find a use for it. Hack on.