Gold or XP?

[Decind]

I would not go out without a good fight!

[Taican]

True, even barehanded, one hit would probably be enough to knock a first level unconsious, where as the first level might need multiple hits to kill the high level...well, depending on the items the first level character has...

[Decind]

Yep, those are good points.

[Lortan]

Bal-Nor could get some people butter from some low-level PC's ;D

[Taican]

Maybe, if you can hit the low level character wearing the full plate +5, with the +5 shield...you can buy a lot of armor for 1000000 gold.

[TheGratefulNed]

Magic missile doesn't care what your AC is. And something like heat armor will make your +5 metals just as unbearably hot as a cheap chain shirt.

Besides which, people seem to be assuming that in taking the XP you don't still get your starting gold alotment.

[Taican]

All good points.

Like I originally stated, I just like taking the slow, role-playing way to gain levels, as it's more enjoyable to me, and let's the character develop a personality, based on their experiences. It was Merk, I think, who suggested taking the gold, and buying equipment, then killing the characters that took the 1000000 XP...

[Lortan]

They both have good and bad points, but it's the player who decides what they would take.

[Taican]

And the reason why they would take it...which is why we're talking about it. ;D

[Lortan]

The experience is better!!!

[Taican]

Not to me. I enjoy gaining every experience point, through the blood sweat and tears of my character. I don't really care for the gold either, since I usually have more than I need at anytime during a normal game, but if I had to choose, I'd go for the gold. It would let me buy some magic items, to make my character a bit tougher, or better at something.

[TheGratefulNed]

Or it'd let ya buy a lot of booze and hookers!

[Greenwizard11]

I want the levels/experience points.

Character development can happen at 1ST or 12TH level - just depends on the player. I just want to play the game and see new things. There are just not that many things the 1ST level characters can do befor you have seen it, go the t-shirt, the coffee mug, the refrigerator magnet, and the free plastic figurine.

[Taican]

I bet I have quite a few homebrew monsters that your first level character hasn't seen. But that's really besides the point. It's the imagination of the DM and players that determine the limitations of the low-level campaigns. Same is true at higher levels. There aren't that many monsters at any level of the game, that continually running a campaign at the same starting level won't use them all. I like starting from first level, and playing the same character right through to twentieth (or higher) level.
Yes you can just sit down and roll up a character, and say he took this NWP proficiency at that level, and this weapon proficiency at that level, the thief put this many points into Hide in Shadows, this many into Pick Locks, the mage learnt this spell and that. The character will develop its own personality whatever level you started it at. I personally think that that leads to munchkins, since you are able to create the character at one sitting, planning exactly what skills you want them to have. I prefer selecting NWPs based on the gameplay, and what skills they've had a chance to learn, or the character might desire to learn, because of something that's happened. A character that's been poisoned by the cooking skills (or lack thereof) of another character, might want to learn to cook, so that they don't have to eat the other's cooking again. If the character has been in several brawls, they might want to learn to sew, to patch up their clothes.

I'm not critisizing you, your DM, or your gaming style, just trying to expalin my thoughts on the matter. I'd be the first to admit that I'm not the world's best DM or player. I've learnt a lot from reading other's people thoughts here. To me, there isn't really a right or wrong answer to this question. It is a good question to debate the merits of either or both.

[kareie]

That's a tough call. Even in D&D, money talks. Like others have said, the million gold will give better tools to fend off the foes. (Granted, it would also pay for the henchmen to fight them for you!)