Questions tagged [experience-points]
This is for questions pertaining to 'experience points' or any other kind of point gained during play and used to 'level up' or otherwise permanently increase a character's abilities.
16
votes
4answers
3k views
Should a DM award XP for avoiding or surviving traps?
I just was reading the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure when I noticed that page 21, section "3. Trapped Hall" says:
Awarding Experience Points
Divide 100 XP equally among the characters if ...
13
votes
4answers
1k views
How to adapt XP-changing items in a milestone-leveling game?
I'm the DM of a milestone-leveling game. I want to reward my players with some items like the Deck of Many Things.
However some cards like the Fool, the Jester and the Sun have effects that change ...
2
votes
1answer
106 views
How should I budget encounter XP for a single PC?
In the photo I've shared, it starts the XP budget for a party of 4 PCs. At 1st level, the budget is 400. For 5 PCs it's 500. And 600 XP for 6 PCs.
So I guess it's safe to assume that I can divide the ...
8
votes
2answers
467 views
Do prestige classes use a separate XP table or do you just progress with the base class table?
New to 3.5 (last time I played was 1st edition, many moons ago), and was interested in a fighter base - arcane archer, but it’s not clear about the exp tables at the point if I qualify for arcane ...
4
votes
1answer
109 views
Do enemy animal companions give XP?
So I'm creating an enemy level 9 druid NPC for my Pathfinder game I DM.
The enemy has a bear as an animal companion and I want to know if I should reward XP for killing the bear, in addition to the ...
6
votes
2answers
299 views
Does a twinned spell with an XP component cost twice as much XP as the normal spell?
If I cast a spell with an XP component using the metamagic feat Twin Spell (CAr pg. 84), will I have to pay the XP component twice as if I had cast the spell twice? Or is the XP cost unchanged?
20
votes
1answer
2k views
What's the difference between XP and adjusted XP?
What's the difference between XP and adjusted XP in D&D 5th edition?
1
vote
1answer
348 views
Is XP needed to level accumulated or absolute? [duplicate]
In D&D there is the need to gain experience by doing some activities or battles, but that experience obtained is added as a total or by level? For instance, if my character is level 2, 900 xp is ...
9
votes
2answers
944 views
In which edition of D&D did players stop earning bonus experience points for high prime requisite ability scores?
Both basic and AD&D have rules for characters gaining a +10% bonus on earned experience points if they have high scores in the prime requisite ability of their class. Initially there were also ...
23
votes
4answers
2k views
Awarding encounter experience when enemies flee/get intimidated/are convinced to help
This is my first time DM'ing and I'm playing DnD 5e's "Lost Mine of Phandelver" campaign with 3 other players.
The PCs seem to have a trend of encountering a group of enemies, start fighting and ...
3
votes
2answers
676 views
When awarding xp, is the summoner's eidolon counted as a separate party member with respect to xp division?
Under Exact XP on p.399 of the Core Rulebook, it states that the XP for the encounter should be tallied and then divided by the number of party members. Each party member is then awarded this amount ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Is there a mathematical formula to determine how much XP is needed per level?
Is there a mathematical formula to determine how much XP is needed per level? In other words Is there a consistent formula for determining how much XP is needed to go up to any given level?
I ...
4
votes
1answer
128 views
Level adjustment reduction for high(ish)-level new characters
I am running a 3.5 D&D campaign and I have allowed my players to use the level adjustment reduction rules from the SRD. It is explained fairly OK for characters as they advance through new levels, ...
10
votes
2answers
789 views
How is XP awarded in AL for non-combat puzzles in Tomb of Annihilation?
I have been DMing our party for the final parts of Tomb of Annihilation.
Some parts of the adventure have vast numbers of puzzles. For example, tonight, the party spent almost four hours simply ...
6
votes
1answer
465 views
In Adventurers League, can you finish a module you started if you leveled out of it?
Here's a situation: Bob plays a 4 hours Adventurers League Tier 2 adventure with a level 10 character, but due to unforeseen time constraints, the module cannot be completed (only 3 hours in, for ...
2
votes
3answers
226 views
How can I level up or use my NPC army?
In my current campaign, I’ve managed to secure myself a fairly large kingdom, with an army of over 10,000 level 10s at my disposal. This would be incredibly useful if we weren’t in a fairly epic level ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
How much XP does a monster created by Animate Objects add to an encounter?
I am making a boss fight. The boss can cast animate objects, a spell that can animate statues.
The spell gives information for, eg., 1 Large Construct:
Large - HP: 50, AC: 10, Attack: +6 to hit, ...
7
votes
2answers
508 views
Is an Adventurers League DM allowed to adjust an encounter to max out the combat XP reward?
I DM an AL group of four. They agree to create new level 1 characters (they are experienced), but ask me to adjust the combat to give maximum possible XP in an adventure, in case they miss out the non-...
10
votes
6answers
2k views
Do imps and pseudodragons serving as variant familiars earn XP, or share XP with the party?
This question is directly related to two other questions:
Do familiars or animal companions earn or share XP with the party?
How is a variant familiar imp and pseudodragon (in the Monster Manual ...
12
votes
1answer
2k views
If a PC summons creatures to help fight does it lower your party’s XP?
Do summoned creatures take a share of the XP of an encounter? Let’s say a PC in a party of 3 uses a spell like Conjure Animals. He uses it to summon all 8 creatures. If they contribute to the combat, ...
1
vote
0answers
970 views
Implementing a “perk system” of minor boons? [closed]
Background
I have recently become the DM of a group comprised mostly of newbies and one or two older players who aren’t accustomed to 5e’s rules yet. I decided that, for my first campaign, I wanted ...
21
votes
3answers
2k views
Do PCs gain experience from a fight that they lost?
If the PCs lose a fight but do not die (e.g. imprisoned), do they gain experience points from the battle?
8
votes
1answer
631 views
Why is the XP awarded from an encounter the sum of monster XP values and not Adjusted XP? [closed]
The Dungeon Master's Guide presents guidelines for gauging encounter difficulty based on the Adjusted XP of monsters faced. The Adjusted XP is the sum of the monsters' experience values, modified by a ...
4
votes
1answer
166 views
How is PC experience calculated when higher level CR allies help in Adventurers League?
The recent adventure Tomb of Annihilation released by WotC includes allies that can join the party. As an open-world adventure spanning multiple PC levels and Tiers, PCs could potentially gain allies ...
1
vote
0answers
26 views
Distributing exp during encounters [duplicate]
When I get to distribute exp to party members, should I give the same amount of EXP to everyone or split it by monsters killed/fight contribution?
9
votes
4answers
4k views
Can you earn XP for defeating a creature, then raise as undead & destroy it for more XP?
The party defeats a group of creatures by killing them, earning XP. Can they then raise the corpses as undead, release control so they're uncontrolled undead, then kill the undead for more XP?
Is ...
2
votes
0answers
114 views
Is XP only awarded to the PC that delivers the killing blow? [duplicate]
I have been a DM for 35 years, and now we are embarking on 5th ed. I am playing a 1st level Barbarian. Due to Ideals and Bonds and stuff, I am letting other party members get the “kill” on stuff I ...
6
votes
2answers
239 views
Do you gain XP when you die?
In Dungeon World you gain XP on a miss. However a bit of a discussion has come up recently in my circle of DW players as to whether missing a last breath roll, and subsequently dying, also causes you ...
19
votes
7answers
5k views
What do NPCs do with gained XP?
I'm the DM of our group with several player characters, and often there are NPCs with the party as well (partly because the party really likes persuading friendly creatures to come join them, and ...
3
votes
2answers
289 views
Cap XP earned from encounter? [closed]
In a game of D&D 5e last night we had to creep through a room containing ~1000 Duergar.
It should have been easy, as they were already distracted, but our Paladin, who we'll call Clanky ...
0
votes
1answer
390 views
How to distribute XP for player kill in free-for-all arena?
I'm designing a game of some sort of battle arena, which in every session there are 4 PCs fighting each other. The whole campaign will revolve on the arena fight and amassing XP to stand at the top.
...
3
votes
1answer
462 views
Is XP from solo kills during combat shared or not?
This scenario came up in a recent game I ran I and I'm curious on how it should be handled.
If, during an encounter where everyone in the party takes a turn, a character kills one of the enemies ...
1
vote
1answer
183 views
How do I determine the expected duration/runtime of older Adventurer's League adventures for purposes of DM rewards? [duplicate]
In reference to this question: How do I apply & record DM Experience Rewards?
Where in a published D&DAL Module (I'm specifically working with the Tyranny of Dragons modules) would I find the ...
23
votes
4answers
7k views
Are there any quick, reliable ways to level up in D&D 5e?
I am the Dungeon Master in a new campaign. Since I made the players start new characters, they were wondering if there was a fast way to gain experience. The players wanted the game to still be legit, ...
16
votes
3answers
2k views
Do I award experience points for a trap that goes off?
In a recent session my players triggered a trap that they didn't notice; it went off and did damage to most of the party.
I've done a rudimentary search through the Pathfinder SRD and couldn't find ...
5
votes
1answer
4k views
How do I apply & record DM Experience Rewards?
So at the ends of some of my adventure packets that I've run for D&D Adventurer's League it says things about DM rewards, which includes Experience Points. I'm concerned a little bit that I may ...
4
votes
2answers
187 views
What defines an XP generating encounter for PCs?
Based on this question, what is it that makes something qualify as an XP generating moment?
Are those moments generated by the PCs, or by NPCs away from them as well?
17
votes
5answers
3k views
Should a PC get XP for assisting outside of combat?
Related, but about a PC not participating at all in a combat: Do people get XP for battles they weren't in?
Generally, experience points for a combat encounter are divided equally among the ...
21
votes
6answers
4k views
Are PCs that died counted when dividing a combat's XP?
Generally, XP is divided equally when an enemy is killed. So let's say a low level party of four all fought and killed an orc worth 100xp; they all get 25xp.
But what happens if the orc kills (...
8
votes
1answer
1k views
How do you calculate DM XP reward for an AL module without a prescribed time?
I recently started DMing Adventurers League sessions, and I've been told about DM rewards, being particularly interested in the XP I get after each DMed session.
Reading the AL DM guide, I understand ...
22
votes
6answers
8k views
How much XP can the Wish spell grant?
If someone had the Deck of Many things, drew the Moon and got a wish spell, and wished to "Level up as much as (They) can", how much XP would the wish spell give to the player?
4
votes
1answer
216 views
XP through the ages
I'm looking for the definitions and basic usage of experience points in all the versions of D&D. Of particular interest is the stated purpose of having xp (and levels) in the game at all, if it's ...
12
votes
1answer
5k views
Is the epic boon progression too fast?
The PHB's required XP for leveling can generally be described as, "For your next level, you'll need more than what was required for this level," with a notable exception between going from level 10 to ...
-5
votes
2answers
306 views
When skipping over fishing, how much experience should be gained?
I recently asked a question about how to handle the contest between a large fish and a fisherman using fishing tackle, and the answers seem to mostly agree that such contests should be abstracted to ...
6
votes
3answers
324 views
Is there a guideline for deciding how many points a GM should award players?
I recently started reading on GURPS and I haven't found something that tells me how many points I should give to the players after each session. Is there something I'm missing or is there a secondary ...
6
votes
2answers
302 views
Milestone leveling and XP cost for crafting / XP penalty for multi classing
So looking at milestone leveling it basically says you level up when the DM determines it is time to level up based on a major accomplishment event etc.
How does something like a multi classing ...
5
votes
1answer
210 views
As a player, what can I deliberately do during play to earn The Veil's 1 XP end-of-session award for having my beliefs tested?
The Veil offers 3 end-of-session XP awards, the first of which is that if a belief "was tested or challenged", you get 1 XP (p268). Getting into trouble because of a belief nets you 2 XP, and ...
8
votes
1answer
133 views
When a multiclass demihuman reaches max-level in one class, does she need to keep splitting exp?
Suppose a multiclassed elf thief/wizard reaches max level in thief (14th, 880,000xp), but can still advance pretty far as wizard (with 880,000 she is a 12th-level wizard, and has still 5 more levels ...
10
votes
4answers
524 views
When is a trap with an automatic reset considered defeated?
Suppose that for whatever reason the trap in question is never disabled, perhaps because there is no rogue or perhaps because no one can find its moving parts due to unlucky Perception rolls. The trap ...
5
votes
1answer
177 views
Who pays the XP cost for a spell the Eidolon casts?
The epic spell Eidolon creates a magical duplicate of the caster, "fully rested" and with all the spellcasting potential of its level.
Including the ability to cast spells with a XP cost.
Who pays ...
