Questions tagged [experience-points]
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.
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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 (...
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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 ...
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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?
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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What is it like to play in a campaign with Milestone XP? [closed]
I am currently playing D&D fifth edition with a GM I have never played with before. He will be giving out XP in milestones, so that we will be given XP when we do something specific or reach a ...
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How does Experience Point Value work on sold magic items?
I'm trying to make sure I understand this correctly. In the original (Advanced D&D) Dungeon Master's Handbook starting on page 120 outlines various magic items. In the value tables there is ...
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Do athasian druids follow the PHB druid XP progression and organization?
Athasian druids have their guarded lands, and pretty much don't bother each other. So having a druidic organization like the one in the PHB seems not likely. Also, they don't seem to become hierophant....
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Can we use Tiers of DMG for 3 Pillars Experience System?
Unearthed Arcana provides a new possibility of granting experience: Three-Pillars Experience
This system is based on tiers (see page 2 1st paragraph). The only part I can find any explanation of ...
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I erased an obstacle from having ever existed. Should I get any experience for it?
In yesterday's session, our characters scouted a room full of reanimated corpses, and it was the only way to go through. Our characters were completely exhausted of resources and couldn't rest, so I ...
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How can I balance gradual character advancement for new players vs. trying to keep the PCs at a similar level?
I've been running an Open Table game this summer and it's going pretty well. I normally favor milestone leveling or other forms of keeping all PCs at the same level so I don't have to deal with level ...
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Handing out XP per encounter is overwhelming; solutions?
TL;DR: I'm looking for a technique for handing out XP during sessions that is both rewarding for the players and easy to handle as the GM. Doesn't have to be RAW; personal experience is welcome.
I ...
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Do experience points in 5e continue to stack or do they get expended and leave carry over points towards the next level?
I run two campaigns and decided to run them differently based on the PC desires. In the combat-heavy war-torn campaign I expend all points except those over the leveling up threshold to make it ...
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Do PCs understand the leveling system and its experience requirements?
Do PCs understand the nature of the leveling system and its experience requirements? For example, suppose a PC is just below the XP requirement for a level and is planning to undertake a major quest. ...
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Do familiars and animal companions earn XP?
Rules as Written, experience is split evenly in adventures between all creatures that meaningfully participate.
Dungeon Master's Guide (1st printing, pg. 260):
When adventurers defeat one or more ...
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Is a "too easy kill" worth no XP?
Once in an AD&D 2nd edition game, after a not very successful encounter with wererats, our beaten-down 2nd/3rd level party — one character unconscious, both clerics exhausted — was traveling a ...
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Calculating dungeon length
I'm preparing a multilevel dungeon intended to move players from level 1 to 5 (one character level per dungeon level). I was wondering if anyone has formulas or rules of thumb to figure out how long ...
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Why is there no non-combat XP in D&D 5e? [closed]
Has there been an answer to why there is no non-combat Experience points awarded in D&D 5e? I'm not referring to XP gained from monsters by defeating them other than combat, but XP awarded for ...
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How are experience points given to back-up characters?
I've been playing D&D 5e for a while now, but I've recently run in to a new issue. I am going to be starting a new game soon with a new DM, and this campaign is going to be primarily nautical ...
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Why do some players write XP separate and does it really matter?
So me and almost everyone I play with, even when multi-classing write out our xp as, 1000, 10000, 50000 (ect) as its accumulated. But one to two players who are not in the majority of our games. Being ...
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I need help with the spells and levels involved with the bard class [closed]
I'm a little bit confused at the way d20pfrsd sets up their website, and as such, i am not sure how many spells the bard can learn at each level, nor am i certain on how much experience the bard ...
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How much experience is needed when I multiclass into a new class?
How much experience is needed to take my first level in a new class in D&D 5e? I'm interested in going from 4th level Sorcerer to 1st level Cleric. Is the experience point cost the same as normal ...
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Why is Bonus XP discouraged for more experienced players?
Recently, Bonus XP seems to have fallen out of public favor. It obviously has no place in, say, power min-max metagaming campaigns where surmounting nigh-impossible challenges is the main point; yet, ...
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Is it okay to skip XP, and just award levels at the end of each story arc?
I'm interested in DMing and want to know: would it be okay to award levels to the PCs at the end of the story arc instead of keeping track of XP?
The benefits I can see are:
I don't want to write a ...
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Can you earn experience from nearly dying?
I have played in multiple campaigns but in no way am I a seasoned Dungeoneer.
In a couple of the campaigns we have earned what the DM would call "near death XP": when you fall to or near 0 hp, you ...
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How much XP is an NPC built as a PC worth for encounter budgeting?
I'm running a session with a party of five level 2 characters: a paladin, bladesinger, thief, cleric and psion. The session is going to play on a religious rivalry and so I've made a level 3 paladin (...
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How to increase Rakshasa's Graces?
According to the Fair Folk books, characters start with Graces equal to their virtues. There are also charms for creating new Graces for the Fair Folk, but they start at level 1. However, I can't find ...
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How do I deal with a player disappointed with the progression system?
I'm trying to start new group of Ars Magica (mix of 4 and 5).
I'm the storykeeper and had played it for years and it's one my favorites RPGs.
This a new System & Scenario for the players, they ...
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Is experience awarded fully to each PC or divided among the party members?
When awarding XP in Hackmaster 5th edition, is the experience earned by each character individually or is it earned by the entire party and then divided for each character?
The reason I ask this is ...
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Can a character Level Up twice in a row?
The question came up in last night's session...
If a character has enough XP and time, is there any reason they cannot trigger the Level Up move twice in succession?
In this circumstance events have ...
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Do animals gain experience and level?
I am running a game for my son and his friends. My son bought a mastiff. I am wondering if the dog should gain experience and advance in levels. I have not thought of how to do this. If the dog ...
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How important to game balance is the class differentiated experience table?
I'm considering how to handle a game that is intended to bring a group of characters through a grand tour of D&D editions. I'm running into the first big question. When I switch between editions ...
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How do I reward experience for chases?
While I was looking through the Pathfinder GameMastery Guide I found the Chase encounter rules. It had separate options, DCs for certain obstacles, different starting positions depending on the ...
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Do experience-points reset at level up?
To clarify: Does XP needed for the next level exclude XP needed to get the previous level?
I am 99% positive that it doesn't, on the basis that it doesn't say anywhere in the rulebook (for either ...
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What are pros and cons of awarding individual experience?
Recently, I have started playing Dungeons and Dragons with close friends and family. We have 4 players, ages ranging from 12 to 25. Just now, I had a conversation with one of my colleagues over ...
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How can I give sufficient XP per session for 7 high-level PCs without encounters being a slog?
In the DMG it suggests that the DM levels players at a rate of about 3 sessions per level past about level 5 or 6. My players' characters are currently level 8 and there are 7 of them. That would ...
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What do I do with a player who's always trying to go out on their own to farm XP?
This is my first time being a DM, and one of my players (the reason I became a DM), is constantly going out on their own, hunting or stealthing ahead of the group, to kill things before any one else ...
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Are XP award for one large encounter vs. lots of smaller encounters different?
Suppose my five level-2 player characters (PCs) face 10 CR2 challenges/encounters in a given Pathfinder session. To be concrete, let's assume these encounters are monsters that are each worth 500 XP. ...
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What is the most reasonable conversion rate for a 5e "Gold for XP" house rule?
I am thinking about using a OSR-like XP for Gold rule for my next 5e campaign. Instead of handing out Combat or Quest XP, I want to use the following rule:
Players can purchase XP / a level when ...
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Do people get XP for battles they weren't in?
I'm a real new DM here. If a character does not participate in a battle, do they still get the XP from the fight?
My main issue is that I had a character refuse to participate in a fight due to moral ...
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Is leveling up mandatory?
In D&D 3.5e, being behind in levels compared to the party grants the relevant characters more experience per encounter. Intuitively, this is because the encounter is relatively harder for them and ...
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Have the designers said why they did not include XP loss?
There seem to be no spells that cost XP, creating magic items doesn't cost XP, and monsters don't drain levels. The first two, at least, were significant considerations in 3.5. I can speculate, but do ...
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How much XP does a character with LA start with in D&D 3.5e?
I understand that a newly minted drow (LA +2) sorcerer will have an ECL of 3, meaning that for XP purposes he is treated as being level 3. Thus he will require a total of 6,000 XP to gain his second ...
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