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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Can the XP loss from the death or dismissal of a Familiar cause you to lose a level?

From the SRD If the familiar dies or is dismissed by the sorcerer, the sorcerer must attempt a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw. Failure means he loses 200 experience points per sorcerer level; success ...
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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 ...
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Awarding Experience in RoleMaster

I want to smooth out some of the ways experience is earned in RM (original rules) as it seems a little unstable IMHO. Basically, you can get experience for killing, travelling, casting spells and ...
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What determines how much XP I reward each session?

I know that if characters role play toward their motivation they should get 5xp for it but generally are there any other guidelines for awarding xp regarding combat or story objectives?
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How is experience awarded for critical hits?

When awarding experience in Rolemaster Classic for critical hits is it the crit level rolled or the crit level adjusted i.e -2 severity? It's been a couple of decades since I last ran Rolemaster and ...
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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 ...
Magician's user avatar
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Why is the experience point progression in 5th edition D&D uneven? [duplicate]

Fifth edition D&D's experience progression is linear for the first few levels, then takes on an approximately parabolic relationship as shown in the graph on the lower left. However, the amount of ...
Lexible's user avatar
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How should I reward xp to my players in my game of Dark Heresy in Stars Without Number? [closed]

I'm about to start running a game of Stars Without Number hacked to play Dark Heresy. My players will be creating their characters in a few days. But in my hack, I have so far not a word on what they ...
PalimpsestPulp's user avatar
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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 ...
Raddu's user avatar
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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 ...
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Does multiclassing have an effect on exp/levelling up?

My understanding of the multiclassing system is a little vague, so I wanted to clarify. If I was to use multiclassing to level up, and increase my overall level, how does the exp get dispersed between ...
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How do I spend XP in Savage Worlds?

How do you spend XP in a Savage Worlds game? Can they be spent to improve skills and traits, and/or to gain new edges?
Robert Haime's user avatar
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Should I add encounters to help level my players before moving on to a new adventure that starts at a higher level? [closed]

Me and the boys played D&D, Lost Mine of Phandelver, but only got to level 4. What are the pros and cons of either making them fight some more monsters, or just go to the next campaign and make ...
truckerawesome's user avatar
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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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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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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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Exp reward vs player power

I have a set of players whose characters I think are great, unique, and powerful. I dont find it hard or impossible to balance around, but they hit way above their weight class. They are a group of 3, ...
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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 ...
Hotlush's user avatar
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How Much XP is an NPC worth?

I'm trying to add an NPC (as explained on pages 186-188 of the DMG) to a DnD 4e encounter, and I'm having trouble finding any information on how much XP to subtract from the XP budget for the ...
nai888's user avatar
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Can I get more than one level from a single action/encounter?

I have similar situation to described in here Can a character gain two levels with the same encounter? albeit in another system, as we are playing Pathfinder instead of D&D. My character is 4th ...
Mołot's user avatar
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House rule for experience sharing between party members

There are possibly huge gap between caster and non-caster characters in a party. Caster have plenty of options of getting rid of own experience in exchange for various boosts. Item creation, wish ...
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Lost Mines/Icespire Peak Combo Campaign Milestone/XP Hybrid, Does this look resonable?

I'm setting up to run Lost Mines and Icespire Peak at the same time. I wanted to use milestones instead of XP but I didn't want to feel like progress only happened at certain times so I assigned each ...
Arken's user avatar
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Does Primal Base commited to Omnipresence count for the sake of calculating evolution?

To clarify the scenario I have in mind is a deity using limited omnipresence on their biggest temple on a particular plane since the religious dogma they cultivated involves them always being in that ...
Maiko Chikyu's user avatar
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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....
Mindwin Remember Monica's user avatar
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Am I correctly calculating the difficulty/XP for this encounter for a 15th-level party of 5 PCs?

I am putting together a campaign and have been experimenting with the guidelines for creating encounters and managing difficulty. I've done the math for quite a few encounters at each of the "...
Omortis's user avatar
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Calculating the XP threshold for a party with "monster" companions

Suppose that a member of an adventuring party has a companion. I can think of the following broad categories ... Something that came with his/her class (familiar, beastmaster companion) Part of a ...
svenema's user avatar
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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 ...
Sneaky Kobold's user avatar
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1 answer
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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 ...
ThePiachu's user avatar
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How much experience does a cleric get when he Turns Undead?

Is there a standard amount of XP given to a cleric who is successful at Turning Undead?
DM911's user avatar
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Experience point calculation for encounters

I am likely missing something very obvious but I cannot find a reliable way to figure out how much XP to give my players for encounters anywhere, currently I'm using a factor of 5 encounters of a ...
Dshard's user avatar
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3 answers
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Is there a check list for dishing out Exp Points after a session? [closed]

I have a player who rare participates in game except for combat. I feel hes treating the game we're playing in a like a console game. For better or worse he being more like an NPC vs a PC. So I want a ...
Jhyarelle Silver's user avatar
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1 answer
669 views

How does the Fighter damage experience bonus work for low-HP enemies?

In AD&D 2nd edition, fighters gain experience bonuses from damage they've done. Experience=(Damage/8)*10. Compared to rogues or mages that gain exp from spells, it's a lot less. My question is: ...
Spradan's user avatar
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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 ...
Jace Oxburn's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
483 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 ...
Zonia Flx's user avatar
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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 ...
newblet's user avatar
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How do you calculate experience rewards for defeating NPCs with class levels?

So, We were recently fighting a "monster" wich was using a playable race (no LA) and had levels in druid. How does one calculate exp for this? I was also fighting a vampire, at what stage do you use ...
Simon's user avatar
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How should XP be awarded when facing enemies with class levels? [duplicate]

A lot of games I've been in have had either enemies with player levels or straight up PvP. How should XP be awarded when facing enemies like that? Should you attempt to calculate the CR of the enemies ...
Himitsu_no_Yami's user avatar
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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?
user43523's user avatar
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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 ...
GAFM's user avatar
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If I kill a creature by throwing vials of acid at it, do I still get XP?

If I took an acid vial and threw it at a monster that had a very small amount of health, killing it, would I still get the experience even though it was the acid vial that killed it? I came across a ...
Hooded Rogue's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
463 views

What would the effect be of zeroing your exp after every level?

Inspired by this question, what would the effect of setting your exp to zero after levelling be? Obviously, each level would take longer. Would there be any other effects? Note: As BESW points out, ...
Dakeyras's user avatar
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How much experience should players earn when fighting in a war? [closed]

I just finished a quest where the players were able to help determine which side won a war. How much experience should they receive for this?
kobooldkilla's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
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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 ...
Fabic's user avatar
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How should I divide Party Monster XP witha 2nd lvl fighter and a 6th lvl fighter in the party

I had 2 new players join my group. They are now 2nd lvl. My highest lvl player is a 6th lvl fighter. I have a large party of 10, 7 PCs, 3 NPCs. The XP for a CR 3 is 600 for a 6th lvl character and ...
DM911's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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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 ...
prmf89's user avatar
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1 answer
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How to provide XP for item creation?

I read in an answer that you can provide the XP cost of an item that the party Wizard creates for you. Unfortunately no details are given, and the link is dead. How can I cover the Wizard's XP ...
András's user avatar
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How many XP points should an enemy have?

How can I assign an amount of XP points to an enemy that I have created for a campaign that I am writing? What would be a good way to decide, and still be fair? The campaign that I wrote is for the ...
Owlman's user avatar
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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 ...
UrWurstNightMare's user avatar
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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 to ...
Z. Schroeder's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
283 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 ...
NoahtheBoah36's user avatar