Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ericksson 04-20-05, 04:10 PM	Hello all, I'm just about to start dm'ing for my wife. She's going to be a Rogue and I was wondering how I should award XP for such things as pickpocketing? I can see how defeating traps with Challenge Ratings awards XP but the above just isn't clear. Do I award her for the money she gets from it? Or for the rank of the person she's just robbed? Thanks Matt
Another Gnome 04-21-05, 12:29 AM	XP is awarded for overcoming an obstacle or a challenge. In case of traps it's usually the case because a trap is generally in the way of achieving a goal. However, I would not grant XP for disarming a trap if a rogue does so simply because she can. For the same reason, picking the pocket of a guard to get a key or something to further reach a goal is certainly worth the same XP as beating up the guard, but walking around the market emptying pockets of common folk won't do any good (and the thief wouldn't earn XP even if a victim noticed her and a fight ensued) aside from the monetary gain. Of course, there's a fine line between what counts as a challenge and what's simply personal gain for an adventurer, but in general I'd reserve awarding "mundane" challenges for mundane people: adventurers have more than enough opportunities to earn their experience by other, more "heroic" means.
ericksson 04-21-05, 03:56 PM	Hiya, Okay, see what you mean. However, she's a 1st level rogue up in Deadsnows. Plot is that she (hopefully!) sees a thief dipping their way around and depositing the money in alleys. Hopefully she'll keep her mouth shut and see that this could be a good little earner. If she does she'll follow them and pick up the stolen purses. What she doesn't know is that she has been spotted by someone who will hopefully become a major part in her life, and who's running the dips. He tells her she has to dip increasingly difficult targets to make up for what she stole from him (and she loses what she got), including claim documents. Most of this will be on skill checks, spot, pickpockets, hide, sneak etc. So should I be awarding objective based XP instead? Otherwise she'll have to go and kill things whereas she should be rewarded for doing what Rogues do, nicking stuff.
Tempus665 04-22-05, 02:08 AM	So should I be awarding objective based XP instead? I think this is the best option for the scenario you're giving. If the rogue succeeds in obtaining what she is to obtain, then she has earned XP, IMO. You don't just get XP from killing stuff and disabling traps.
Green Elven Vampire 04-27-05, 11:50 AM	I think this is the best option for the scenario you're giving. If the rogue succeeds in obtaining what she is to obtain, then she has earned XP, IMO. You don't just get XP from killing stuff and disabling traps. I feel the same way... Example: If you cast dismissal on a Tannar'ri and it fails its saving throw then you still get the XP awarded even though you didn't slay it. If you pick a pocket and succeed then you gain XP points worth the gold value of the item stolen.
gwydion 04-27-05, 12:31 PM	If you pick a pocket and succeed then you gain XP points worth the gold value of the item stolen. i concur i think that this was actually written rule in 2E, fighters got bonuses based on HD of monsters that they were involved in slaying, and clerics got bonuses for furthering there dogma, yada, yada, yada.
Green Elven Vampire 04-27-05, 12:41 PM	i concur i think that this was actually written rule in 2E, fighters got bonuses based on HD of monsters that they were involved in slaying, and clerics got bonuses for furthering there dogma, yada, yada, yada. Yeah it was a written rule in 1ED and 2ED. Ahhhhh... the good old days of simple ThAc0!!
Gray Richardson 04-27-05, 02:12 PM	I would award xp based on the challenge rating of the "mark" and vary it depending on the risk to her should she fail. For instance, if the risk to her is that the mark will try to kill her if she fails then I would award full xp for the encounter. If the danger is only that she will be arrested or whipped or something less fatal, I might award only half xp. But awarding xp according to challenge rating for the encounter is appropriate and scalable. When she is first level and pick-pocketing other 1st level or higher characters, there is a great deal of difficulty and she should learn and gain a experience for the challenges. If she is 10th level and pick-pockets a 1st level character, it is too easy and she would get no experience points for it. If you stick to the charts in the DM's guide it should work out nicely. Just be careful that if you are letting her pick the pockets of a lot of high-level characters frequently and if you let her succeed a lot and reward a lot of xp, she may level at too fast a rate, so you have to weigh how much xp you are doling out compared to how other members in the party are progressing.
Neely 04-29-05, 12:47 PM	Hi, Usually I give XP for such things according to the DC (and not the lvl of the target) ex: pickpocketing a drunk lvl 10 can be easier than a sober lvl 1. Secondly, I don't look at the danger or penalty of it for "what-if-she-is-caught", I think it's the difficulty that makes you learn and not the possible consequences. For the simple reason some players might start to think the higher the risc the more XP they'll get. Of course, the consequences themself can bring their own XP too. (that being a sidenote) Third, giving XP according to the value inside seems to me a bit strange too. Stealing a stone the size of a marble from someones pocket is as difficult as a diamond that same size.
gwydion 04-29-05, 05:46 PM	I agree, to a certain degree. Usually I give XP for such things according to the DC (and not the lvl of the target) ex: pickpocketing a drunk lvl 10 can be easier than a sober lvl 1. It can be even harder to get the lvl 10 drunk so that you can pick his pocket.