Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Avross Jul 23, 2015 7:13:45	Ok, so one of the other DMs at the store I DM at came to me with a player complaint.   (The LC is on vacation for a while, so I'm going to at least try to help resolve this)   The concern is regarding how experience is awarded.   We're running Encounters, which does not come with those nice little Non-Combat XP Awards that are in the Expedition modules.   The player enjoys a more role-play / problem-solving style of gaming, and his son has some challenges which are better served by a calmer game (the more combat there is, the harder it is for him to keep from being disruptive).   He finds it a bit upsetting that he's only getting XP through combat.   I know that the AL rules state that DMs should not make up their own awards, they need to award the same experience that every other DM at every other store awards.   Level playing field and all, that makes sense to me.   The challenge is that this player couldn't care less about keeping things AL-legal, since he only ever plays at the one store.   So I'm not really interested in hearing what *isn't* allowed...that doesn't help me help the DM and the players.    What I'm looking for is options that might satisfy the player's concerns while staying within the AL rules.   So far, I've got the following: The DMG indicates that XP is awarded for 'neutralizing' a creature, not just for "killing" or even "defeating".   So obviously, if the party finds a non-lethal way to deal with a creature, (i.e. talk their way out of a bar fight instead of resorting to fisticuffs) there should be an appropriate reward. Likewise, if the party manages to prevent a bad thing from happening, it seems appropriate to award experience for neutralizing the enemy behind it.   (Within reason...thwarting a CR 1/2 thug's scheme is one thing, thwarting the CR 7 BBEG who you don't actually encounter for another three chapters is another...)   What am I missing?   I do know that the player has to accept the fact that his little 3-4 person gaming troupe has expanded to 15 people with people who *do* want to smash bad guys.   But I also want to ensure that he doesn't feel like this is a game he can't play anymore.
#2 Skerrit Jul 23, 2015 8:52:32	Avross wrote:
#3 Kalani Jul 23, 2015 9:06:05	Keep in mind that if they defeat an encounter via stealth/diplomacy/etc - they cannot later gain XP for fighting those same enemies.   You can't double dip on a single encounter (although other rewards might be possible such as any treasure you didn't get by bypassing the encounter peacefully).    If an encounter is specifically written as a noncombat encounter - the only XP you can gain from said encounter is any specifically listed in the adventure itself.    For example: In PotA, there is an encounter with an extremely powerful [read OP] individual. This person wants to be left alone but will react to the party appropriately (based on their attitudes and actions).   The only XP the party gains from this encounter is spelled out in the encounter. The reason being - this encounter is not designed with the option for combat as he could easily TPK the party without trying, should he want to (and there would be nothing they could do to stop him either).
#4 Noon Jul 24, 2015 2:59:12	I'm pretty sure you get XP for defeating the threat - you don't have to defeat the creature, as in beat it to the ground or knock it out.   It's the threat of violence that is the key feature to defeat, not HOW you defeat it. You talk to them, you bribe them - if they were threatening you but your actions mean the threat goes away...then the threat is defeated, even if they walk off with some of your silver in their pocket. You are not defeating them, you are defeating the threat involved.   I think that's how the rules are - someone can disconfirm my position with a page reference if I'm wrong.