cause and effect, and who gets the exp - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

cause and effect, and who gets the exp

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
lrx959
Jun 12, 2008 15:43:17 i have a player in my group whom thinks that he should get the experience if he pushes someone into a trap and they die. after a long debate i am still not sure if he should get the exp. my feeling is that he did not kill the person the trap did. however, he feels, since he threw the monster into the trap and then monster died, he should get the exp. anyone have any thoughts on this, and im sure he will seek this post out and try to sway you his way.
#2
sharaloth
Jun 12, 2008 17:03:22 If I read it right and you're actually arguing that he should get no experience at all for quick thinking and using the terrain to his advantage, then by the rules you are wrong.

Experience is not awarded based on who killed who, otherwise frontline attack classes would be levelling a whole lot faster than buffing and support classes. This is true for 3.x and is now true in 4e. Experience is instead based on overcoming challenges. If you overcome the challenge of a guarding dragon by getting it to be somewhere else while you grab the McGuffin, that's just as valid as if you went in and stabbed the dragon in the face a dozen times, and worth the same amount of XP.

So, your player is right. He didn't personally hack this guy to death, but he did do something clever that lead to a messy end. The experience should be awarded to the group for overcoming the challenge that the guy represented.

That is, unless your player is saying he should get ALL the experience for killing someone, and not let it be spread among the group. Then he's wrong except in extraordinary circumstances.
#3
Neutronium_Dragon
Jun 12, 2008 20:09:18 Seconded. The entire party shares the XP for every challenge or opponent defeated, regardless of how they overcame it.
#4
tiwaztyrsfist
Jun 13, 2008 14:15:47 Yeah. Throwing the badguys into their own traps is not only defeating them, it's also Ironic. I'd actually give a small amount of bonus xp for that sort of thing.
#5
penchant
Jun 13, 2008 16:19:42 You even get XP for machiavellian plotting such as arranging one character to kill another without either character knowing that you are the cause. In which case the killer gets the XP for slaying the foe, and you get the XP for overcoming the encounter.

Example: Antagonist is waiting outside the bar to kill you and his cronies have covered the exits. Rather than confront them directly you either magically charm or charismatically convince the barbarian at the bar that your foe has just called his mother a talon shaver of Tiamat. He goes out and turns your bad guy into hamburger and feels better for it. You sit at the bar and finish his beer while waiting for the XP to roll in.

Incidentally, this is why high level BBEGs have lackeys and they sit on the battlefield and watch them work.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 lrx959 Jun 12, 2008 15:43:17	i have a player in my group whom thinks that he should get the experience if he pushes someone into a trap and they die. after a long debate i am still not sure if he should get the exp. my feeling is that he did not kill the person the trap did. however, he feels, since he threw the monster into the trap and then monster died, he should get the exp. anyone have any thoughts on this, and im sure he will seek this post out and try to sway you his way.
#2 sharaloth Jun 12, 2008 17:03:22	If I read it right and you're actually arguing that he should get no experience at all for quick thinking and using the terrain to his advantage, then by the rules you are wrong. Experience is not awarded based on who killed who, otherwise frontline attack classes would be levelling a whole lot faster than buffing and support classes. This is true for 3.x and is now true in 4e. Experience is instead based on overcoming challenges. If you overcome the challenge of a guarding dragon by getting it to be somewhere else while you grab the McGuffin, that's just as valid as if you went in and stabbed the dragon in the face a dozen times, and worth the same amount of XP. So, your player is right. He didn't personally hack this guy to death, but he did do something clever that lead to a messy end. The experience should be awarded to the group for overcoming the challenge that the guy represented. That is, unless your player is saying he should get ALL the experience for killing someone, and not let it be spread among the group. Then he's wrong except in extraordinary circumstances.
#3 Neutronium_Dragon Jun 12, 2008 20:09:18	Seconded. The entire party shares the XP for every challenge or opponent defeated, regardless of how they overcame it.
#4 tiwaztyrsfist Jun 13, 2008 14:15:47	Yeah. Throwing the badguys into their own traps is not only defeating them, it's also Ironic. I'd actually give a small amount of bonus xp for that sort of thing.
#5 penchant Jun 13, 2008 16:19:42	You even get XP for machiavellian plotting such as arranging one character to kill another without either character knowing that you are the cause. In which case the killer gets the XP for slaying the foe, and you get the XP for overcoming the encounter. Example: Antagonist is waiting outside the bar to kill you and his cronies have covered the exits. Rather than confront them directly you either magically charm or charismatically convince the barbarian at the bar that your foe has just called his mother a talon shaver of Tiamat. He goes out and turns your bad guy into hamburger and feels better for it. You sit at the bar and finish his beer while waiting for the XP to roll in. Incidentally, this is why high level BBEGs have lackeys and they sit on the battlefield and watch them work.