Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Novama Sep 03, 2014 12:44:47	What are some methods for rewarding xp for the random things player's do that involves various forms of skill display?   For example, charming a duke to the party's side in a dispute through a number of diplomacy checks/etc...   or stealing keys and sneaking out of prison with a number of dex checks   etc
#2 Illithidbix Sep 03, 2014 15:59:34	Well I'm from the school of "level up when the DM says so, XP is effort".   But as a semi-helpful suggestion.   I would treat a "Scene" which has like consequences and actions and choices and maybe some sort of danger, even if it's not direct physical danger per say as an "encounter" esp. if it takes roughly the same time to resolve as a fight. Work out how much XP the party would get for such a easy/medium/hard etc combat encounter for their level and give it to them based on that.   If it's a handful of checks then I wouldn't be so fussed.
#3 CorwynnMaelstrom Sep 03, 2014 16:14:04	Generally objective-based XP is a decent way to handle it. So you might decide that you want the PCs to find a way to gain access to a specific location. They could do that by fighting their way in, sneaking their way in, talking their way in, or whatever. If they choose to fight, it's just combat XP. If they do it another way, it's a flat XP reward.
#4 Gaglug Sep 03, 2014 18:18:24	Scene based XP is the way to go.  You can use it for anything, not just social or non-violent rewards.   If you have a scene of "Characters are in the Duke's party, and they have to get back into the private quarters" you can assign that a value of whatever...200xp.   Then if the players get past that by fighting, 200xp.  If they do it by social, 200xp.  If they do it by stealth and skill, 200xp.  Doesn't matter how they do it, if they achieve their objective they get the 200 xp.   Now, if you're asking how to do things ad-hoc and award xp for off the cuff RP and skills, I'd be giving away Inspirations for those instead of XP.   XP should be awarded to the group for focused quest/story advancement, and there shouldn't be opportunities for players to grind xps for free each time they use skills or pull a fun RP scene out of their caps.  In my opinion, you shouldn't think you have to award every successful skill roll with xps.
#5 Noon Sep 03, 2014 20:05:58	I'm inclined to think it's basically a matter of honour.   People who get to, say, 5th level without a fight and people who got to 5th by surviving medium or higher battles are in a different league. You can't claim to have survived battles when you didn't.   It depends on whether that's a concern - if not, why stress about handing out non violent XP.
#6 Timborama Sep 03, 2014 20:40:47	Illithidbix wrote:
#7 Timborama Sep 03, 2014 20:51:01	Noon wrote:
#8 Noon Sep 03, 2014 21:04:20	I don't find it a particularly good metric. For one GM it might be hard to talk your way past the goblins, for another GM it might be incredibly easy to talk your way past. However, if you go to attack, their AC and your to hit, etc, all remain the same regardless of differences in GM.   So I'm not incline to be impressed by someone 'conquering' an encounter when it relies on the GM, because GM's are so variable - it's easy for a GM to kid glove the players and many do.
#9 Novama Sep 04, 2014 6:03:07	I've heard many suggestions. Rewarding group objectives makes sense. Cutting down on the amount of random xp given to individuals to avoid abuse makes sense also.   However, I feel there should be level disparity.   If the group is accomplishing a 3 session goal to gain xp for the whole, it doesn't seem right that that guy who hung back in all those fights/encounters or simply wasn't there should receive the same amount. However, we evaluate character entitlement to xp on a case by case basis, then why shouldn't the guy who risked the most be rewarded more than the pot?  That guy that hung back or wasn't there may have real circumstances that cause that situation or his character was played correctly as an aloof opportunist.     While giving xp sums based on accomplished goals, it's just a lazy net. The better/active members carrying the weaker where everyone benefits the same....Does anyone have a more fair way to do xp without going to the extreme of rewarding xp per monster kill or successful rp moment to specific characters?
#10 Thoughts_My_Aim Sep 04, 2014 6:42:18	In my 2E campaign I'd just end the session by saying "so is there anything else you think you guys deserve XP for?"
#11 hallows1999 Sep 04, 2014 7:21:42	Thoughts_My_Aim wrote:
(Reply to #9) Gaglug	Novama wrote:
(Reply to #12) Novama	Gaglug wrote:
#14 hallows1999 Sep 04, 2014 8:39:11	Gaglug wrote:
#15 Timborama Sep 04, 2014 8:42:01	Novama wrote:
(Reply to #9) Illithidbix	Novama wrote: