EXPERIENCE AWARDS

Experience points are commonly awarded for each of the following:

• Defeating creatures. When a creature is defeated (“killed”), your group gains an experience award based on the challenge rating presented by the creature. This is based on hit dice and adjusted for a creature’s abilities. This type of award is divided among the survivors of the encounter.

• Possession and ownership of a recovered magic item. When you find a magic item and claim it for your use (or simply begin using it beyond simple testing), you will receive an experience award based on the power of the item. See the Magic Items tables. This award is given to the individual first claiming/using the item and, while the item can be later sold or passed to another, the experience award cannot (in the case of PCs or allied NPCs).

• The final sale gold piece value of all other items of worth that are sold for division of shares. See also Equipment, Selling Treasure. This award is divided among the survivors of an encounter.

• Awards for achieving special objectives or role playing-based encounters. These awards are given by the Game Master to the group or an individual.

All experience points other than those for individually possessed/owned magic items (or those individually assigned by the GM) are tallied and divided by the number of surviving participants of the encounter (however minor the participation). The individual possessing/owning a magic item gains all of the XP for that item.

NPCs Paying PCs for Adventuring. NPCs hiring the PCs to complete a mission will often provide payment to the group in the form of training, property, services, magic items, credit, or even actual coin. Unless there are special circumstances (per the GM) no experience points are awarded for gold or other valuables (even bequeathed magic items) paid to a group for engaging in a mission/adventure. Of course, if the NPC is part of an encounter and offers payment to take down a rival as part of the same encounter, experience is counted for the payment normally. However, a lord offering the PCs a chest of gold to wipe out a band of orcs will not count the payment as part of experience (although it could certainly help pay for training!).

Experience Adjustment for Easy/Difficult Encounters. If the average PC group level is 10 times the average opponent level/hit dice, experience will be at least halved (or dropped to zero if the encounter has almost zero risk) unless the opponents have a numerical advantage of at least 20 to 1. If flipped (opponents are higher hit dice), the XP value can be doubled per the GM.

EXPERIENCE SHARES

Player Characters. Each PC participating in an encounter (no matter how minor) will receive a full share of group experience for the encounter.

NPCs with Class Levels. NPCs with class levels of any kind—henchmen, allies, rescued prisoners, etc. all receive a full share of group experience points for each individual participating in the encounter.

NPCs without Class Levels. NPCs without class levels, such as hirelings, intelligent allied creatures, or NPCs met during an encounter will receive a share of group experience points for participating in the encounter. The GM will set whether this is a full share or partial share and whether is applies to each individual or a group.

Companions. Creatures allied with the PC’s group that have an Intelligence rating under Low do not receive experience shares for any encounter.

GAINING MORE XP THAN NEEDED FOR ONE LEVEL

Once you are awarded enough XP to gain the next level in your character class, you cannot add any more XP until you train and advance to the next level.

Thus, you can continue to adventure with your comrades, and you continue to be granted a full share of XP, but those experience points are then lost.

Importantly, when XP is awarded for the encounter (see Defining an Encounter above) that takes you over that needed, you will gain ALL of the XP awarded—which may take you over the number needed to begin training.

Exception. If, somehow, the encounter award is so rich as to grant you enough experience points that you have more than needed for the next level, but also the level after that, you can keep all experience up to 1 point away from the next higher level. Thus, once your training is complete, even a minor encounter will have you ready to train again.

Example. Balin the fighter has completed a series of encounters along with his henchman, Hobb the thief. After the encounter, once back in town, they each earn 8,500 XP for their time spent adventuring. Balin previously earned a total of 12,000 XP and needs 18,001 to achieve 5th level. He gains 8,500 XP, putting him at 20,500 XP. If Balin does not train and completes another encounter, he will forfeit any XP award for that encounter and will continue to do so until he trains to become 5th level. Hobb is 1st level and previously had no experience. He only needed 2,502 XP to achieve 2nd level and 5,002 for 3rd level (remember that Hobb is an NPC and requires double the XP). Thus, Hobb only gains 5,001 XP for the encounter and can train to 2nd level. He is 1 XP from being able to train to 3rd level.

XP FOR TREASURE AND MAGIC ITEMS

Treasure or Magic Items Converted to Currency. This is usually 1 XP for 1 g.p. and is calculated on the final sale price of the item to be sold. See Equipment, Selling Treasure. All such experience goes to the group experience before being split into shares. Currency in this case means coins, gems, or trade goods.

Valuables Kept by a Character. Any valuables kept by an individual still grant their gold piece sale value to group experience. If sold later (at any price), no more (or less) XP is gained (or lost). Valuables in this context are (mundane): gems, jewelry, clothing items, art, or similar items.

Mundane Gear Kept by a Character. Any non-magical gear items kept by an individual past the time period between adventures and not sold will not grant experience for their sale value. Examples include armor, weapons, alchemical substances, vehicles, non-trade good live creatures (or eggs), creature parts, rare plants, etc.

Magic Items Used or Kept by a Character. As explained above, whenever the player character’s group encounters an individual magic item (or set, if defined as a set, like ten +1 arrows) they must decide to pack it away or award it to one individual in the group. Once the item is possessed or used, the XP for the magic item (see the Magic Items tables) goes to that individual only. The GM will determine what constitutes “possession”. For example, handing a wand to a magic-user who does not use it (but carries it “just in case”) is not deemed possession unless it is kept past the time period between adventures. Testing magic items outside of combat to determine its properties never causes assignment of XP.

Example. Thus, if an encounter’s treasure included a suit of +2 chain mail, a scroll of protection from undead, a necklace worth 100 g.p., 4 gems worth a base value of 500 g.p., a tapestry worth 1,000 g.p., and some 800 g.p. worth of other items and coins. Monster XP gained was 2,000 XP. Assuming everything is sold for full value, the survivors would divide 20,900 XP. However, the fighter keeps the suit of chain mail (-7,500 XP), and the scroll can only be sold for 60% of full value (-3,000 XP). One character keeps the necklace (-100 XP) and the gems are sent to be enhanced and finally sold for 2,100 g.p. (+100 XP). The tapestry (which has a minor flaw) is sold for 40% (-600 XP) and the rest of the goods come to 600 g.p. (-200 XP). Thus, the final number of experience to be divided is only 9,600 XP.

Land or Buildings. Whether kept or sold, these never grant XP even though they have value.

Mission Objectives that include an Object. Sometimes, a mission objective will include a material object to retrieve. If a coin price is set for the sale of the item, this amount is gained as group XP upon the sale of the item. However, powerful NPCs will often use barter in lieu of payment. For example, the local lord requests that you recover an important religious icon from a set of humanoid infested caves. In return, the lord will ensure one or more of your group is trained without additional expense to the group. In this case, the barter amount, although valuable, is not equivalent to experience points and no group XP is gained. However, the GM may award XP for objective achievement.

XP for Purloined Treasure. During an encounter, some treasure may find its way into the packs of individuals without the knowledge of the group. In this case, gold piece value (as sold) will be added to the group total (as if a special objective award; the GM may time the award as desired). This is also the case regarding an magic items purloined but not used and later sold. Any magic items utilized by the pilferer will cause the item XP go to that individual.

Class Bonus Award for High Ability Scores. Some character classes provide a bonus of 10% on earned experience for high scores on key ability scores. Compute this against the sum of the character’s final share and all individual awards (items, role playing, objective, etc.).

XP FOR DEFEATING OPPONENTS

In addition to treasure value, group experience points are awarded for each opponent that is killed or defeated.

This award is based on a creature’s hit dice and adjusted for it’s hit points, abilities, and/or weaknesses.

Hit Dice. Creatures without a character class: For creatures without a character class, one hit die is assumed to represent 1d8 hit points. Any such creature with a hit die type over 1d8 is treated as “X+”. In addition a creature with a “+” in it’s hit dice is also treated the same way (e.g. A creature with 4+4 HD uses the row for 4+ to 5 HD).

Creatures with a character class. Any creature with a character class is treated as having “X+” hit dice and the higher of hit dice or level will be used (thus, a minimum of 1+). See Multi-class Characters to determine base hit dice for such opponents.

Base XP. This is the base experience point award for the opponent (e.g. A creature with 4+4 HD is worth a base of 90 XP).

(XP Awarded Per) Hit Point. Multiply this value by every hit point the creature has (when encountered). E.g. A 4+4 HD creature with 34 hit points grants another 170 XP added to the base XP.

(XP Awarded Per) Minor Ability. “Minor” refers to a minor ability possessed by the creature. For each minor ability, add a like award. See the Ability Categories for XP table. E.g. A 4+4 HD spider that shoots webs and climbs adds 80 XP (2 x 40) to the base XP.

(XP Awarded Per) Major Ability. “Major” refers to a major or very powerful ability possessed by the creature. For each major ability, add a like award. See the Ability Categories for XP table. E.g. A 4+4 HD spider that has a deadly poisonous bite adds 75 XP to the base XP.

(XP Awarded Per) Weakness. “Weak” refers to a weakness possessed by the creature. For each weakness, add a like award. See the Ability Categories for XP table. E.g. A 4+4 HD spider that has been summoned subtracts 40 XP from the base XP.

Abilities. The listed abilities should be treated as examples. The GM will decide which abilities are major and which are minor and whether weaknesses should be counted. Abilities without any combat value or abilities which may never be used (true edge cases) will not be counted. In any case, infravision is not counted as even a minor ability unless it is of the superior variety. Many abilities are defined in Vile Monsters, Attributes and Abilities.

Powerful Creatures. Some creatures are deemed to be particularly powerful, whether due to circumstance or a particular ability. These may have all major ability awards doubled. Such creatures are typically unique or extraplanar in origin.

Weak Creatures with Deadly Abilities. Such creatures will be assigned a multiplier per the GM on the major ability (typically 4x to 10x). E.g. A giant centipede with deadly venom.

Frequency. Apply awards based on frequency. Thus, “each” means apply the award for each occurrence. Those noted with an asterisk mean that each of a separate type should be counted but not for each within a type. For example, if a creature has immunity to poison and resistance to fire, this counts as 2 minor abilities. If the creature has immunity to poison and also has resistance to cold and acid this counts as 1 minor and 1 major ability. A frequency of “once” means the category will only be counted once even if multiple different abilities are possessed in the same category (e.g. a creature that can climb and fly gains 1 minor ability).

CHALLENGE RATINGS BY DUNGEON LEVEL (XP BASED)