Iosue
Legend
Experience
First off, of course it's 1 gp = 1 XP, but Moldvay notes that XP is not given for magical items. Conceivably if you found a non-magical weapon you could sell that for gp and thus XP. One thing to note is that while XP is the same as treasure in gp, treasure is split by the players, while the DM handles splitting the XP. That has implications for retainers, because it means you can offer them a full share and not get hit hard in the XP department.
XP is also given for monsters, but it's interesting how in Moldvay this is almost an afterthought. As we'll see when we get to Monsters, B/X monsters don't even have XP listed in their stat block. XP for monsters is figured using a table in this section. Monsters award a Base Value of XP based on their HD, and if they have an asterisk after their HD, it represents special abilities, and an additional Special Abilities Bonus is added to the Base Value for each asterisk. This table is the same as in Holmes Basic, although it goes up to 6 HD to Holmes' 5+, and Holmes lacks the asterisks to indicate special abilities. Unfortunately, monster HD in Basic goes up to 11! It's not hard to figure out the math -- both Base Value and the Special Abilities Bonus keep increasing by 50 XP/HD after 4 HD, but it's still a pain. It's rather remarkable how low the monster XP is. Goblins are only worth 5. An old red dragon (13 HD**) is 2,675 XP. By comparison, the AD&D 1e DMG provides an example of XP calculation using a 12 HD ancient red dragon, and it comes to 7,758. I haven't checked my Monstrous Manual, but I'm pretty sure red dragon XP in that HD range would be 5 figures.
OD&D and Holmes have XP run through a monster level/dungeon level fraction, so that you only get 1/2 XP if a 1st level monster is on the 2nd level of the dungeon. Moldvay suggests nothing so concrete, but the Adjustments to XP paragraph is interesting enough to quote in full:
When dividing XP, all party members, PCs and NPCs get an equal share, although the DM may give retainers only half of their share. Bonuses are of course figured after the shares are divided. Characters can only advance one level at a time, no matter how much XP they get at once. A character who gets enough to advance two levels stops 1 XP short of the second level. Characters can't go up in level until an adventure is over, here defined as "when XP are awarded by the DM."
First off, of course it's 1 gp = 1 XP, but Moldvay notes that XP is not given for magical items. Conceivably if you found a non-magical weapon you could sell that for gp and thus XP. One thing to note is that while XP is the same as treasure in gp, treasure is split by the players, while the DM handles splitting the XP. That has implications for retainers, because it means you can offer them a full share and not get hit hard in the XP department.
XP is also given for monsters, but it's interesting how in Moldvay this is almost an afterthought. As we'll see when we get to Monsters, B/X monsters don't even have XP listed in their stat block. XP for monsters is figured using a table in this section. Monsters award a Base Value of XP based on their HD, and if they have an asterisk after their HD, it represents special abilities, and an additional Special Abilities Bonus is added to the Base Value for each asterisk. This table is the same as in Holmes Basic, although it goes up to 6 HD to Holmes' 5+, and Holmes lacks the asterisks to indicate special abilities. Unfortunately, monster HD in Basic goes up to 11! It's not hard to figure out the math -- both Base Value and the Special Abilities Bonus keep increasing by 50 XP/HD after 4 HD, but it's still a pain. It's rather remarkable how low the monster XP is. Goblins are only worth 5. An old red dragon (13 HD**) is 2,675 XP. By comparison, the AD&D 1e DMG provides an example of XP calculation using a 12 HD ancient red dragon, and it comes to 7,758. I haven't checked my Monstrous Manual, but I'm pretty sure red dragon XP in that HD range would be 5 figures.
OD&D and Holmes have XP run through a monster level/dungeon level fraction, so that you only get 1/2 XP if a 1st level monster is on the 2nd level of the dungeon. Moldvay suggests nothing so concrete, but the Adjustments to XP paragraph is interesting enough to quote in full:
I could see docking XP for playing out of class or alignment, if the players were game for it, but docking someone for being a "do-nothing" character sounds like a recipe for arguments, hurt feelings, and broken groups.Moldvay said:ADJUSTMENTS TO XP: The DM may treat an unusually "tough" situation or monster as one category better (use the next line down). Situations might also allow the DM to give partial experience if the characters learned from the encounter without actually defeating the monster. The DM may also award extra XP to characters who deserve them (fighting a dangerous monster alone, or saving the party with a great idea), and less XP to characters who did less than their fair share ("do-nothing" characters). The DM should consider the character's alignment and class carefully, and should remember that guarding the rear is an important role in any party.
When dividing XP, all party members, PCs and NPCs get an equal share, although the DM may give retainers only half of their share. Bonuses are of course figured after the shares are divided. Characters can only advance one level at a time, no matter how much XP they get at once. A character who gets enough to advance two levels stops 1 XP short of the second level. Characters can't go up in level until an adventure is over, here defined as "when XP are awarded by the DM."