New DM here, calculating experience questions?

[NewJeffCT]

I'm thoroughly confused on calculating experience, even though I read through the data, I think I'm more confused now after reading it than I was before when people gave me a quick rundown as a player.

I just wanted to make sure I am calculating XP correctly. The party was 3 first level PCs and one 2nd level NPC fighter. The bad guys were 2 human warriors (I believe CR = 1/2 each) and a 3rd level cleric (CR = 3). Does that mean the bad guys were a CR of 4 and would get 1,350 XP?

Thanks for any input.

 

[darthkilmor]

I'm thoroughly confused on calculating experience, even though I read through the data, I think I'm more confused now after reading it than I was before when people gave me a quick rundown as a player.

I just wanted to make sure I am calculating XP correctly. The party was 3 first level PCs and one 2nd level NPC fighter. The bad guys were 2 human warriors (I believe CR = 1/2 each) and a 3rd level cleric (CR = 3). Does that mean the bad guys were a CR of 4 and would get 1,350 XP?

Thanks for any input.

Negative, calculate for each monster and each PC.( which should be easy since everyone was the same level).
So if I have this right:
Everyone should get 150/4 XP for each human warrior(300 and /2 since they're CR 1/2), and everyone should get 900/4 exp for the 3rd level cleric. (the /4 since there are 4 party members).
So thats 75 + 225 = 300 exp for each PC and the NPC.( assuming you're counting the NPC for XP).

 

[Patlin]

Let this free web page calculate it for you. I never do that stuff by hand.

 

[Storm Raven]

I'm thoroughly confused on calculating experience, even though I read through the data, I think I'm more confused now after reading it than I was before when people gave me a quick rundown as a player.

I just wanted to make sure I am calculating XP correctly. The party was 3 first level PCs and one 2nd level NPC fighter. The bad guys were 2 human warriors (I believe CR = 1/2 each) and a 3rd level cleric (CR = 3). Does that mean the bad guys were a CR of 4 and would get 1,350 XP?

No, that's not how it works.

1. Divide up the party into groups of different level characters (in your example, this doesn't matter, but at higher levels it will).

2. Add up the number of monster the PCs faced for each CR. For monsters less than 1 CR, add them together, if possible, into groups to get 1 CR monsters.

3. Cross reference the CR of the monsters in question with the level of the characters. If you have characters of different levels, you may need to do this more than one.

4. Multiply the experience point total by the number of monsters of each CR. For example, if you had two CR 1 monsters defeated by 4 1st level characters, you would multiple the "300" entry by two. You may need to do this more than once if you had characters of different levels participating in the encounter.

5. Repeat for each group of monsters by CR.

6. Add up all these subtotals to get a total experience point award for the encounter. You may need to do this more than once if you had characters of different levels participating in the encounter.

7. Divide the total (or totals, if you had character of differing levels participate in the encounter) by the total number of characters who started the encounter (regardless of level, or whether they survived the encounter). For example, three 2nd level characters and one 3rd level character fight an ogre. One of the 2nd level characters dies in the encounter. You still divide the total experience point amount for the encounter by 4.

8. Award the resulting total as experience points. You may end up awarding different totals to different characters if the characters are not all of the same level (higher level characters get less experience for the same encounter under the standard 3.5e experience point system).

So, using your example, you had two CR 1/2 foes, and one CR 3 foe. The PCs and the NPC are all in the early level "sweet spot" where experience points don't adjust between 1st and 3rd level, so you don't need to worry about the level difference. combine the two CR 1/2 foes to make one CR 1 foe. Cross reference 1st level characters with a CR 1 foe (you get 300). Cross reference 1st level characters with a CR 3 foe (you get 900). Add that together to get 1,200 experience points for the encounter. Divide by 4, and you get 300 experience poitns for each character (including the NPC).

 

[werk]

Honestly, the best way to award XP is based upon how hard the encounters were rather than using some table or formula, because it's too easy to get bad info.

You got a party that is average level of 1. Now go to the table.
If you thought it was an appropriate challenge, give them the xp for that level.
Too easy, go low...too hard, go higher.

How long did the encounter last, how much resources were used, how many times did the players stop and scratch their head...all of these should be considered when awarding xp for encounters rather than an imperical and often miscalculated reference that leads to either too generous rewards or lack of motivation and frustration.


I never calculate on the supposed challenge, but rather, the actual challenge. It works better because it is customized to the party that is being played. I totally rely on their numbers and tables, but the CR or EL is largely subjective IME.

If Drizzt drops a giant icicle on a sleeping dragon, should he get the same XP award as a barbarian fighting that same dragon while it's awake and without enviromental...equalizers? There are a lot of other things that should go into the calculation that aren't easily quantified that can only be judged by the DM.

 

[darthkilmor]

No, that's not how it works.

No, that IS how it works.

Try rereading page 37 of the DMG(Steps 1 through 6). I'd post the contents but its not OGL and I don't want to get in trouble with the moderators.

Not trying to be rude but, while your method got the same result in this instance its not whats spelled out in the DMG.

 

[shilsen]

Thanks for any input.

Frankly, I think you're better off throwing the XP calculation system out the window and just levelling up the PCs every few levels, at a speed that you're comfortable with. It'll save you a fair bit of time and let you concentrate on more important aspects of running the game.

 

[seans23]

No, that IS how it works.

Try rereading page 37 of the DMG(Steps 1 through 6). I'd post the contents but its not OGL and I don't want to get in trouble with the moderators.

Storm Raven's explanation is pretty much the same as what is on page 37 of the DMG.

NewJeffCT is summing up the CRs of the adversaries in the encounter and then looking up the XP for that CR, which is incorrect.

The bad guys were 2 human warriors (I believe CR = 1/2 each) and a 3rd level cleric (CR = 3). Does that mean the bad guys were a CR of 4 and would get 1,350 XP?

Instead you should add the XP values of 2 CR 1/2s and 1 CR 3. So that's 150 + 150 + 900, which is 1200 xp, not 1350 xp.

Please re-read step 3 on page 37 of the DMG for clarification.


Perhaps you thought Storm Raven was replying to you? He was replying to NewJeffCT.

 

[NewJeffCT]

No, that's not how it works.

1. Divide up the party into groups of different level characters (in your example, this doesn't matter, but at higher levels it will).

2. Add up the number of monster the PCs faced for each CR. For monsters less than 1 CR, add them together, if possible, into groups to get 1 CR monsters.

3. Cross reference the CR of the monsters in question with the level of the characters. If you have characters of different levels, you may need to do this more than one.

4. Multiply the experience point total by the number of monsters of each CR. For example, if you had two CR 1 monsters defeated by 4 1st level characters, you would multiple the "300" entry by two. You may need to do this more than once if you had characters of different levels participating in the encounter.

5. Repeat for each group of monsters by CR.

6. Add up all these subtotals to get a total experience point award for the encounter. You may need to do this more than once if you had characters of different levels participating in the encounter.

7. Divide the total (or totals, if you had character of differing levels participate in the encounter) by the total number of characters who started the encounter (regardless of level, or whether they survived the encounter). For example, three 2nd level characters and one 3rd level character fight an ogre. One of the 2nd level characters dies in the encounter. You still divide the total experience point amount for the encounter by 4.

8. Award the resulting total as experience points. You may end up awarding different totals to different characters if the characters are not all of the same level (higher level characters get less experience for the same encounter under the standard 3.5e experience point system).

So, using your example, you had two CR 1/2 foes, and one CR 3 foe. The PCs and the NPC are all in the early level "sweet spot" where experience points don't adjust between 1st and 3rd level, so you don't need to worry about the level difference. combine the two CR 1/2 foes to make one CR 1 foe. Cross reference 1st level characters with a CR 1 foe (you get 300). Cross reference 1st level characters with a CR 3 foe (you get 900). Add that together to get 1,200 experience points for the encounter. Divide by 4, and you get 300 experience poitns for each character (including the NPC).

Thanks - it seems to be a very long way to say CR1 + CR3 = 1,200 for a party that is 1st to 3rd level. For 4 PCs, divide 1,200 by 4 and you get 300 per character.

Now, if next time out, there are four 1st level PCs and that one 2nd level NPC, and they encounter this evil same 3rd level cleric, but with 4 1st level warrior minions, it would then be 600 + 900 = 1,500 total XP and then divide by 5 for 300 XP again.

It gets a bit confusing when, say in a few sessions when there are three PCs of 4th level and one of 3rd level (no NPC this time). They encounter the 3rd level cleric's 5th level boss (CR5) and then the boss' eight 1st level warrior minions (CR4 total?)
Then, it would be: ((1,200 + 1,600) x 3) + (1,350 + 1,800) for a total XP of 11,550 divided by four PCs, so each PC gets 2,887.50. Is that correct?

Thanks again.

 

[seans23]

It gets a bit confusing when, say in a few sessions when there are three PCs of 4th level and one of 3rd level (no NPC this time). They encounter the 3rd level cleric's 5th level boss (CR5) and then the boss' eight 1st level warrior minions (CR4 total?)
Then, it would be: ((1,200 + 1,600) x 3) + (1,350 + 1,800) for a total XP of 11,550 divided by four PCs, so each PC gets 2,887.50. Is that correct?

Thanks again.

the 8 1st level warriors are not Cr4 total. They are cr 1/2 * 8. CR 1/2 is half of CR 1, in this case 150 xp.

You don't divide the total xp 4 ways. You calculate the xp for each ECL, and then divide by the number of players.

So it would be ((150 * 8) + 1800) / 4) or 750 for the 3rd level guy.
It would be ((150 * 8) + 1600) / 4) or 700 for the 3 4th level guys.

This is why people recommend using the free calculator.

Try it out:
http://www.penpaperpixel.org/tools/d20encountercalculator.htm