D&D 5E New DM, need help with XP distribution.

[Winterfell]

Hi All,

Just ran my second session as a DM and I need help on figuring the XP that I should distribute.

Party Make Up:
3 - 5th levels
1 - 4th levels

Plan:
Initiation of a party member into the Grey Society (necromantic group). Should be simple ceremony with one crazed adept willing to die only to rise again.

Situation:
Lead Necro behind alter, initiate (party member) surrounded by 7 dark adepts
Other members of party invited to watch as they were seen as allies and not outsiders due to a previous agreement.
Non-threatening Zombies and Skeletons under the control of the lead necro fill the room (16 Zombies / 8 skeletons)
The party member being initiated decided to screw around during the ceremony so I decided an accidental summon of a devil would occur.

Fight:
Chain devil explodes into existence taking out the 6 adepts and damaging the lead necro and player
Staggered lead necro sends in the 2 closest skeletons
Party attacks as per initiative
Chain devil kills lead necro
With lead necro no longer holding them back, remaining zombies and skeletons now go after closest targets (all party members)

End Game:
The devil gives it a good showing but is wiped with the rest of the fodder.
Lead necro was saved by the initiate within 3 turns by a healing potion as he wasn't dealt insta-kill damage.

XP?
1 - Chain Devil CR8 - 3900XP
16 - Zombies CR 1/4 - 50XP
6 - Skeleton CR 1/4 - 50XP

Should it simply be 5000XP/4 = 1250XP each?
Are the zombies and skeletons discounted because they are too far below level?
Do you ever add XP due to shear numbers of adversaries (not in the manner for determining difficulty)?
Do you lessen XP when an encounter is too far below the parties overall level?

Wasn't really ready for this encounter to go down this way so I didn't have a preplanned XP amount determined.

Thanks for the information and thanks to all the players/DM's on this sight for the knowledge you pass along.

 

[miniaturehoarder]

Party Make Up:
3 - 5th levels
1 - 4th levels

I certainly wouldn't reduce the reward for the lesser foes since at 5th the party doesn't have THAT much in the way of AoE resources to trivialize a mass of foes like that... yet. It will happen, but for the moment, that horde probably took some effort that would have made pasting the chain devil go MUUUCH faster.

 

[Shiroiken]

XP?
1 - Chain Devil CR8 - 3900XP
16 - Zombies CR 1/4 - 50XP
6 - Skeleton CR 1/4 - 50XP

Should it simply be 5000XP/4 = 1250XP each?

Yup.

Are the zombies and skeletons discounted because they are too far below level?

Nope. Generally speaking, you probably shouldn't discount them, even at higher levels, because the amount of XP required to level is much higher, so the minor XP (even from huge numbers) is probably insignificant anyway.

Do you ever add XP due to shear numbers of adversaries (not in the manner for determining difficulty)?

Nope. Generally speaking, killing hordes of things is less efficient than fighting things at/near your level. This encourages the players to seek out worthy foes, rather than simply razing every village they come across.

Do you lessen XP when an encounter is too far below the parties overall level?

Not usually. If its something that I don't even bother to run (such as a single goblin scout), then I wouldn't, but otherwise I give the XP.

 

[Zansy]

I agree with [MENTION=6788790]miniaturehoarder[/MENTION], lessening XP for/from a horde is only really called for when any feasible amount of minions serve as stage props, rather than an obstacle or hurdle of any kind. Alternatively, when you start rolling d100s to figure out how many skeletons the adventurers kill in a minute, rewarding XP for every skeleton is just Sisyphean.

For now, though, there's no reason not to reward them if they manage to fight all those undead, or even fight around them, if they just serve a distraction.
I also can't say I'm learned on XP budgets, but when the 5th/4th level adventurers take down the CR8 monster, they'll probably earn the extra XP