XP awards for fighting same monster twice?

[MichaelK]

I guess it also depends on how you play your NPCs/Monsters.

A large proportion of my encounters finish with the surviving opponents running away so if I offered less XP for this they'd probably never get full XP.

I still remember the old Morale systems, and though I don't still roll for morale, if it seems in character for an opponent to flee, they'll flee. Mostly this is out of realism, only fanatics and non-sentient creatures are likely to fight to the death.

Also the good aligned characters in the group like to be able to show mercy. They already have enough worries with the whole, "can we trust their surrender?" thing without having to settle for less XP for good roleplaying.

 

[kitsune9]

I have a group that encountered 3 shadows. They turned 2 and gave a beat-down to the other one.

Then an hour later after exploring other rooms, they came back, saw the two turned shadows had returned, and gave them a beat-down.

How do I award XP? A combat with 3 and a combat with 2? A combat with 1 and a combat with 2? Something else?

EDIT: another question. I have a PC that was lowered into a cave. The PC explores the cave and ends up fighting off a bat swarm. He wins, and the swarm disperses out into the night. Meanwhile, unbeknown to him, the rest of the team waiting saw a few individual bats (no longer any CR) flying away from the cave, and they magic missiled as many as they could. Does the XP go to the team?

Combat with 1 and 2 is my take.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

In my game, when the PCs fight a monster just to fight the monster, they don't get XP. If "defeating the monster" isn't either the goal, or a largely unavoidable step toward the goal, no XP.

That doesn't answer the OP's question, though.

If the returning shadows presented a different challenge, or added to an existing challenge, I'd give XP for them again. If they didn't, I wouldn't.

Judgment calls like these are why DMs make seven-figure salaries, after all.

 

[MichaelK]

EDIT: another question. I have a PC that was lowered into a cave. The PC explores the cave and ends up fighting off a bat swarm. He wins, and the swarm disperses out into the night. Meanwhile, unbeknown to him, the rest of the team waiting saw a few individual bats (no longer any CR) flying away from the cave, and they magic missiled as many as they could. Does the XP go to the team?

The fact that the individual bats have no CR, means that they are insignificant. Ignore them completely.

What would you have done if the characters waiting up top had not magic missiled the bats? Do that.

Randomly attacking insignificant opponents is no more useful to the challenge that granted XP than if they had been asleep or memorizing their spells.

 

[green slime]

Well, for the returning "nemesis", IMC, it depends on the amount of time that has lapsed. Turning undead is the most common cause of "recurring" enemies, but there are many other causes that can have similar effects (for instance greater command, and the like). The key to the issue is whether it was a) a significant challenge, b) has enough time/space passed as to be reasonably considered as a seperate encounter c) was the challenge really overcome?

When you encounter the same undead within the hour, well, I'm afraid you haven't then really overcome the challenge: no xp for turning them. (IIRC, FWIW, in 1e, you only got xp for destroying undead, not turning them). Same goes for the leiutenant whom you commanded to flee. If they return and are still itching to kick your posterior; you didn't overcome the challenge. If they flee the complex, and two weeks later confront you in your local pub with a band of hooligans, then I'd say yes, you overcome the earlier challenge.

As for the bat swarm, I'm failing to see why the rest of the team should gain XP.