Awarding XP

Aust Meliamne

First Post
I'm running a play by post game (Check it out if you're interested). The characters are at an area that is underwater and all but one of them went diving to explore (the fifth character is afraid of water). While exploring, they came upon a monster and engaged in combat. The party was victorious, but during the combat, the water fearing character did some fine role playing but never once went in to help with the battle. The only impact water fright guy had on the combat was giving the rogue a potion of cure light wounds after the rogue retreated.

I awarded the four combatants XP for defeating the creature, and I awarded all five XP for role playing. The water fright character received more XP for role playing than the other four characters did, but sill received less XP overall.

The player who plays water fright boy said he was a bit disappointed that he didn't get more XP for role playing his flaw. I explained that I gave him a larger role playing XP award than the other players received.

Should I have given water fright boy combat XP even though he didn't participate in the battle? Perhaps a partial award for healing the rogue? The character never faced any danger in that encounter, but role played well.

What do you guys think?

PS: I should mention that earlier in the dungeon, water fright boy defeated a monster by himself, while the other players were trying to squeeze through a narrow opening on their way to assist in said combat. I only gave the one character battle XP. The other four did not receive any battle XP since they never made it to the fight.
 

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You did okay there. Water Firght guy gets his rolew playing XP for role playing the flaw, but no moinster XP since he did nothing there.
 

There are reasons they are called "flaws" and not something else. If he actually took a "flaw" of scared of water, then he just has to deal with it. If such flaws didn't have any effect on the character, then they wouldn't be flaws would they? If he'd just written in being scared of water into his background, role-played it, overcame it, and then helped in the battle, then he could have gotten better RP and combat XP. I'd say he was just SOL and everything was fair.
 

I agree with both of your decisions 100%. Risk=combat xp. I remember recently reading an article by Monte Cook. He wrote about what to do when a player is absent. He wrote to not allow his character to die (to avoid hard feelings) but not give him as much experience. This article was in Dungeon.
 

I think you did the right thing, and I would have done the same. Remind the player of the flawed character of the solo kill he had previously. I would let him know that things tend to even themselves out at the end of the day.
 

now i might of awarded water fright guy XP if he jumped in the water ( even though he was scared outta his mind) to try and save his fellow friends from certain death after they were captured by the water monster and held prisioner in an under water cave
 

another question...

HOW CAN SOMEONE BE AFRAID OF WATER??!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!

I can understand of being afriad of the ocean ( as a water type/source ) but to be afriad of plain ole water is sheer MADNESS ( head explodes )

Does he take a bath/shower?
Does he drink water?
Does he wash his clothes?
 

Aust Meliamne said:
Should I have given water fright boy combat XP even though he didn't participate in the battle? Perhaps a partial award for healing the rogue? The character never faced any danger in that encounter, but role played well.
"Only characters who take part in an encounter should gain the commensurate [XP] awards. Characters who died before the encounter took place, or did not participate for some other reason, earn nothing, even if they are raised or healed later on." DMG, p.37.

It's up to you to decide if water fright boy "participated" in the encounter or not.

Aust Meliamne said:
PS: I should mention that earlier in the dungeon, water fright boy defeated a monster by himself, while the other players were trying to squeeze through a narrow opening on their way to assist in said combat. I only gave the one character battle XP. The other four did not receive any battle XP since they never made it to the fight.
Sounds like you're being consistent then.
 

LordBOB said:
another question...

HOW CAN SOMEONE BE AFRAID OF WATER??!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!

I can understand of being afriad of the ocean ( as a water type/source ) but to be afriad of plain ole water is sheer MADNESS ( head explodes )

Does he take a bath/shower?
Does he drink water?
Does he wash his clothes?

In most medeval societies, nope. No bathing, typically beer was for drinking instead of water given that water had the tendancy to get stagnant/diseased/etc., and no washin' of clothes either.
 

LordBOB said:
another question...

HOW CAN SOMEONE BE AFRAID OF WATER??!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!

I can understand of being afriad of the ocean ( as a water type/source ) but to be afriad of plain ole water is sheer MADNESS ( head explodes )

Does he take a bath/shower?
Does he drink water?
Does he wash his clothes?
not so much afraid of water, more like afraid of being underwater/drowning/afraid of the ocean. etc.
 

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