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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ruleslawyer" data-source="post: 1335163" data-attributes="member: 1757">Oh, come on, guys. The man has a point, as Plane Sailing's post notes. D&D's XP system is built around overcoming challenges: "Challenges" being shorthand for monsters and traps. While it is possible to award role-playing or story XP, the system doesn't make it easy to do so in a balanced manner; paradoxically enough, the 3e XP guidelines, which are the most comprehensive to date, actually raise an objection to RP or story XP by noting that such XP awards distort the encounters-per-level-gain system established using challenge XP. Aethelstan: You may wish to use the system I've been using since 1e. When designing an adventure, simply figure out the XP award that PCs will receive for each trap, monster, and other direct "challenge" they face, add those awards together, then divide in half. One-half normal XP will be awarded for each challenge overcome; the remaining half goes into a pool from which story and RP XP will be apportioned. (Try to restrict individual RP awards, though, as they distort the distribution of PCs' levels within a given party.)</blockquote>