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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arlough" data-source="post: 5536623" data-attributes="member: 79335">I have actually done away with XP in my game simply because I didn't want the players roving around slaughtering things just so they could get to the next level.  So I just announce to them when they get a new level (these are set at certain points in the story, similar to the upgrades in Assassin's Creed) and that leaves them free to take actions that make sense from a character point of view.So, not even having that tool, how do I make a crowd of normally risk averse people take actions that are risky?  I don't give them a "safe" option.Of course you can set up camp, but you won't be able to start you extended rest until 12 hours after your last rest. (PHB1.263)  And at that point, you will need 6 hours of uninterrupted (by fighting or skill challenges) rest.  Oh, and the area is rife with enemies that will kill you if they find you, and some are looking for you. Oh, you want to go back to town, sure.  But the distance you traveled to get out here is great, and the battle you just had, if nothing else, A)has made you all smell like prey or B)will draw some attention when those scouts don't report back.Even an encounter with minions can disrupt an extended rest, forcing the players to start over.  And if they are going back to an inn to rest, well the story could have gotten out that they have loots in their room that every cutpurse in the area wants.  Even if the burglars only wake up the party, but then run away the moment the party shows signs of fighting, the rest has been inturrpted.Basically, you make it more costly to stay than to press on.  When they get to the new town, the first night is likely to be uneventful, but after that...If they are like most other adventurers, they will be flashing gold everywhere and within no time you will have a very valid story reason to have them become the target of some very unsavory types.  And all you need to do is get them to get up.  Equal level NPCs are only a little better at stealing stuff than NPCs who are lower in level.Sure, that guy was a minion 5 levels lower than you, so you were able to dispatch him with ease once you got out of bed, but you did get out of bed.And that minion, he really was only worth a pittance of XP, so it really shouldn't foul up your player's level progression through the story.  In fact, I would rule that something like that wasn't a viable threat (to their persons) and therefore is not worth any XP and doesn't count towards a milestone.If they decide to hang out and clean up the town, then they risk running afoul of the local mafia or thieves guild, and running into some more deadly encounters with even fewer safe places. Which could lead to another great plot line or story as the adventurers become the new defacto rulers of the area and are asked to deal with ever wider ranging challenges from dragons taking sheep to invading armies that need to be turned away.</blockquote>

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