D&D 5E DMG Questions: XP for gold and other xp alternatives?

[SpiderMonkey]

Hi, all.

I've been interested in what I've seen of 5e so far, but one thing I'm really interested in is if there are alternatives for XP--especially if there's anything in the DMG about offering XP for gold or minimizing monster XP in lieu of other sorts of rewards.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,

SM

 

[SilverfireSage]

There are two paragraphs detailing level advancement without XP, but nothing about granting anything in lieu of the XP. There's a small section about Milestones in which characters can receive certain benefits at plot points, like recovering uses of magic items or spells, and there's also a section about rewards other than magic and gold (blessings and charms). Other than that you're out of luck.

 

[SpiderMonkey]

There are two paragraphs detailing level advancement without XP, but nothing about granting anything in lieu of the XP. There's a small section about Milestones in which characters can receive certain benefits at plot points, like recovering uses of magic items or spells, and there's also a section about rewards other than magic and gold (blessings and charms). Other than that you're out of luck.

Thanks for the quick response, SS!

 

[SilentWolf]

How works the XP Reward System? PCs can obtain XP only through combat or even through interpretation, exploration and social interaction goals?

 

[fletch137]

See, this is something I'd be keen on.

I think 3e's shift to granting majority XP to killing monsters is what lead to all classes being weighted by how well they killed things, and removed the premise that different classes were good at different things. I suspect that giving an XP option beside just killing will emphasize a rogue's trap-beating abilities, fer instance.

The problem I have with arbitrary story-based or milestone XPs is that I prefer a more granular reward system where PCs get experienced for specific things rather than reaching chapter 2 in the story. Personal preference completely at play here, but I'm thinking an XP fer Gold module would meet my needs.

Here's a thought. I don't have the monster manual here, so I'm going to make up some numbers:
Let's say there's an encounter with 6 Rocklobbers, and each is worth 200xp. The party would net 1200xp for killing them all, while carting home their treasure of 20,000gp.

If we move all that experience to the coins, the Rocklobbers are each worth 0xp and the 20,000gp are worth 1200xp (or roughly 1xp per 17 gold coins).

Now, if we gave some credit for killing the Rocklobbers, I'd say 1/10 listed XP would be fine, so 20xp per lobber takes up 120 of the assumed 1200xp of the encounter, leaving 1080xp to divide among the 20,000gp (or roughly 1xp per 19 coins).

In a perfect world, I'd run that same math across a number of different monsters and see if there was a mean score that I could comfortably apply across the board.

Ultimately that should even out with the assumed wealth per level (the PCs are getting the same XP, but for bringing home treasure rather than killing monsters), but with the reward being on getting the prize rather than slaying the guardian.

To be honest, I'll probably wait for somebody else to do it and post it on the internet.

 

[MechaPilot]

How works the XP Reward System? PCs can obtain XP only through combat or even through interpretation, exploration and social interaction goals?

The book says give XP as if it were a combat encounter.

 

[Psikerlord#]

So is there no story goal reached type award? I thought I saw examples of that in the starter set..?

 

[rjfTrebor]

i guess this is just another thing we'll have to wait for. i remember them discussing different examples of a modular ruleset and one they always went back to was alternate XP options. i guess they must have fallen through the cracks.

 

[MechaPilot]

Can't you just use the Xp advancement table and apply it to gold found instead of Xp earned?

 

[SilentWolf]

The book says give XP as if it were a combat encounter.

So there is actually a system to allow XP based on interpretation, Exploration Social Interation? These three aspects are covered each by its own system or there is only a generic rule that covers all situations other than combat?
There is an explanation on how to understand how to determine whether a situation is easy, medium, hard or deadly? There are examples or not?

Thank you for the answer.