Experience Question

[SolidSnake]

Let's say you have a dungeon with many different rooms filled with monsters and for some reason the stupid adventurers tip them off...so instead of fighting each room individually, the adventurers have to fight them all at once. How does this change experience levels? In this hypothetical situation, let's say there are four rooms, 4 gnolls in three rooms, and an ogre and a great warrior in the other (CR 6 NPC). Normally, because gnolls are CR 1, each room is EL 4. How does the experience level change if the adventurers have to fight all 12 of the gnolls, the warrior, and the ogre at once?

Please help me give my players more experience or they will lynch me

 

[CRGreathouse]

It doesn't give them any more XP because XP is based on CR, not EL. Personally, I give out XP based on EL - but it's not that different.

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

So you basically had 12 gnolls, 1 ogre, and a level 6 fighter that the PC's were supposed to interact with.

12 gnolls = EL 7 or so
1 Ogre = CR2
1 Level 6 fighter = CR 6

Ok, using the EL suggestions from the DMG, a CR7 and a CR6 together should be an EL 8. Adding in the CR2 to that shouldn't really affect it much.

So, the easy way to do this is to call it an EL 8 fight and be done with it.

Another method would be to treat this group like a party of adventurers. Their APL would be about 1.4. Lets go ahead and call that CR1 each.

Using the doubling rules,
2= EL3
4=EL5
8=EL7
16=EL9

While there aren't actually 16 of them there, since we rounded down on the APL, we'll go ahead and use that one.

So, there you have it. That encounter should be worth about the same as a CR 8 or 9 encounter for the party.

BTW, if I had been DMing that, the only thing the party would have gotten is encouragement for a hasty retreat.

 

[Numion]

Sorry if I get you lynched, but the experience is calculated with individual CRs of the creatures defeated. It doesn't matter in which order they were killed, or how many at a time.

The players just make it easier on themselves if they kill them in small groups.

You calculate exp from CRs, not ELs, if that clears it

 

[CRGreathouse]

12 gnolls = EL 7 or so
1 Ogre = CR2
1 Level 6 fighter = CR 6

Ok, using the EL suggestions from the DMG, a CR7 and a CR6 together should be an EL 8. Adding in the CR2 to that shouldn't really affect it much.

For the record, these creatures are over EL 9 (check the gnoll calculation).

 

[Moonglum]

What were they doing luring all those creatures in at once anyway. Number one, they are now going to fight all of the monsters no matter what, so they have a higher probability of gaining XP. Two, they get the XP much faster (assuming they kill everything.) Three, they don't deserve any extra XP anyway, because they were the ones that caused everything to attack them at once. I would actually punish my players for something like this.

 

[SolidSnake]

What were they doing luring all those creatures in at once anyway. Number one, they are now going to fight all of the monsters no matter what, so they have a higher probability of gaining XP. Two, they get the XP much faster (assuming they kill everything.) Three, they don't deserve any extra XP anyway, because they were the ones that caused everything to attack them at once. I would actually punish my players for something like this.

Dood...you're hardcore!

 

[Hypersmurf]

What were they doing luring all those creatures in at once anyway.

Ranger and Rogue sneak up on the concealed entrance to the kobold lair.

Wihtout being spotted by the sentries, they silently slip right up to the edge of the guard-cavern.

In a blur of stealthy violence, they dispatch the guards before any have a chance to ring the alarm-gong. The other inhabitants of the lair are spread throughout the warren, unaware that intruders approach.

The Ranger and Rogue poke their heads back out and beckon the rest of the party to follow.

Stepping through the screen of vines, the Paladin notes the alarm-gong.

"Ah," he approves. "Convenient."

DONGDONGDONGDONGDONG!

To the horrified stealthy types, he shrugs. "Saves us having to go into every room looking for them all," he explains.

-Hyp.

 

[SableWyvern]

Dood...you're hardcore!

Guess I must be too, 'cause I'm in complete agreeance with Moonglum.

BTW, Hypersmurf, that's a great explanation. I love PCs. They're funny.

 

[Hypersmurf]

BTW, Hypersmurf, that's a great explanation. I love PCs. They're funny.

It almost happened in the game I DM, but unfortunately the Rogue managed to grab the hammer off the Paladin before he rang the gong

I was so disappointed...

-Hyp.