Giving out Experience Points

[Zarrock God of Evil]

Usually at the end of entire adventures - in the case of long adventures (like RttToEE) I grant XP after each session.

-Zarrock

 

[S'mon]

Re rate of advancement - I slow things down a bit by running a lower-magic setting (not much trade in magic items, PCs start with limited funds) so they're a bit weaker, and I run scenarios for groups 1-2 levels lower than the party's actual level, which works out about right. With this, the PCs advance roughly 1 level per 3 6-8 hour sessions, which is a comfortable rate for me.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Now I give it out at the end of every session, although back in the old days I used to give it out as the adventure went along (3 orcs? thats 75xp...)

 

[Dave Blewer]

I give out experience at the end of sessions as well...

Sometimes, rarely I will give experience mid session... But there has to be a particular reason for that.

 

[Bagpuss]

Usually at the end of a session but I've sometimes given it out during a session.

For example if the party are injured and go back to town to recover and rest, then I might give out experience then, as it is a logical time to 'level up'.

 

[KDLadage]

I give out experience after each session. I do not allow leveling up until the end of an adventure as I consider leveling up to be an "off camera' event.

I also give characters the option of not leveling up right away if they wish... so far, only Mages (my campaign's Wizards and Sorcerers) have taken me up on this.

 

[Carnifex]

I occasionally give out XP during or at the end of a session.

However, what I often do is start a session with: "Right you gain <however much> XP from last session."

This is because I usually have finished my sessions just before everyone has other engagements, meaning they don't have the time to hang around levelling up their characters.

 

[el-remmen]

I guess I am one of the few people here who thinks figuring out XP takes way too long to do it per session - not to mention that it doesn't really make much sense to me to do it that often. . .

I have gone out of my way to slow 3E advancement WAY DOWN - I used to grant XP after every adventure which could be as often as every other session, but often can be five or even six sessions - but now since the campaign I run is so "organic" with little or no "downtime" and few or no clear determination of when an "adventure" begins or ends - I give XP as the story dictates - that is to say when I think the flow of the campaign would be served by having the PCs increase in power I give out XP. .

Then again, I kind of just make up the number of XP I award based in part on the usual D&D "how many monsters ya killed" but mostly on RP and character development. . .

Also, when I do grant it I give it at the beginning of a session - allowing everyone some time to update their characters (if they went up a level) and it is passed out on private notes to each player so no one has to know how much someone else got unless that person chooses to tell them.

 

[Vanye]

I'm just curious if you give your players their experience points at the end of every session, or only at the end of each adventure (if an adventure takes more then one session to complete).

Thanks!

Every session. They only level up when they have at least one day of rest, however.