How do you award XP?

[Romnipotent]

with a celebration of math work and hmming and arrring till I read some total out and the players either shout hooray or moan one more week.
And the award goes to those still standing!

 

[genshou]

I use the FR system, where each player is awarded a share of the CR based on his individual level. I have a very heavily modified spreadsheet for this! (it works great! for up to 12 PC's or henchmen.)

I give awards out for the previous session at the start of the current session (again, the spreadsheet makes a nice report of the previous session). Characters who are able, can level immediately, even if in the middle of a battle.

Aluvial

I'd like to see this spreadsheet, if you don't mind

I've been using the FR system ever since I first bought the main campaign setting book. It keeps PCs from taking advantage of being with a lot of lower-level companions in order to increase the amount of XP they would get for weak monsters, and it lets lower-level characters catch up.

 

[hagor]

Wing it, based on a combination of how fast I want the campaign to advance, how well the party met the various challenges, cool ideas, role-playing, and the like.

Been doing it that way since late 1E, in fact.

Except for the "since late 1E'-part: this is how I do it as well.

After each session I make up each player's XP earned and usually give them at the start of the next session or when a certain goal is met/story arc is finished.

Hagor

 

[Beale Knight]

I use the 3.5 method as a guide for the monsters they've slain, and any specific CR traps they beat. Then I divide it by the number of PCs and start figuring what awards I'm going to give for role-play, story goals met, and general fun had by all. That second part is wholly subjective, but since I'm DMing I figure I'm the one that gets to be subjective that way. I also consider all the e-mail and group posting RP that goes on between sessions when figuring that subjective XP award. If we get a lot of session-time eating business taken care of on-line between games, and do it in character, that counts for a lot.

The subjective award is also influenced by how close the PCs are to leveling up. If I think they played well but the formula and initial subjective awards only get them very close to leveling up, I'll probably bump it up enough so they can level. On the other hand, in ten sessions of my current campaign I've also had one session where I award no experience. None. Zero (0) XP. They acted stupid, suffered greatly for it, then went shopping to replace their gear. I couldn't see awarding anything for that.

Because I want quiet time to reflect on things for the subjective award, I figure it after the session based on my notes and then post the totals on our group board. When we started I told everyone I award XP as a group in order to encourage group oriented play. This does mean that the players that are better role-players (in my eyes) suffer a little. However, I've seen the experienced players devoting a great deal of time encouraging the newer players to actually role-play and teaching them rules as needed and options the newer ones hadn't thought of. Whether this comes from my "group think" awarding of XP or not, I don't know. I may just have super fantastic players. But I like the results. And so far I don't think even the best, most experience role-players would have so much more XP over the others to make a difference level-wise.

I also keep a record of how the XP/level progression is going, which at least one playe has expressed gratitude for. One less thing for him to keep up with!

 

[S'mon]

3.5 method at end of session, half the standard awards plus add bonuses. Expect PCs to get ca 400-800 XP/session, or about 100 to 200 XP times their current level (4th).