How do you handle XP?

[Liquidsabre]

Been using FR standard XP rewards for a few years now, works great. Also use a system based off the Dragonlance Campaign Setting's Roleplay and Quest XP rewards. I also provide bonus XP for posted character backgrounds and in-character game session summaries on my campaign web-forum.

 

[Invictikore]

I use the DMG, But I modify it depending on the situation. Like today. My players where simply walking to a location in a city. (Very Simplified ) When they where ambushed by a group that had been studying them and used buff spells to make themselves MUCH MUCH tougher. My players actually thought about running (something they never do). But they decided to forge on, and defeated the ambushers with minimal losses.

So I figured up the XP like I would normally and then decided to refigure it, but add +1 to the opponents ECL.

So I guess I would have to answer I typically use the DMG and modify if I think it is necessary. I also ALWAYS separate rollplay bonus, and assign it to the big rollplayers of the game. (Big or Funny Quotes, Not attacking annoying NPCs, figuring out problems, Diplomacy, general stuff like that.)

 

[Yair]

For bought modules, I usually use the DMG method, as supposedly the adventure was playtested with it.
For my own adventures, I usually use the "Variant" rules from the DMG, granting something like 300 x Level in XP per character per session, based on the session's plot progress and difficulty.
For my current, high-paced, campaign I am progressing the characters at x1.5 the DMG level and at about 1 level per session.

A DM of mine hands out XP based on personal accomplishments to each player in secret; I cannot say I like this approach, but hey - he is the DM.

 

[trentonjoe]

I give them the XP they need to level up when I want them to. So if I think they should go from 6th to 7th lvl (which takes 6000 XP each) in six sessions, they get 1000 XP per session. Simple.

I do the same thing but level up about every three sessions. SO they would get 2,000 a game in the above example.

 

[D+1]

With little or no variance between PC's there's no reason to complicate calculation for me with FRCS. I just use the DMG, but the PC advancement table has double the normal values so as to halve the rate of advancement. Treasure rewards then gets played by ear to compensate.

 

[Treebore]

I like slower advancement so I do 30 to 50% of DMG, depending on the difficulty modifier I assign.

 

[Delgar]

I do the same thing as well, I just give a set amount of XP per session. Right now I've been handing out 2000 xp per session, and I'll probably stick with that until the end of the game.

I do the same thing but level up about every three sessions. SO they would get 2,000 a game in the above example.

Delgar

 

[adriayna]

I have a checkmark system where I keep a list of the players names. Each time the players do something EXP worthy (could be a great idea, a good bout of role-play, etc) the player gets a check on the sheet. Each check is worth 1/50th of the total experience required to get to the next level. On top of that, I give the session a base EXP amount (depending on battles, RP, completing quests, etc). It works pretty well, and I have yet to have people complain.

 

[Zappo]

Eh, I've played dozens of games and I still have to find an advancement system that makes 100% sense and is 100% fair at the same time. For D&D, I just figure out how fast I want people to progress on average, and from there figure out how much experience I must give on average each session. Reduce the number by one third and call it a base reward, increase by a percentile from 0% to 100% depending on how well the player did (avoiding metagaming, having good ideas, making other people have fun, good interpretation). An average game gets 50% (thus bringing the reward to the average I figured out before). Characters that are behind in levels for whatever reason get a further boost. It's actually simpler than it sounds.

 

[Li Shenron]

I used different ways along the years... in 3.0 I either used the plain DMG way, or winged it with adjustments for good tactics, creative tactics, and roleplaying (especially to reward who did a bad tactic on purpose, because her PC would have behaved that way). In 3.5 I used the new DMG way, but with more mature players I can just let them advance when we all feel like.

Inexperienced players seem to prefer a more regular XP system (they don't usually like to be judged by the DM), and PCG-addicted players simply demand it .