Learning from your mistakes - with XP?

[Kahuna Burger]

A fundemental aspect of D&D is that PCs gain XP for overcoming challanges, yes? A challange which beats you gains you no expereince. But what about learning from your mistakes? What about 'that which does not kill you' making you stronger?

Have you ever awarded XP for a "learning expereince" sort of session, where the PCs lost, but lost narrowly enough that it could be seen as aiding their education more than an easy win?

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

I've used such awards in Rolemaster. Among other things (e.g. travelling through dangerous areas, killing stuff, using skills/abilities), you get XP for taking damage and surviving critical hits.

 

[shilsen]

Yes, I have. Not recently, since I dropped XP based on any formula and nowadays just hand out XP per session to keep PCs advancing at a rate I'm happy with. But I've always maintained that if gaining XP has to do with actual experiences and learning from them, then PCs should gain way more from defeats than victories. Most victories don't teach PCs/players anything about their capabilities. A defeat almost always does so.

 

[the Jester]

Oh yes.

 

[Lanefan]

Depends on the situation. If the party tries an encounter that's way over their heads and realizes their error in time to back off while there's anyone left, I'll give ExP to the survivors for the act of backing off.

One thing I try to avoid, however, is giving ExP multiple times for what is effectively the same encounter. For example, say the party knows there's a dragon ahead...they can't hope to defeat it, but they have to get by it to the castle it guards to finish the mission. If they successfully avoid the encounter, they get ExP for that, as they should. But if they find a reason to go back to the castle and thus have to avoid the dragon again, they get less ExP the second time. And if they go back a third time and this time kill the dragon (an encounter they already got ExP for avoiding!) there'll not be a full ExP award for that battle either. Just call me a RBDM.

Lanefan

 

[Thurbane]

Actually, I have a related question: last session, my players faced off against the BBEG and his toughest minions, but they had to bug out after taking out only 1 of the heavy hitters (an aspect of Mephistopheles)...do they get XP for this, and if so, how much? Do they get the full XP amount for the aspect itself, or a percentage of the total CR, or none at all?

 

[Lanefan]

Actually, I have a related question: last session, my players faced off against the BBEG and his toughest minions, but they had to bug out after taking out only 1 of the heavy hitters (an aspect of Mephistopheles)...do they get XP for this, and if so, how much? Do they get the full XP amount for the aspect itself, or a percentage of the total CR, or none at all?

If you were playing 1e it'd be easy: they get ExP for the aspect (because that's what they defeated) and that's it. How you'd do it using 3e's ExP system I have no idea...good luck.

*But*, can the aspect be revived? If so, you might want to hold off giving ExP at all until the whole lot of 'em are finally defeated, to avoid giving out multiple shots of ExP for what is essentially the same encounter.

Lanefan

 

[Thurbane]

If you were playing 1e it'd be easy: they get ExP for the aspect (because that's what they defeated) and that's it. How you'd do it using 3e's ExP system I have no idea...good luck.

*But*, can the aspect be revived? If so, you might want to hold off giving ExP at all until the whole lot of 'em are finally defeated, to avoid giving out multiple shots of ExP for what is essentially the same encounter.

Lanefan

Nope, the aspect is kaput, unless somoene summons it again...

 

[meomwt]

How you'd do it using 3e's ExP system I have no idea...good luck.

According to the 3.5e DMG, award XP based on the CR of each opponent defeated. So beating the Aspect (whilst running from the other BBEG's) gains an award equal to the CR of the Aspect.

Doling out an award based on the EL of a group of nasties was 3.0e. It's still viable in 3.5e (I do it myself) but the RAW state an award for each defeated opponent.