Single Encounter per Day XP Calculation?

[Runestar]

How would the PCs be so sure that the supposed single encounter for the day really is the only encounter they will face? I mean, if you let on to the possibility that there might be more encounters later on in the day, the PCs may be hesitant to go nova and continue to fight conservatively, even if the fight really is the only one you have slated for that day. In this way, it would make little difference regardless of how many encounters there are each day, the PCs would still use only a proportional amount of resources per fight.

 

[irdeggman]

How would the PCs be so sure that the supposed single encounter for the day really is the only encounter they will face? I mean, if you let on to the possibility that there might be more encounters later on in the day, the PCs may be hesitant to go nova and continue to fight conservatively, even if the fight really is the only one you have slated for that day. In this way, it would make little difference regardless of how many encounters there are each day, the PCs would still use only a proportional amount of resources per fight.

To add to this - if you routinely only have 1 encounter per day then they players will learn to expect it and manage their resources accordingly.

In the past games I've been in nothing sucks as much as having your wizard's sleep interrupted by a "random" encounter. Which by the way do not need to be truley random.

 

[Legildur]

IIRC an encounter is meant to use up one quarter of the party's resources, with 4 encounters per day.

That could imply that a 25% value of xps could be apportioned. But I think that 50% has a better 'feel' about it.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

IIRC an encounter is meant to use up one quarter of the party's resources, with 4 encounters per day.

That could imply that a 25% value of xps could be apportioned. But I think that 50% has a better 'feel' about it.

That's what I'm thinking too.