Spawning XP

[Scharlata]

Hi!

We - that is a group of PC - stumbled across an ancient chamber of an undead hero of past times who was awaiting his "audience". After recognizing the undead hero holding thight his broken sword as a spectre the fight broke loose...

After a short but troublesome fight against an incorporeal undead spectre we lost two of our comrades.

Now - after lamenting their deaths and fighting their spawns - the question arose of how to calculate the reward - namely XP!? I know that you get no extra XP for overcoming summoned monsters and/or companions/familiars etc.

How do you calculate XP - if you do - for spawns (wights/shadows/spectres etc.)?

Eagerly awaiting a call from out there

Kind regards, Scharlata

 

[the Jester]

I'd give full xp.

 

[rrealm]

I'd give full XP if the party didn't have a chance to gang up on it before it was able to stand up or do something. For example, my party was fighting a shadow and the cleric lost all of her strength and became a shadow. Before the cleric could rise up as a shadow and attack, the party killed the main shadow. The party stands around and examines the cleric trying to figure out what to do with her. A few rounds later, the cleric turns to a shadow and stands up. The party was ready since they saw her become non-solid and shadow-like. She stands up, provokes, and the entire party (minus the cleric of course) gets a free swing. In this particular case, I awarded full XP for the original shadow and half XP for the cleric.

had the party been still fighting the original shadow and they did not have a chance to examine the cleric and see signs of her changing into a shadow, I would award full XP for both shadows and a higher EL since both creatures are involved in the fight at the same time without a few rounds to heal with potions and such.

 

[Starglim]

Spawn are not summoned monsters, companions or familiars. They don't appear or gain power as part of the master undead's class abilities or spells. They have creature abilities in their own right but happen to have a special quality that requires them to obey the master undead.

I'd say full XP, unless the party had an unbalancing advantage against those creatures for other reasons, which might alter their CR.

 

[Planesdragon]

I know that you get no extra XP for overcoming summoned monsters and/or companions/familiars etc.

And that's the rule. No extra XP for creatures called via a Summon Monster or Summon Nature's Companion, no extra XP for animal companions or mounts or cohorts or "leadership followers."

EVERYTHING else gets XP as normal. Evil wizard uses Planar Ally to send a Glabrezu against the party? Full XP. Glabrezu gates in some Vrocks? Full XP. Vrocks convince a lich to attack the PCs? Full XP. Lich uses _Create Dead_ to send some ghouls? Full XP. Ghouls spawn a ghoul from a dead PC? Full XP.

 

[Brother MacLaren]

And that's the rule. No extra XP for creatures called via a Summon Monster or Summon Nature's Companion, no extra XP for animal companions or mounts or cohorts or "leadership followers."

EVERYTHING else gets XP as normal. Evil wizard uses Planar Ally to send a Glabrezu against the party? Full XP. Glabrezu gates in some Vrocks? Full XP. Vrocks convince a lich to attack the PCs? Full XP. Lich uses _Create Dead_ to send some ghouls? Full XP. Ghouls spawn a ghoul from a dead PC? Full XP.

Hold on a second. Isn't the demon's gate ability already factored in as part of its CR? Granted, this makes it a bit confusing when they can summon equal-CR buddies. I guess it just seems to me that the logic behind not giving XP for summoned creatures (already factored into CR, and has the opportunity cost of an action) would equally apply. This kind of falls apart for Planar Allies, which last for long enough that there is no real opportunity cost, and for spawns, which have CR equal to the creator and no opportunity cost at all.

 

[Destil]

Hold on a second. Isn't the demon's gate ability already factored in as part of its CR? Granted, this makes it a bit confusing when they can summon equal-CR buddies. I guess it just seems to me that the logic behind not giving XP for summoned creatures (already factored into CR, and has the opportunity cost of an action) would equally apply. This kind of falls apart for Planar Allies, which last for long enough that there is no real opportunity cost, and for spawns, which have CR equal to the creator and no opportunity cost at all.

This isn't by the rules but, I reward full Xp for creatures that have been called if the caller has had the chance to restor the spell slots already.

Balors gating in Balors is just wacky on CR, though.

 

[the Jester]

Balors gating in Balors is just wacky on CR, though.

Just think about the old days- in 1e a succubus had a chance (5%) of gating in a demon prince!

 

[Scharlata]

Hi!

Thanx very much for the support.

Kind regards