Trap XP awards? Seem biased.

[Jhaelen]

If they were there, they participated. Just like combat.

This. I'm actually a bit puzzled about the OPs claim, that the DMG says otherwise. Does anyone have a page number for reference?

Anyway, my tip:

Don't use traps. They suck. Really!

If you absolutely have to use traps, use encounter traps (detailed in Dungeonscape and iirc in some Eberron source book). At least with these everyone in the party can contribute.

 

[Trance-Zg]

Thanks everyone. I finally assigned the XP late last night. I felt that the intuitive & accurate thing was to have the rogue get all the XP. However, I could also see how that skews everything. So in the end, everyone standing around got XP. Better for party balance.

I think in the future I will encourage everyone to do something while the rogue is working. I'm thinking that perhaps a Guidance cantrip/orison can be cast upon the rogue, giving him a +1. And then a tank can stand watch. Maybe someone ties a rope to the rogue, to pull him to safety if the area fills with toxic gas. And so on.

I certainly wouldn't mandate that kind of play, but I think just asking each person, "What do you do while the rogue is disarming the trap?" will encourage some of that thinking, and that will encourage me to award XP to the whole team.

while it's nice for all around game balance, giving everyone same exp for disarming a trap and standing around with a d!ck in the hand is hardly fair

Everyone should get some exp but less than the rogue, because rogue learns(gets exp) by disarming traps, you don't learn anything by idleing.

 

[carmachu]

while it's nice for all around game balance, giving everyone same exp for disarming a trap and standing around with a d!ck in the hand is hardly fair

Everyone should get some exp but less than the rogue, because rogue learns(gets exp) by disarming traps, you don't learn anything by idleing.

Why? Are you going to say, give the fighter the majority of experience in a fight where he learns to fight by dealing out the most damage while the rouge doesnt do much?

I think thats kinda silly.

 

[Jack Simth]

This. I'm actually a bit puzzled about the OPs claim, that the DMG says otherwise. Does anyone have a page number for reference?

Anyway, my tip:

Don't use traps. They suck. Really!

If you absolutely have to use traps, use encounter traps (detailed in Dungeonscape and iirc in some Eberron source book). At least with these everyone in the party can contribute.

Traps are useful and non-sucky... unless they're in isolation. The Flesh to Stone trap at the door? That's just two rolls and moving on. Barely a blip on the radar (and not even that, if the rogue takes 10). The covered pits scattered strategically in the BBEG's throne room? They're going to be quite memorable (mainly because the Fighter can't charge the "undefended" BBEG). The Inflict X Wounds trap on the floor of the room with shambling undead? People will remember that one. The ceiling that's supported by columns of stone produced by Transmute Mud to Rock, with a bunch of potion-buffed minions? That'll be memorable (if the party thinks to cast Dispel Magic, anyway...).

 

[Trance-Zg]

Why? Are you going to say, give the fighter the majority of experience in a fight where he learns to fight by dealing out the most damage while the rouge doesnt do much?

I think thats kinda silly.

No, because in a fight everyone do what they are best in and boost their skills in that way, or atleast the should be doing that.

In case of traps, in 90% of situations all except rogues/scouts do absolutely nothing.

 

[carmachu]

No, because in a fight everyone do what they are best in and boost their skills in that way, or atleast the should be doing that.

In case of traps, in 90% of situations all except rogues/scouts do absolutely nothing.

Really? Becuase in our fights 90% of teh workload is done by the clerics and fighters and the rogues arent doing anything useful.

I guess then the rogues in my game shouldnt get XP for the fight then.

The problem with traps is no one BUT rogues can deal with them. Its uneven distribution of choices. Its not like a cleric or a mage who get 2 skill points per level(w/o Int bonus) and its a cross class skill, have a chance to actually take the skill.


Dont know about your games, but geneally folks dont do absolutely nothing while the rogue is looking for traps.....

 

[insanogeddon]

Why Not?

Rogues are held to be more useless than warriors at high levels, they cannot take hits.
Why not follow the rules and let them get ahead and get bonus xp, anyone else can get it by being right there as back up should it be a teleport trap or anything else.

By the same token tho if in a fight the rogue is hiding and moving silently while the warrior hacks 3 people down and the mage is flying invisible doing nothing and the druid is there calling lightining then the rogue and mage get no xp.

Really you should either do the specific xp OR award group AND ONLY group xp... there/not there etc irrelevant.

Bith work, the inbetween halvies systems always breed disatisfaction from all sooner or later.

 

[wizarddog]

XP like combat in D&D is simplified. The group earns the XP of the encounters. If you start separating what one person does in one encounter and the next you are going to have skewed XP totals.

Think about what is going to happen to the fighters when the wizard(s) start blasting things away with one spell. Should the all the PC's get XP when the cleric blast the vampire into dust with her turn undead?

All players in the TEAM gain the XP even if certain players will shine at certain points. It balances out in the end. Rather than look to punish the group when individuals shine, you can offer bonus amount 10, 25, or 50xp for good ideas, witty roleplay and clever thinking.

Personally, I use objective based XP for my PCs. As long as they meet their objectives, they gain the reward. So they could enter a lair, and not kill a single thing and would gain their XP reward as long as they met their objective. Conversely, they could kill every thing they see, even on foes more powerful than them and still only get their XP if they completed their objective.

Lets say it makes them think a bit harder...