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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jhulae" data-source="post: 3421005" data-attributes="member: 16958">Sorry, you really are reaching."Driven Away" is the party fighting the lich until he's forced to Teleport and flees for his life, because staying would mean he'd be destroyed.  Either through superior tactics or dumb lucky dice, the party put the hurt on the lich and *forced* him away, even if you, the DM, didn't expect the party to actually win or even come close to winning.  Regardless, the party fought the lich.  There was danger there, because the lich was fighting, hopefully to the best of his ability.  XP is rewarded for the risk to the party, and XP will be rewarded for the risk they face again the next time they meet."Plot Device" is having the Lich teleport away at the beginning of the battle.  You, as the DM, know the party isn't going to fight the lich.  They're not 'driving him away', you're advancing the story.  There's no risk to the party from the lich, because he's not fighting them.  Since it's a No Risk situation, no exp is given for the lich (but XP would be given for the minions who stayed and fought).As long as there's risk to the party, they get exp.  The amount of risk determines the amount of exp (and there's a table for that in the DMG, IIRC).  No risk, no XP.  But, if the baddie is really fighting for his life and runs away? Oh, yeah.. XP now, and XP when he returns.</blockquote>