XP by mission vs. kills

[Thanee]

I do a mix of both encounter (based on CR) and mission (ad hoc) XP. In some situations, like the above, I'd just give an arbitrary amount of XP instead of basing it on the CR.

Bye
Thanee

 

[MonsterMash]

I use pretty much the same system as Thanee by the sound of it. Its skewed towards session based, with variations depending on goals achieved.

 

[Emiricol]

For my games my usual method is to give each PC XP=(hours of play*level)*X where x is 25 or 50 depending on how easy the session was. Bonuses for really good sessions, penalties for being late, no XP if you miss the session.

So, if a 5th level party had a tough session that lasted 3 hours, it'd be 3*5*50=750xp each.

Probably not suitable for every party, but it works well for mine.

 

[kenobi65]

My players advance at the speed of plot.

My case is pretty similar. I've decided that I want PCs to advance a level every 3-4 game sessions, so I tailor XP awards based on that. In other words, if the PCs are an average of 6th level (which means they need 6000 xp to advance to the next level), I'll be giving out between 1500 and 2000 xp per session.

I use that target number as a guide to how many threats (both monsters / foes and non-monster stuff) to throw at the party over the course of the session. This amount seems to yield enough "threats" for a couple of combats over the course of an evening, plus plenty of time for investigation, RP, etc.

In some sessions, the party doesn't technically face / defeat exactly that many XP worth of threats; in some sessions, they might face / defeat more than that amount. But, in the long run, the pace seems to be satisfactory. (And, none of my players appear to be conversant enough with the XP system to be questioning me about what they're getting....)

 

[KB9JMQ]

I use a mission based system.
Basically I figure out how many XP the party needs to all raise a level then I make sure there is enough XP in the mission for them to get to that point.
It has worked well so far.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I have players level after every successful mission, ideally 2-3 sessions at most. The whole party stays at the same level regardless of absent players (a constant with a 10+ player group) or PC death. PCs who don't participate in the "on-screen" mission are assumed to be doing mission-critical support work to get their experience, and since resurrection magic isn't available right now, new PCs come in at the same level as specialists assigned to the team.

 

[pogre]

For a lot of years I used a mission based system and was very comfortable with it. I switched over to the CR system and for the most part I like it. However, like most of you I give lots of story based awards and PCs earn XP by overcoming NPC challenges, not necessarily killing them. I could easily go back to a mission based system and do use it in many other RPG campaigns.

 

[demiurge1138]

I work on something between mission-based and kill-based experience. Most experience is either kill-based or earned for good roleplaying, but bonus experience is awarded for successful completion of missions. This "story-based" experience is little more than a bonus incentive for completing quests, but it does help to give a sense of accomplishment.

Demiurge out,

 

[Turanil]

For GMs who want to down play the focus of combat or have a different method of control, Ad Hoc or mission-based XP is an alternative.

I agree with you. As a DM I must admit that I should someday find a satisfying way to award XP. I think I will try to establish some rules for granting more XP to those who actually turned the session into a memorable and enjoying one. However, this would be very subjective mmmh... This and that I want PCs gain a level out of every three sessions.

 

[Nosfredatu]

Mission based with bonusses

What I like to do for xp attribution is to give it module based, with bonusses for great ideas or great roleplaying. It's a bit of a subjective manner of giving xp's, I usualy go with the feeling of the session (I give xp after each session), how much has been accomplished and how originally it was done. Like this scene's worth 200 xp, this scene's worth nothing, this scene's worth x for this player, but a bit less for another player. The differences depends more on players implication than on characters actions. If a mage character achieves a goal using a spell in an unconventionnal manner, he'll get more xp than the fighter who used his greater cleave feat to kill a few opponents...