XP For Defeating a Creature Twice

[green slime]

Of course they should receive the XP twice, unless it was all done in one encounter with chase scene.

Between the original encounter and the following encounter, the PC's and the BBEG have had opportunities to regroup, heal, call on reinforcements, escape, hatch a better plan, alert superiors, et al.

What seems like most fun?

 

[irdeggman]

Here is the inherent problem with not awarding as much experience because they know the capabilities.

In my Age of Worms game - the first time the PCs fought a swarm they had a real tough time and used a lot of resources.

The second time they learned and knew what "tactics" worked best and then used them to good effect.

Different creatures and not the same swarm.

Now should they be awarded less xp the 2nd time because they "learned" how to better fight a swarm?

How about fighting skeletons?

Should they be awarded less xp each time they fight a skeleton because they know how they fight and what the best tactics are?

No, the rules do not support this type of approach.

The PCs gain xp as they level up they get reduced xp for overcoming the same CR - that is how the system was designed to handle this situation.

Now if in your example the BBEG was not "defeated" in the first encounter there is technically no xp awarded.

 

[frankthedm]

Well, since a signifigant time has passed, I'd say XP should be awared again.

If it was just "Falling back to a another encounter in the same dungeons", I'd award XP once.

 

[akbearfoot]

If you award xp for the PCs defeating foes (not necessarily killing them), then they should get XP twice. He knows what to expect, and he will probably have a slight upper hand the next time around...ie he knows to send his minions after the mage, or to ignore the guy who took too many multi-class levels and can't hit the broad side of the barn, or to send the 4-legged animal companions after the monk who likes triping people etc...

You're perfectly able as the DM to use fiat to enable him to find some more minions or better replacement gear, and you're encouraged to do so. The players have no way of knowing you manually adjusted his stats a bit, or that he wasn't actually a friend of evil wizard Bob before you decided he was. Even if it is as simple as him borrowing a potion or 2 from 'someplace else in the dungeon'. Suddenly the bad guy with 4 more pts of AC, or who hits for 2 more pts of damage can pose much more of a challenge to the PCs. And they won't feel like they killed a clone of the last chump they beat down.


Incidently....how did he get away the first time? Did he regenerate or something and the PCs didnt notice?

I always play dumb as a PC and pretend like nothing regenerates....until the first time it happens in game. Then we all pretty much assume that everything regenerates and they get CDGd or heads chopped off etc...well at least for the exotic monsters. They usually make nice boots anyways I'm a big fan of adorning my characters with critter-parts, lol.

 

[Nail]

Thread necromancy! Eek!

(You all knew that, right? Look at th' date.)

 

[Nail]

Wow, is this site slow today...

 

[shilsen]

Thread necromancy! Eek!

(You all knew that, right? Look at th' date.)

The original post was made on 3/2/08. That's two days ago. If necromancy, this is very weak. The thread didn't even need Gentle Repose!

 

[Nail]

The original post was made on 3/2/08. That's two days ago. If necromancy, this is very weak. The thread didn't even need Gentle Repose!

My mistake! ...and I knew it moments after posting. But with the slowness of the boards today, I couldn't correct it until now.

Oh well.

This thread reminds me of several identical threads over the years. It's a common enough DM question.

 

[RigaMortus2]

I was thinking of awarding less XP for the second time around since they now know what they're up against.

That shouldn't be an excuse though...

If your players did research on the BBEG, found out what he can do, what he is vulnerable to, and came up with solid plan and executed, would you also give them less XP as if they had just wandered into the room with the BBEG and didn't expect the fight at all? Why punish players for knowledge and planning? I thought that was a good thing?

The other rationale I would use is this... Group fights an orc, kills it, gets XP. Group fights a second orc, kills it, gets XP. Should they get less XP for the second orc since they have experience fighting orcs now? Why would it matter if it's a totally new orc vs one that ran away and they encountered again later?

I would give a bonus or minus to XP based on circumstance, such as an ambush as others suggested or a trap. But that makes the encounter more challening anyway by default. I would give less XP if they encountered the BBEG at a point where he might have expended most of his resources earlier in the day (raiding and pillaging can take a lot out of you). Then again, most people rarely have encounters with BBEG where the BBEG is not at full capacity...

 

[RigaMortus2]

Now should they be awarded less xp the 2nd time because they "learned" how to better fight a swarm?

How about fighting skeletons?

Should they be awarded less xp each time they fight a skeleton because they know how they fight and what the best tactics are?

I agree... This is already built into the system. When you gain XP, you level up. When you level up, you are so proficient in fighting those lower level creatures, they start to give you less XP (less of a challenge) until eventually there is no more knowledge to gain from fighting them (no XP).

Which is why level 15 characters wouldn't get any XP fighting kobolds... Of course, that doesn't explain why you wouldn't get XP from fighting 1st level goblins if you never encountered a golbin before in your life... Ok, I'm done now...