D&D 5E XP for gold 5th Edition campaign

[Garthanos]

How cheap the wealthy really are?

I see what you did there.

 

[Monayuris]

Definately use the xp budget for the gp value of the hoard. Seconded.

If you want to make it feel more old school, then perhaps the dragon hoard is equal to the sum of all the xp encounters leading up to the dragon as well.

If the players figure out a way to get past the earlier encounters without fighting, they've earned it!

But if they don't escape with the final haul, they come away with nothing...

Exactly. This is how I would design an orc lair. Say it is a lair of 30 orcs with 2 sub-chiefs and a war chief, along with a shaman (eye of gruumsh) maybe some dire wolf pets. I would calculate the XP value of the entire group of inhabitants. I’d maybe convert some of it to art objects or jewelry. I’d also roll for magic items based on the CR (using the DMG guidelines).

The treasure would be placed in the War Chief room. I’d have the war chief wearing the jewelry and wielding any appropriate magic items, and the rest in its war chest. If any treasure was appropriate for the eye of Gruumsh, I would give to it, instead.

individual orcs would have only whatever arms and armor, and a roll on the individual treasure table for their CR when players loot them, which would represent their own pocket change or whatever they hid from the chief.

The brunt of the XP would only be gained if the War Chief is dealt with. But nothing in this setup prescribes a specific action to gain it. The party can kill the orcs, or they could negotiate a deal (perform a task for payment), or trick them, or sneak and distract them and steal.

If the party just wants to hack and slash their way through, they would gain the same XP, but they have other options available to them if they want a different approach.

 

[Garthanos]

Because its never worth while to save the barmaid.... only the princess will teach you anything.

My addressing that conundrum actually might work in any edition I think. I give Karma points for saving the barmaid. The two then in combo do whatever they do. If a quest appropriate garners next to no loot it might provide loads of Karma. Then when they meet up with a mystic who will teach but only if your karma is right or the student is ready or whatever he expresses it as. Simplest case might be things like, karma reducing the cost of your purchase or allowing you to find something in an appropriate other situation you might not even normally be able to buy.

 

[S'mon]

Because its never worth while to save the barmaid.... only the princess will teach you anything.

Barmaids have beer.

 

[CubicsRube]

Exactly. This is how I would design an orc lair. Say it is a lair of 30 orcs with 2 sub-chiefs and a war chief, along with a shaman (eye of gruumsh) maybe some dire wolf pets. I would calculate the XP value of the entire group of inhabitants. I’d maybe convert some of it to art objects or jewelry. I’d also roll for magic items based on the CR (using the DMG guidelines).

The treasure would be placed in the War Chief room. I’d have the war chief wearing the jewelry and wielding any appropriate magic items, and the rest in its war chest. If any treasure was appropriate for the eye of Gruumsh, I would give to it, instead.

individual orcs would have only whatever arms and armor, and a roll on the individual treasure table for their CR when players loot them, which would represent their own pocket change or whatever they hid from the chief.

The brunt of the XP would only be gained if the War Chief is dealt with. But nothing in this setup prescribes a specific action to gain it. The party can kill the orcs, or they could negotiate a deal (perform a task for payment), or trick them, or sneak and distract them and steal.

If the party just wants to hack and slash their way through, they would gain the same XP, but they have other options available to them if they want a different approach.

I like the way you think!

 

[Maxperson]

Exactly. This is how I would design an orc lair. Say it is a lair of 30 orcs with 2 sub-chiefs and a war chief, along with a shaman (eye of gruumsh) maybe some dire wolf pets. I would calculate the XP value of the entire group of inhabitants. I’d maybe convert some of it to art objects or jewelry. I’d also roll for magic items based on the CR (using the DMG guidelines).

The treasure would be placed in the War Chief room. I’d have the war chief wearing the jewelry and wielding any appropriate magic items, and the rest in its war chest. If any treasure was appropriate for the eye of Gruumsh, I would give to it, instead.

individual orcs would have only whatever arms and armor, and a roll on the individual treasure table for their CR when players loot them, which would represent their own pocket change or whatever they hid from the chief.

The brunt of the XP would only be gained if the War Chief is dealt with. But nothing in this setup prescribes a specific action to gain it. The party can kill the orcs, or they could negotiate a deal (perform a task for payment), or trick them, or sneak and distract them and steal.

If the party just wants to hack and slash their way through, they would gain the same XP, but they have other options available to them if they want a different approach.

The only thing I would do differently is that the sub-chiefs still have power and they would probably have some smaller goodies, but still greater than the other individual orcs, that the chief didn't take.

 

[CapnZapp]

I've crunched the numbers for the new game, Pathfinder 2.

If anyone is interested you can read up on the results here or there:

https://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?660762-XP-for-Gold
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42n8e?XP-for-Gold