XP house rules for StalkingBlue and others

[ruleslawyer]

Dear All,

This post is a (looooong-delayed) response to StalkingBlue, who wanted to see how I work XP IMC. My house rules are informed by a simple principle: While I appreciate that D&D is a combat-focused game, and while my own games are "challenge-focused", so to speak, I dislike the fact that the XP system actively encourages killing monsters over non-combat interactions, and doesn't really make distinctions on XP awards based on imaginative solutions. So, here's my (minor) XP rules tweak:

1) All XP awards based on CR vs. EPL are reduced by one-half. This applies across the board, both to monsters and to traps.

2) The concept of "story milestones" is hereby introduced. Story milestones include the following:
-Freeing 50% or more hostages/prisoners in a particular stronghold/complex
-Killing an important foe (a major legate, an orc commander, a "boss monster")
-Surviving four or more encounters on an object-oriented mission quest (IOW, taking an important object/cargo/person through four or more CR-appropriate encounters)
-Other milestones typically suggested to the players by the DM pre-session

3) The DM keeps a stack of blue chips next to his station at the gaming table. A chip is awarded to a player for any of the following:

-Every two traps disarmed instead of triggered (skill monkeys only)
-Successful non-combat resolution of any non-combat encounter, provided that at least two skill checks or role-playing sufficient to avoid two skill checks (this refers to another optional rule IMC) are involved; this is awarded to the player suggesting or leading the action, or placed in the center of the table if the action is collaborative
-Every magic item created for use by another PC or an NPC (casters only)
-Every new spell invented and distributed to an NPC (casters only)
-Every song or poem composed (bards only)
-Every foe of CR = EPL +1 or higher defeated in single combat (fighter-types only)
-Every new convert or group of converts to your deity's religion (clerics only; in a game like Midnight, I'd apply this award to any new inductee or group of inductees to a resistance movement, since no PCs are allowed to be servants of the Shadow)
-An unavoidable combat or trap encounter (this is essentially compensation for DM screwups); these go in the center of the table
-Every story milestone; these go in the center of the table unless a PC were somehow individually responsible for completing the milestone, in which case the chip goes to that player.

Chips can (and must) be turned in at the end of the session; each chip awards XP equal to what would be awarded for an encounter of CR = EPL. This XP is split evenly among the party. In addition, each individual player receives 50 bonus xp for each chip in his pile at the end of a session.

I find that this system vastly encourages good roleplay and non-combat resolution of encounters; in particular, PCs are perfectly happy to flee from foes too powerful for them to fight, since a 3rd-level party smart enough to flee from an EL 13 legate + orc elites encounter gets XP equal to what would be awarded for a good solid combat encounter.

 

[StalkingBlue]

Cool stuff rl ! Thanks for posting this.

I especially like the story milestones and the fact that you give your players input on what they should be. I've been awarding mission achievement XP on no clear basis, been playing it by ear. I haven't decided whether I want to lay down clearer guidelines for mission achievement awards; but letting players influence the process by suggesting specific goals that should earn XP sounds very appealing to me. I'll keep this in mind when I next talk my group about rules stuff.

As for the class-specific awards, those are given to individual players, yes? Personally I'd tend to distribute such awards among all players. At two players' suggestion I share the roleplaying bonus XP I award for individual RP performances/successes between the group - I tell the players whose roleplaying has earned the bonus, but they all share in it equally.
Do your players prefer differences in their XP awards?

And one last question: Does your system result in roughly the same rate of advancement as awards as per DMG? Ie, very roughly every 3 or so sessions?

 

[ruleslawyer]

StalkingBlue:

Glad to hear you like 'em! Regarding individual awards: I've added clarifications in the edit above. As you can see, players get a minor bennie for "leading the charge" themselves, but in general, the benefits of the players' individual actions contribute to the advancement of the party as a whole. I am fully in agreement with you that individual XP awards unnecessarily distort the game; I use them only as a sweetener, as they have no real impact on level advancement (in years of using this system, I have yet to have two PCs who started at the same time, didn't die, and are even one full level apart).

And yes; by halving all XP earned, I find that every three to four sessions result in a level-up, unless the players are being lazy; but that's their responsibility, after all! It also provides a reasonably clear link between adventure progress and level-ups.

As to letting players suggest appropriate milestones: I've been doing this for a while, and it's an excellent idea. I've let it be known that I'm much happier if they do it in character by voicing their PCs' personal ambitions or quest-related goals. If Kaldurin the Durgis Clan fighter, for instance, says "the hell with your precious golden bow of the Avatar; I'm going in to avenge my kin on Azrul the Dark!", the player can rest assured that "beating Azrul the Dark into a sticky paste" is going to count as a story milestone.

 

[StalkingBlue]

Ah I see now. That makes a lot of sense.

Encouraging players to state story goals in character is a very cool idea I think.

I also like the (small) XP bonus - I'll definitely consider using something like it if I set down clearer rules on XP awards. Currently the only way players in my game can receive individual bonus XP is by writing Story Hour accounts, and since only one player writes them with any regularity that is starting to feel a tad unfair.