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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quasqueton" data-source="post: 1605064" data-attributes="member: 3854">The discussion of the old Saltmarsh adventure series (Danger at Dunwater specifically) prompted me to start this thread.Say the PCs find a diplomatic, or other non-violent, solution to an adventure -- should they get experience points equal to overcoming the "enemy" by force?For instance, the PCs are sent to investigate a potentially threatening lizardfolk tribe. They could go into the situation swords swinging and spells blasting, wiping out the lizardfolk. Most DMs would of course award xp for the defeated lizardfolk. But would you give the same xp to a party who found a peaceful way of dealing with the tribe?The PCs are sent to an old fort inhabited by an orc tribe to find a lost key. Would you give full xp to a party who went in, made a deal with the tribe's chief, retreived the key, and left without violence?Should a DM give full* xp to a group of PCs who find a way to get around the normal combat-method of overcoming obstacles. Even if the "work around" takes the PCs less time and resources?*Full: meaning same xp as awarded for killing the opposition.I once had an adventure where the PCs were to investigate a location within the tribal holdings of a lizardfolk tribe. [Completely unrelated to the Saltmarsh series.] I figured on both a violent and non-violent means of getting into the location. I figured that if the PCs chose to attack the lizardfolk, they would have to kill half the tribe, then the remaining half would flee the area. So when the PCs chose diplomacy and goodwill to overcome the lizardfolk tribe, I awarded xp equal to half the total of the tribe. (It still took the PCs 3 or 4 game days to win over the tribe and the chief and his advisor, including killing off some local predators/threats to the tribe.)But I've known and read of several DMs through the years that only awarded xp for combat. What do you do?Quasqueton</blockquote>

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