Awarding of Experience

[Terrex]

I've recently been making the extra effort to awarding of experience as close to BTB as possible. I find it has had a good effect in our group on game play.

In a recent session, the players ended in a safe place in the dungeon. In between sessions, I calculated XP. One of the PCs reached enough XP to advance to 3rd level based on the monster XP he earned alone (I didn't award any treasue XP as the party hadn't safely returned). When the next session began the party returned to home base, killing some wandering monsters on the way, and this PC leveled up. I awarded him treasure XP for treasure earned in the previous session when he returned to town (but not for the wandering monsters killed). However, this may contradict this ALL CAPS statement on p. 86 of the DMG:

ONCE A CHARACTER HAS POINTS WHICH ARE EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN THE MINIMUM NUMBER NECESSARY TO MOVE UPWARDS IN EXPERIENCE LEVEL, NO FURTHER EXPERIENCE POINTS CAN BE GAINED UNTIL THE CHARACTER ACTUALLY GAINS THE NEW LEVEL.

In maintaining BTB and fairness, I ruled that a PC could no longer earn XP for slaying monsters (no XP for this sessions wandering monsters) or for acquiring and cashing in NEW treasure until he leveled up? But, I did award treasure XP for treasure cashed in that came from before he reached engough experience to level up. I like this ruling and will probably stick with it going forward.

I'm curious if anyone here would rule differently and how?

[Benoist]

Hmm. No. I think I'd rule in a similar way as you did. It seems consistent with the intent of the rule. It would be strange for the affection of XP to somehow be stopped retroactively by the fact that a PC earned enough XP to reach the next level, so I too would consider awarding the past Treasure XP to the PC once he gained his new level, since the actual award is concurrent with him gaining this new level, whereas slaying monsters and acquiring new loot after the PC reached enough XP to reach the next level would not be considered for gains.

[Matthew]

I usually award experience point between adventures, so it rarely occurs that a character is in a position where he will gain experience points after having received enough to advance a level. Where the strain is particularly evident are on occasions where very low level characters (say levels 1-3) are adventuring with high level characters (say levels 7-9), as the number of experience points gained on a high level adventure might be sufficient to advance a low level character several times over. Awarding them less experience points (on the premise that they contributed less) seems reasonable, but my rule of thumb is no more than half the experience necessary to advance to the level thereafter.

So, let us say a fighter with 3,999 EP goes on an adventure with characters who have an average of 80,000 EP; even though the party earned 10,000 EP each on a given adventure, the fighter would only advance to 6,000 EP. In practice, though, it is fairly unlikely that events like this come to pass.

[Flambeaux]

In practice, though, it is fairly unlikely that events like this come to pass.

Unless you allow henchmen to level up and the players are wise/experienced enough to cultivate them.

The other situation I can readily see is where an experienced party loses a character and the player is compelled by the DM to create a new level 1 PC who is then admitted to the group.

[Matthew]

Unless you allow henchmen to level up and the players are wise/experienced enough to cultivate them.

Ah, well, if they are wise, then they know to cultivate them on less hazardous or lengthy adventures.

[Flambeaux]

Unless you allow henchmen to level up and the players are wise/experienced enough to cultivate them.

Ah, well, if they are wise, then they know to cultivate them on less hazardous or lengthy adventures.

The grasshopper bows to the master. Much to learn still I have, yes.