Experience Points and Level-Advancement
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Rewarding Experience Points
Player progression is measured by levelling-up, and the new abilities which are gained by said advancement. The means through which players level-up is by earning experience points (XP), and as dungeon master it is your job to reward XP, and to know the whens and whys thereof.
There are two primary means of obtaining XP: 1) win treasure in a place of danger 2) overcome enemies in an encounter; both methods are explained in greater detail below:
To "win treasure in a place of danger" simply means that treasure was obtained while adventuring or doing something adventurous; a deed which actually involved the use of a character's class skills and knowledge. Coin gained by robbing an old woman at knife-point hones no skill and thus rewards no XP. Coin gained by pick-pocketing a troll is a feat which displays considerable skill and bravery, and thus rewards the character XP. Any treasure found in a dungeon rewards XP, as the dungeon is a place of immense and ever-present peril.
- 12 pence = 1 experience point
- 1 shilling = 1 experience point
- 1 pound = 20 experience points
To "overcome enemies in an encounter" includes slaying opponents in a fierce combat, but one need not kill one's opponents to gain XP from the encounter. Cleverly evading one's pursuers, or nonlethally overpowering a foe also rewards XP. The amount of XP rewarded from an encounter is dependant on the foes defeated. Each foe in The Monster Manual has an XP value listed as part of its stats.
In addition to these primary means of earning XP, the DM may see fit to reward XP to a player for some other achievement such as exceptional role-playing when trying to rally an army, or commendable creativity when planning a heist.
Level-Advancement
While experience points are earnt in places of peril, reflective of the literal experience gained through adventuring, the actual advancement of levels does not occur immediately after players reach the XP threshold. Rather, the party must return to town, or some other safe place to level-up. For simplicity, the DM can rule that the pary must take a rest after dungeoneering to "spend" their XP.
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