In the Alluria campaign, group experience points (XP) are awarded to reflect the party's collective achievements, challenges overcome, and narrative progression during a session. The system is designed to reward teamwork, creative problem-solving, significant roleplaying, and the successful navigation of dangerous encounters. Critically, the XP values for these accomplishments are scaled by the Dungeon Master based on your party's base level (sans bonus exp) and the overall stakes of the adventure, ensuring that rewards remain meaningful and impactful throughout your heroic journey. This philosophy mirrors how individual Bonus XP is handled, where amounts are adjusted to be equivalent to a fraction of a challenging encounter for your current level.
The total group XP awarded to each player for a session is determined by the sum of several key components. While the formula provides structure, remember that the DM assigns specific, scaled XP values to each component based on the session's unique events and challenges:
Each component is detailed below:
Description: This is a foundational XP amount awarded for active participation throughout the session and for meaningfully advancing the current story segment or plotline.
Scaling Principle: The DM scales this award to be roughly equivalent to overcoming a minor challenge or a baseline percentage (e.g., 10-15%) of the experience points your characters generally need to progress towards their next level at your current stage of play.
Description: This component grants XP for making tangible progress on, or fully completing, defined quests, Pantheon directives, or other significant party goals.
Scaling Principle: XP for MOR is awarded as if overcoming a story-based encounter, with the "Challenge Rating" (and thus XP value) of this "encounter" scaling with party level. For instance, minor progress on an objective might be scaled like a CR APL-2 encounter, while the full completion of a major, critical directive arc could be valued by the DM as equivalent to overcoming a CR APL+1 or even APL+2 encounter in terms of its XP reward for your current level.
Description: This XP is derived primarily from the standard Pathfinder system for defeating monsters and adversaries.
Scaling Principle: This component inherently scales with your party's level, as the Challenge Ratings of the creatures you face will increase. The DM calculates the total XP value for all significant combat encounters resolved during the session based on the CRs of those foes relative to your Average Party Level (APL). A particularly tough battle against a major antagonist or multiple waves of difficult enemies will naturally yield a higher KCE value.
Description: This rewards the party for overcoming major obstacles that don't necessarily involve combat, such as intricate puzzles, complex social negotiations, or achieving significant goals through exceptional ingenuity and creative use of skills and resources.
Scaling Principle: The XP for these achievements is scaled by the DM to be comparable to overcoming a meaningful challenge, such as a complex trap or a combat encounter of a CR appropriate for your party's current level and the difficulty of the task (e.g., CR APL-1 for a clever solution to a moderate problem, up to CR APL+2 for a truly brilliant resolution to a major non-combat challenge).
Description: XP is awarded for uncovering critical pieces of lore, making significant breakthroughs in overarching mysteries, or when individual characters experience pivotal developments in their personal arcs that are shared with the party and have a tangible impact on the ongoing narrative.
Scaling Principle: These story-based awards are scaled by the DM to feel as rewarding as a notable discovery or encounter for your current level. A minor insight might be equivalent to a CR APL-2 encounter, while a campaign-altering revelation could be scaled similarly to a CR APL or APL+1 encounter.
Description: This component rewards the party for successfully uncovering, exploring, and navigating new, significant, and often dangerous areas, dungeons, or even other planes of existence.
Scaling Principle: The XP awarded is based on the size, inherent danger, and plot relevance of the location explored. Fully charting and "clearing" a substantial new dungeon might be scaled by the DM as equivalent to overcoming a series of minor challenges or a single moderate one (e.g., CR APL-2 to APL-1) for your current level.
To illustrate how these scaled components might combine, Session 14 ("Old Enemies") was an exceptionally eventful and high-stakes session for a higher-level party. The DM assigned the following scaled XP values to its components:
Total Group XP Award for Session 14: 8500 XP per player.
This example demonstrates how the DM valuates each component based on the specific accomplishments and challenges of the session, scaled to the party's capabilities and the narrative's demands at that point in the campaign.
This system is designed to ensure that every member of the Feinting GOATs is rewarded for their collective efforts in facing the diverse challenges of Alluria. The Dungeon Master will continue to scale these awards to provide a challenging yet rewarding experience as your legend grows. Remember, it's not just about the monsters slain, but the mysteries unraveled, the creative solutions forged, and the stories you build together!