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I am switching bacl to story award...I ran the game straight (as a test) for the past year...it was way too easy. Imagine newbie players, after reaching 13th level, after say, 25 sessions...heading into Tomb of Horrors. That's why I am changing it.

Basically its arbitrary...I decide when they have achieved enough xp to go up a level. I run a brutal game, lots of death etc. Hence, when I see really brilliant play (example below) I reward it a great deal. Lucky rolls and dead monsters count a lot less than demonstrated "experience" and clever play. I think of this as a training exercise. The players PCs go up in skill as the players go up in skill. Oh, as a group as well.

Spoiler.......






Example; Dawna and Krista (Louis Roberts and my wives) were playing in Larin Karr, trying to get one of the key stones. They (the group) had lucked onto the red one, and the girls (playing a bard and a druid) noticed that the woman in the wine shop had a necklace with a similar stone. Louis, Bryan, Skeet and Angie were thinking of stealing it, killing her etc. (quite a conflict for Skeet's paladin).

Dawna and Krista made friends w/ the woman...talked to her about he philandering husband, and then spent 15 minutes of real time browbeating me (as the woman) about how that cheap bauble was a symbol of his infidelity, and that she should divorce the jerk, and that they would take it off her hands for 1000 gp so she could get a new start with some young hunk and get rid of the husband who cheated w/ the barmaid. They certainly coinvinced me...and got the stone. I gave them 500 xp each for it. Homewreckers!

A second example was involved the same group. There was a barbarian tribe on the warpath, which forced them to travel through a swamp and avoid the warring tribes. Since they had a druid and a rogue-ranger, they decided to chance it. While in the fens (at 2-3rd level!), they came across a troll den, and encountered 30 trolls...they ran, and while only a few hundred yards ahead of certain death, the came across a wide span of river with a wooden bridge. They ran across. Bryans mage had 1 fireball scroll cast at 7th level. Krista had a flaming sphere spell. Louis had 3 jars of alchemist's fire. Good troll fighting material if you have 1-2 trolls...they instead burned the bridge, delaying the trolls (who now had to swim) and got away. 1000 xp each.

Story awards are alos awarded for setting and accomplishing goals...like making peace w/ the elves in LK, bringing in the heads of the evil highwaymen to the constable, saving the damsel in distress from the red dragon, or solving a difficult puzzle.

I also give out a base minimum of 1/10th of a level of xp each time we play. People learn from poor play (mistakes) as well asa from good play (clever ideas)..I just think that they should not be awarded extra for mistakes.