One nice way to reward PC - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

One nice way to reward PC

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
XIII
Nov 16, 2003 18:53:13 My players were in Icereach hunting a White Dragon that was destroying some of the small Ice barbarians villages.

And so they track it, found is lair, and proceed to the deepest part of the lair to wach it good.

The Dragon aint very big, but its still some 600 yrs old, where is get nice is after they killed it, they searched the lair for treasures... and found so many many many coins.... of GOLD!
of course there were some other goodies, but mainly gold as a treasure since Gold coins were of use when the dragon started is hoard.

I am sure many DM used this one, but i have been delighted by the faces my players gave me =)

Anyone got some other nice mischief like that?

XIII
#2
zombiegleemax
Nov 22, 2003 13:43:51 Give them 20 weapons that are amazing but only if in certain conditions. I think frostreaver or something like that is one example. Or have a mage give them a ton of steel that disappears in an hour. Or a potion of fly but when you use it, you dont stop going up and eventually go into another plane. Last one....make them fight a lot of difficult illusions/dreams (silvanesti WotL) but since they arent really real dont give them experience or treasure.
#3
ferratus
Nov 22, 2003 14:00:39 Just remember, PC's need a certain amount of treasure in order to face up to opponents of their appropriate challenge rating. Refer to you DMG for the amounts of treasure that a PC is expected to have at a certain level. If you under-treasure them, you'll have to give them less powerful monsters as enemies.
#4
zombiegleemax
Nov 22, 2003 16:41:44 That's just mean.

Make them have a dream where they go down a path and then they go down that same path for real. When they realise they are following the dream and start answering too fast, just make them walk into a trap that wasnt in the dream ;D that'd make them look really funny :P
#5
platinumwarlock
Nov 23, 2003 9:31:06 Just as a note:

The dream rules outlined in "The Nightmare Lands" supplement from 2e (and I assume elsewhere, but you never know), suggested giving PCs half the normal value of any XP gained from encounters in a dreamscape.
As such, they shouldn't go completely unrewarded.
#6
zombiegleemax
Nov 23, 2003 10:00:16 I think that half is too much
A warrior can't gain experience in fighting because he never actually fights. He just imagines he fights. They should receive a bonus experience if they realise they are in a dream or something like that. For anything else I think they should receive a lot less. from 1/10 to 1/4 depending on the difficulty of the action in the dream. If it's something they'd never done, 1/4 if it's something they've done lots of times, 1/10.
#7
cam_banks
Nov 23, 2003 11:13:20
Originally posted by lost_boy_84
I think that half is too much
A warrior can't gain experience in fighting because he never actually fights. He just imagines he fights.

Is there a difference between exerting the effort and seeing what appear to be tangible benefits from fighting a dream opponent and fighting a real one? If the dream is especially real, as the nightmare was in Silvanesti, I should think the experience reward should be at least half of what it would be otherwise.

Cheers,
Cam
#8
zombiegleemax
Nov 23, 2003 14:09:29 Experience is supposed to work in the fashion that you gain it when you learn something valuable which would make you a better type of whatever. Fighters learn to fight better, rogues get better at stealing, bards get better at singing, wizards become more powerful spellcasters, and so on.

If during a magical dream you are practicing fighting/spellcasting/whatever against opponents that pose a threat, even if only imagined, you still can learn things. If it's just a dream where stuff happens and they seem not to really be in control of what they do (ie DM reads out 'You dream...'), they shouldn't get xp, but perhaps learn valuable plot related things.

Giving characters no xp or valuable things would defeat the point of the game, although not perhaps roleplay. But it's nice to have an in game mechanic for measuring if you are powerful enough to do certain things, like kill dragons or join the Knights of Solamnia, although the latter is almost certainly easier to do. For some people, at least.
#9
bohica
Nov 23, 2003 21:07:26
Originally posted by lost_boy_84
A warrior can't gain experience in fighting because he never actually fights.

I have to disagree. How do you think the US Military trains?

Bohica

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 XIII Nov 16, 2003 18:53:13	My players were in Icereach hunting a White Dragon that was destroying some of the small Ice barbarians villages. And so they track it, found is lair, and proceed to the deepest part of the lair to wach it good. The Dragon aint very big, but its still some 600 yrs old, where is get nice is after they killed it, they searched the lair for treasures... and found so many many many coins.... of GOLD! of course there were some other goodies, but mainly gold as a treasure since Gold coins were of use when the dragon started is hoard. I am sure many DM used this one, but i have been delighted by the faces my players gave me =) Anyone got some other nice mischief like that? XIII
#2 zombiegleemax Nov 22, 2003 13:43:51	Give them 20 weapons that are amazing but only if in certain conditions. I think frostreaver or something like that is one example. Or have a mage give them a ton of steel that disappears in an hour. Or a potion of fly but when you use it, you dont stop going up and eventually go into another plane. Last one....make them fight a lot of difficult illusions/dreams (silvanesti WotL) but since they arent really real dont give them experience or treasure.
#3 ferratus Nov 22, 2003 14:00:39	Just remember, PC's need a certain amount of treasure in order to face up to opponents of their appropriate challenge rating. Refer to you DMG for the amounts of treasure that a PC is expected to have at a certain level. If you under-treasure them, you'll have to give them less powerful monsters as enemies.
#4 zombiegleemax Nov 22, 2003 16:41:44	That's just mean. Make them have a dream where they go down a path and then they go down that same path for real. When they realise they are following the dream and start answering too fast, just make them walk into a trap that wasnt in the dream ;D that'd make them look really funny :P
#5 platinumwarlock Nov 23, 2003 9:31:06	Just as a note: The dream rules outlined in "The Nightmare Lands" supplement from 2e (and I assume elsewhere, but you never know), suggested giving PCs half the normal value of any XP gained from encounters in a dreamscape. As such, they shouldn't go completely unrewarded.
#6 zombiegleemax Nov 23, 2003 10:00:16	I think that half is too much A warrior can't gain experience in fighting because he never actually fights. He just imagines he fights. They should receive a bonus experience if they realise they are in a dream or something like that. For anything else I think they should receive a lot less. from 1/10 to 1/4 depending on the difficulty of the action in the dream. If it's something they'd never done, 1/4 if it's something they've done lots of times, 1/10.
#7 cam_banks Nov 23, 2003 11:13:20	Originally posted by lost_boy_84 I think that half is too much A warrior can't gain experience in fighting because he never actually fights. He just imagines he fights. Is there a difference between exerting the effort and seeing what appear to be tangible benefits from fighting a dream opponent and fighting a real one? If the dream is especially real, as the nightmare was in Silvanesti, I should think the experience reward should be at least half of what it would be otherwise. Cheers, Cam
#8 zombiegleemax Nov 23, 2003 14:09:29	Experience is supposed to work in the fashion that you gain it when you learn something valuable which would make you a better type of whatever. Fighters learn to fight better, rogues get better at stealing, bards get better at singing, wizards become more powerful spellcasters, and so on. If during a magical dream you are practicing fighting/spellcasting/whatever against opponents that pose a threat, even if only imagined, you still can learn things. If it's just a dream where stuff happens and they seem not to really be in control of what they do (ie DM reads out 'You dream...'), they shouldn't get xp, but perhaps learn valuable plot related things. Giving characters no xp or valuable things would defeat the point of the game, although not perhaps roleplay. But it's nice to have an in game mechanic for measuring if you are powerful enough to do certain things, like kill dragons or join the Knights of Solamnia, although the latter is almost certainly easier to do. For some people, at least.
#9 bohica Nov 23, 2003 21:07:26	Originally posted by lost_boy_84 A warrior can't gain experience in fighting because he never actually fights. I have to disagree. How do you think the US Military trains? Bohica