Rewards
From The Hidden Room
Expedition XP
- An expedition ends when you return to relatively-safe civilization (or in an urban adventure, after you're clear of immediate repercussions).
- All XP is tallied for the expedition, then divided among the PCs (1 share each) and NPC companions (1/2 share each).
- Companions are those who face danger on a roughly equal footing to the PCs. Camp guards, porters, and other hirelings don't get a share.
Treasure
- As a base, gain 1 XP per 1 GP of treasure retrieved during your expedition.
- A site's danger level provides a risk multiplier, which is applied to all treasured gained on that expedition (XP = GP x risk multiplier).
- Treasure means loot gained from facing monsters, traps, and other dangers or hardships, including heist loot and rewards paid for facing danger in pursuit of some goal.
- Mundane arms, armor, and other gear does not count as treasure for XP, but can be sold for money. Ornate gear (jeweled daggers, inlaid armor, etc) does count as treasure.
- Magic items do not grant XP; they can be sold for cash or kept.
- Item values may be inflated with "non-XP-bearing wealth" (such as from haggling up from the base price).
- The monetary value of any treasure can be divided as desired. Items may be kept as trophies instead of selling them, without affecting the XP awarded.
Defeating Enemies
- Defeated enemies can be slain, captured, or comprehensively driven off. Their XP is added to the expedition pot and divided at the end (it is not affected by the risk multiplier).
- Each individual monster defeated grants an XP amount based on its level and presence of special abilities (base XP + XP per significant ability).
- <1) 5 + 1
- 1) 10 + 3
- 1+) 15 + 6
- 2) 20 + 9
- 2+) 35 + 12
- 3) 50 + 15
- 3+) 65 + 35
- 4) 80 + 55
- 4+) 140 + 75
- 5) 200 + 150
- 5+) 260 + 200
- 6) 320 + 250
- 6+) 380 + 300
- 7) 440 + 350
- 7+) 500 + 400
- 8) 600 + 500
- 9) 700 + 600
- 10) 850 + 700
- 11) 1,000 + 800
- 12) 1,200 + 900
- 13) 1,400 + 1,000
- 14) 1,600 + 1,100
- 15) 1,800 + 1,200
- 16) 2,000 + 1,300
- 17) 2,200 + 1,400
- 18) 2,400 + 1,500
- 19) 2,600 + 1,600
- 20) 2,800 + 1,800
- 21) 3,000 + 2,000
- +250 + 250 per level beyond 21
Carousing
- After a triumphant expedition, you can "waste" money on a variety of celebratory activities. The settlement must be large / significant enough to provide the resources for your carousing.
- A triumph is any expedition you return from having at least met your quota, or simply surviving at all if your character level was below the site's risk tier.
- The exact form of carousing can suit your character's personality and interests.
- Indulging in sex, drugs, gambling, feasting, and/or rock-and-roll. Decking yourself out in finery, eating the choicest delicacies, and consuming conspicuously. Schmooze with the highest status folk you can access, attending or hosting events. Donating to religion, ideology, affiliation, or charity.
- You must spend at least 100 gp carousing for it to be worthy of the name, and can spend up to (level x 500 gp).
- Roll 2d6...
- 6-: Bane: trouble or complications arise from your carousing. You get no XP and the DM rolls a complication.
- If a Bane forces you to spend additional money, and you can't cover it, roll an additional Bane or go in to debt to someone you'd rather not owe.
- 7-9: All's Well: you get (GP x expedition's risk multiplier) XP, and everything goes smoothly.
- On a double 4: you get your XP and both a Boon and a Bane.
- 10+: Boon: you get your XP and the DM rolls a positive event.
- 6-: Bane: trouble or complications arise from your carousing. You get no XP and the DM rolls a complication.
Funeral Rites
- If a party-member or favored companion dies and their body is returned to civilization and they may be laid to rest in suitably lavish style.
- Add XP to the expedition's total for the GP value spent on the funeral, wake, etc, up to the amount the deceased would have earned if they had survived, including the risk multiplier. Roll for a Boon / Bane as if Carousing, but the XP is never lost, even on a Bane.
- The rites may be used as the basis for individual Carousing. This costs individual money and grants individual XP as normal.
- If the expedition wasn't a success, the funeral rites still allow for carousing. If it was a success, take +1 to the roll.
Other XP
Experiences
- Witnessing, learning, and experiencing things of note grants small, individual XP awards (not divided among the group; each PC will earn the same award, if they're all involved).
- Encountering unknown monsters, climbing notable mountains, sticking your noses into dream bubbles, licking the frog-god, rescuing / doing favors for NPCs, etc.
- An experience without real danger, cost, or hardship grants 1% of current level's base XP.
- E.g. if you're 4th level, the min xp for 4th level is 8000, so a basic experience is worth 80 xp.
- If there's danger or greater significance, you may earn a multiple (2%, 3%, 5%, etc) of the base amount.
Faction Defeat
- Factions (cults, bandit gangs, noble houses, etc) have a character level, representing their overall power. Winning them as firm allies, or thoroughly trouncing, them awards the base XP value of that level, divided among the PCs.
- E.g a 4th level bandit gang would be worth 8000 xp if defeated in detail or you won their full allegiance.
- Less complete defeats / alliances are worth a smaller portion of the total.
- You earn monster xp from individual kills as usual, but the faction XP is awarded when they are dispersed as a group or their big scheme is thwarted, which doesn't have to include killing everyone involved.
- Some factions may have sub-factions for ease of book-keeping.
- E.g. a big cult might be level 8, but the local branch you're fighting is level 4, and can be dealt with independently.
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- Discoveries: treasure-like blocks of xp divided among the party for making big discoveries / solving puzzles / solving mysteries.