d20 Per-Session Experience
by David Michael
Introduction
Even though I now run Dugeons & Dragons ™ 3rd Edition in my RPG sessions, I have decided not to use d20's rather complex system of awarding XP. Besides finding the d20 system awkward to use, I have never been a fan of kill- or encounter-based Experience Points (XP).
Instead, I've always preferred XP awarded on a "per session" basis. The entire party is awarded XP based on their performance as a group, with individual XP awards to specific players who did a particularly good job. It's easier for me, as GM, and it prevents players from bogging the game session by suddenly "leveling" in the middle of play.
Per-Session Experience Points
Each session of game play should see the characters awarded Experience Points (XP). Each player will receive a "Group Award" and possibly a "Player Award".
The Group Award is given to every player and is based on the level of threat represented by the session and the level of success achieved by the party as a whole. A Player Award is given to particular players individually and is determined by the player's "above average" contribution to the session, role-playing, and overall "entertainment value".
Please note that the XP awards in this article are factored so that a player will go up 1 Level every 2-3 game sessions. If you would like your players to progress faster or slower, you would need to adjust the XP awards to suit.
Group Award
The Group Award represents the bulk of the XP awarded to each player, as they all went through the session together. Level of Threat refers to whether the session was Easy, Below Average, Average, Above Average, or Difficult. Level of Success means whether the players performed Poorly, Below Average, Average, Above Average, or Exceptionally. It's assumed that most sessions will have an "Average" Level of Threat and "Average" Level of Success.
Level of Threat is awarded separately from Level of Success, because the two could be very different. For instance, the party may not do too well (Below Average Level of Success), but the adventure they were on was tougher than they're used to (Above Average Level of Threat).
Table: Level of Threat
| Level of Threat | XP Award per Level |
| Difficult | 300 XP |
| Above Average | 250 XP |
| Average | 200 XP |
| Below Average | 150 XP |
| Easy | 100 XP |
Table: Level of Success
| Level of Success | XP Award per Level |
| Exceptional | 300 XP |
| Above Average | 250 XP |
| Average | 200 XP |
| Below Average | 150 XP |
| Poor | 100 XP |
The following table shows both Level of Threat and Level of Success, with XP awards factored according to average player level of the party:
Table: XP by Party Level
| Level of Threat/Level of Success | |||||
| Party Level | Easy/ Poor | Below Average | Average | Above Average | Exceptional/ Difficult |
| 1 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 | 300 |
| 2 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 | 600 |
| 3 | 300 | 450 | 600 | 750 | 900 |
| 4 | 400 | 600 | 800 | 1000 | 1200 |
| 5 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 1250 | 1500 |
| 6 | 600 | 900 | 1200 | 1500 | 1800 |
| 7 | 700 | 1050 | 1400 | 1750 | 2100 |
| 8 | 800 | 1200 | 1600 | 2000 | 2400 |
| 9 | 900 | 1350 | 1800 | 2250 | 2700 |
| 10 | 1000 | 1500 | 2000 | 2500 | 3000 |
| 11 | 1100 | 1650 | 2200 | 2750 | 3300 |
| 12 | 1200 | 1800 | 2400 | 3000 | 3600 |
| 13 | 1300 | 1950 | 2600 | 3250 | 3900 |
| 14 | 1400 | 2100 | 2800 | 3500 | 4200 |
| 15 | 1500 | 2250 | 3000 | 3750 | 4500 |
| 16 | 1600 | 2400 | 3200 | 4000 | 4800 |
| 17 | 1700 | 2550 | 3400 | 4250 | 5100 |
| 18 | 1800 | 2700 | 3600 | 4500 | 5400 |
| 19 | 1900 | 2850 | 3800 | 4750 | 5700 |
| 20 | 2000 | 3000 | 4000 | 5000 | 6000 |
For example, a party of 4th-level characters has finished up for the night. The GM decides that the adventure was average (800 XP), but that the players did an above average job (1000 XP). So the party is given a Group Award of 1800 XP.
Player Awards
Player Awards are more subjective than Group Awards, and are intended to promote participation with in the group and role-playing. Player Awards should be given to players who go "above and beyond" the norm. Usually this means that only 1 or 2 players will get a Player Award in a given session. A Player Award should be 50 XP or 100 XP per Level, depending on the nature of their contribution to the session.
Not every session will see a Player Award given out, though you could optionally choose a "Most Valuable Player" each session to receive an award. A side-effect of awarding an MVP each session is that it could help keep you aware of which players are participating, and to what extent. You could then tailor your adventures to better include the players who are not participating as much, and possibly not enjoying the sessions as much as they could be.
Player Awards don't have to be given out at the end of the session. Giving out a Player Award immediately will make that much more of an impression on the player, and be that much more encouraging in the long run.
| Player Level | Exceptional | Damn, You're Good |
| 1 | 50 | 100 |
| 2 | 100 | 200 |
| 3 | 150 | 300 |
| 4 | 200 | 400 |
| 5 | 250 | 500 |
| 6 | 300 | 600 |
| 7 | 350 | 700 |
| 8 | 400 | 800 |
| 9 | 450 | 900 |
| 10 | 500 | 1000 |
| 11 | 550 | 1100 |
| 12 | 600 | 1200 |
| 13 | 650 | 1300 |
| 14 | 700 | 1400 |
| 15 | 750 | 1500 |
| 16 | 800 | 1600 |
| 17 | 850 | 1700 |
| 18 | 900 | 1800 |
| 19 | 950 | 1900 |
| 20 | 1000 | 2000 |
Conclusion
I have found per-session XP awards to be very useful in my years of running RPGs. If you are like me and found that d20's "encounter levels" based on "creature levels" and number of creatures, compared against player level and awarded after each "enounter" to be...well...odd and a bit confusing, I hope this article provides a useful alternative for you.
David Michael is co-owner of Samu Games, a game company focusing on Internet-based multi-player games, and developer of The Journal. David has been gaming, both as a player and a game master, since 1989. He can be reached at davidrm@samugames.com for comments about this article.