A System based upon actual Damage Done
Or activities successfully completed
With modifications for the strength of the opponent(s),
As used in the Darlethian Millenium

The heart of this system is a record kept by the DM of the number of
points of damage done in combat by a player. This is done on a
worksheet and is recorded as it occurs.

The advantage of this system is that it rewards efforts in a manner
based upon their degree of success. It proportionally rewards those who
participate in combat without regard to who delivers the coup de grace.
This system also allows for the differences between individuals of the
same type of monster or class. For example, the experience for slaying
in single combat a 2-hit-point Orc would only be 1/3 of that for doing so
to a 6-hit-point Orc. Similarly, a really gigantic Dragon (or powerful
Patriarch) slain would be even more rewarding.

Two further modifications are needed. The first of these is designed
to take into account the greater risk posed by certain creatures. A
magic-using or enchanted opponent is more dangerous, so the point
value needs to be greater than for a less formidable opponent with an
equal number of hit points. Otherwise, a Black Pudding and an Ogre
Magi, for instance, could be the same value. Enchanted or magic-using
creatures have a base value of 10 EPs rather than the normal 5 per hit
point.

The second modification takes into account the difficulty that is
faced in hitting an opponent with a low Armor Class. The Armor Class is
compensated for by subtracting the class from 10 (treating minus values
as such: 10 - 2 = 12). The resulting number is then multiplied by the
creature’s base AC to determine the exact number of points awarded
per hit. For example, an AC6 Orc with five hit points is slain by Beowolf
Schaefer. The base per point is 5, which is then multiplied by 4 (10
minus 6) for a total of 20 EPs per hit point. Since the Orc had five hit
points, Beowolf gains 100 EPs from the battle.

Later that day, Beowolf is feeling brave and takes on a Troll. Since
the Troll has a magical ability (regeneration) it has a base of 10 points.
This was a big Troll with 34 hit points and AC5. Each point of damage
done will be worth 50 points of experience. Beowolf would receive
1700 points for singlehandedly slaying the Troll. (It is up to the DM
whether or not to reward experience points for redamaging regenerated
hit points. )

Unfortunately, Beowolf was only third level and after a few melee
rounds was down to three hit points himself. He chose to flee having
only hit once for six points of damage. At 50 points per hit, he gained
300 EPs for his efforts. After all, we learn also from failure (he’ll never
pick on Trolls again, you can bet). And Beowolf learned something
about how to fight Trolls again should he be forced to.

You can learn from failure, if you live to think about it. It is unrealistic
to reward only complete success. Therefore, a player can gain experience
even if a creature is not slain. If a first-level halfling Thief lives to
tell of sticking a Red Dragon with his dagger, he deserves some experience,
doesn’t he?

The other way in which experience can be gained immediately in
this campaign is in the use of magic. Successfully using magic does add
to the store of experience of a Magic-User or Cleric. This is especially
realistic in a combat or adventuring situation when rapid decisions
would be necessary. To reflect this, the following Experience Points are
granted:

    10 pts x spell level if used during a melee
    5 pts x spell level if used when in hostile surroundings
    0 points at all other times

Summary of Experience Point calculations:
For enchanted or magical monsters, players receive
10 EP for each point of damage they inflict,
multiplied by the difference between the monster’s AC
and 10.

For non-magical monsters, players receive a base of
5 EP per point of damage done, with the same
multiplier.

Special Experience for Magic-Users, Clerics:
For spell casting in melee situation, player receives
10 EP x level of spell.

For spell casting in hostile environment, player receives
5 EP x level of spell.

For spell casting in friendly environment, NO
award.

Party Experience
Party Experience has evolved into several different programs in this
campaign as the sophistication of the players increased. The purpose of
party experience is to compensate lower-level characters for what they
would learn when traveling with more powerful players or from marginally
participating in battles with creatures that they would individually
be unable to cope with.

The first system consists of merely totaling the experience gained by
all of the characters in the adventure and then dividing it evenly. The
individual players then divide their totals by the level they are at.
First-level characters then would receive all, second levels half, third
levels a third, etc. This system tends to be a quick boost for players with
characters in the lower levels and provides little reward to those who
have progressed into levels higher than third. It works best in campaigns
with a large number of new players or in those campaigns that are
particularly bloody and so have players rolling up new characters fairly
often.

The second system also takes into account the total damage done by
the party on the adventure, but requires more bookkeeping in exchange
for a further step towards reality. In this system, each group of players
will receive as party experience the total, once again divided by their
level, of all the experience gained by their type of character (Fighters,
Magic-Users, Clerics, Monks, etc.) only. This is intended to take into
effect the fact that a Magic-User would learn little from watching some
musclebound Fighter pounding on a hapless Orc. The Magic-User then
would tend to attach himself to parties that contain others of his ilk
whom he can observe and copy. The cleric here presented some extra
problems since he is a hybrid between the fighter and a more mystical
type. Half experience for all points gained by fighters or clerics in
physical combat was the eventual solution, but was not entirely
satisfactory.

The third system was introduced with the appearance of the DMG.
This system involved rewarding party experience only for those creatures
which were killed in combat with the players. Since the level of
sophistication of those in the campaign has increased, it is less generous
than the systems used earlier. A side total of 20 points per hit die for
every creature slain is kept This is easily done in the last column of the
record sheet. Added to this total is the Experience Point value of any
magic items obtained (and recognized) by the party during the adventure.
This total was not divided by any factors. One group uses this
system with gold also included, but on occasion the result has been an
unwarranted windfall when unusually large numbers of gold pieces
were rolled for wandering monsters. Another Dungeon Master felt the
system was not generous enough and awarded 25 points per die.

An interesting practice evolved as the party experience system
developed. Higher-level characters, whose parties were able to slay
larger monsters and were likely to obtain more treasures, began demanding
a larger share of the party loot, or their choice of magic items.
This was not discouraged, as it lead to an entertaining degree of realistic
bargaining.

One problem with both the standard system and the alternates that
this writer has dealt with has been the handling of the Thief’s receiving
experience for gold he has stolen. This assumes you don’t reward points
for gold obtained by other character classes. Due to this unique nature, it
seems to be very appropriate to reward experience on the basis of the
success of a Thief’s larcenous actions, but in deciding when this is
appropriate beyond a single picked pocket can lead to confusion.

Where this method is used, many thieves are rewarded for gold only
when they are able to fool or pilfer from the party a larger-than-normal
share. (“Gee, it’s practically empty, fellas.” Clink, clink) A problem
arises with whether points should be given for gold gained by the
ambush of an NPC or player, above the experience obtained for the
damage done. Even a deeper Pandora’s box is opened if a Thief is
rewarded with the points for gold gained by any of his other thieving
abilities. Say, for the lock to a chest being picked after the Fighters have
dispatched its guardian. All in all, the problem seems far from resolution.

Once you have moderately experienced players, a minor addition
to the system adds a little more spice to the game. This is simply a rule
that if a character is killed, the shock to his psyche is so great that even if
he is raised, all memories will be lost and with them all experience from
that entire adventure.