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I am sure questions have been asked like this before, but I haven't been able to find a definate answer in my search. Do non-combat "encounters" with listed CRs like The Shopkeeper's Daughter in Burnt Offerings reward xp equal to an encounter of that CR?
Most encounters like that have a "Story Award" listed at the end of their section, saying to grant XP as if they defeated the person they were interacting with in combat or something. For example, the enconuter you mentioned lists a Story Award at the end of the description of the encounter for completing it in a certain way. So, generally, I'd go with a big "Yes!"
Generally I'd go with a "No." If they say they grant XP, they do. Otherwise, they don't. You can't meet a friendly Great Wyrm Gold Dragon and get the same experience as if you'd defeated it in combat.
Even if you're level 1 and the gold dragon has no reason to harm you? My rule of thumb is that experience is for solving problems and surviving dangers. If you recruit a dragon to your cause, sure, have a load of XP. But I wouldn't award XP for everyone you meet at a party as though you'd slain them in battle.
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Even if you're level 1 and the gold dragon has no reason to harm you? My rule of thumb is that experience is for solving problems and surviving dangers. If you recruit a dragon to your cause, sure, have a load of XP. But I wouldn't award XP for everyone you meet at a party as though you'd slain them in battle.
Obviously, if there's no challenge, you shouldn't get XP. A fight with a monster is obvious... but for a diplomatic challenge, something with a great wyrm gold dragon would involve the PCs needing to make a lot of really high DC skill checks and the like. They won't be able to kill a dragon any more than talk it out of something if they're first level, and so you as the GM should not throw them into that type of encounter.
On the other hand, an interaction with a friendly gold dragon that just wants to chat with you when your group is 1st level could be a fun and unusual encounter... but it's not one that uses the dragon's stats at all. As such, it should instead just hand out XP as a story award appropriate to the level. 400 XP is good for 1st level.
Generally I'd go with a "No." If they say they grant XP, they do. Otherwise, they don't. You can't meet a friendly Great Wyrm Gold Dragon and get the same experience as if you'd defeated it in combat.
hence murderhobos! killing guys and taking their stuff, after all the xp can't be gaind by talking. I mean a diplomat dedicated to keeping peace between two nations that want to kill each other and is level 7 lets say, he is a grand advisor dude. That must have been a good number of things he slaughtered despite not being a guy to fight others. :P
sillyness aside, I will go with A HELL YES here. If you are a player in my game and you manage to convience a band of orcs to not kill you and attack the village, a very difficult feat but possible. then you might get as much if not more xp if you were to kill them.
of course I despise hack and slash, and prefer Immersive games. So what I give exp out for are things that are well experinces, not just killing things. Obviously if you don't learn much from one thing, less you get. but some things can be just as important that do not involve killing.