Scenarios that reward non-combat approaches

[Derek Poppink]

Are there scenarios with encounters that reward taking a non-combat approach more than a combat approach?

I've run several scenarios with encounters that reward taking a combat approach more than a combat approach:

Slave Pits of Absalom:

Act 1 rewards characters who beat up a barkeep and take his stuff

Many Fortunes of Grandmaster Torch:

Act 5 rewards characters who beat up a merchant and take his stuff

The Hydra's Fang Incident:

Act 2 rewards characters who beat up the local guards and take their stuff

When I asked my players for feedback about the campaign, one of them wrote:

"My least favorite moment was

Many Fortunes of Grandmaster Torch:

talking our way out of a fight at that market where we couldn't take our weapons.

It was the moment we were getting experience and gold, and I found out that we were essentially penalized for talking our way out of the situation instead of using violence. I didn't expect an XP bonus for finding a nonviolent solution, obviously, because of the structure in place for giving out XP. And I don't know how to fix this problem.... it was just a bummer that it felt like we were penalized for not fighting. I think just knowing about the gold we missed took me out of the moment."

Now that I think of it, I do remember one counter example:

Tide of Morning:

Act 2 rewards characters who talk to the gnomes rather than beat them up. The group I ran it for was disdainful of the fact that the rewarded item would not have existed if the party had fought them.

[VentrueCapital]

I concur. When I ran Scenario #14 I awarded full XP for handling that encounter without violence, since that's my policy -- I give XP for "overcoming obstacles," not for killing.

[Deussu]

Words of Wisdom, Derek. That reminded me of incident where choosing to fight is beneficial, where as the calm approach is left unrewarded.

Frozen Fingers of Midnight:

Beating up Natalya and taking her stuff rewards the pathfinders heftly by 347 gp.

Black Waters:

Beating up Deris Marlinchen and taking his stuff rewards the pathfinder by 4 gp (yay!).

[Lehmuska]

Deussu wrote:

Frozen Fingers of Midnight::

Beating up Natalya and taking her stuff rewards the pathfinders heftly by 347 gp.

Then again,

Frozen Fingers of Midnight::

Not doing so grants the pathfinders a favor.

[Gotrek22]

I similar thing happened in Slave Pits of Absalom:

Slave Pits of Absalom:

In the grit den our party subdued Fenrick and disarmed/knocked unconscious the den owner. As my character was Lawful I didn't rob him of his earning even though his business was shady. I found it odd that the expectation is that the PCs will loot everything in sight. I guess it was a way to include treasure for an encounter for recovering a guy who for plot purposes couldnt really have money on him.

[Uran Dekan]

I have been in a few games where logical avoidance of fights led to loss of gold and gear.

#14 Many Fortunes of Grandmaster Torch:

My group disabled a monk running away and let him go after getting the MacGuffin. We left without item access because we didn't beat the guy down and take all of his stuff like thugs.

#12 Stay of Execution:

We talked a halfling gang leader out of fighting with us, losing his loot. In the same hour, we refused to kill the gargoyle that was helping the party, so we missed his loot too.

I was a player in both occurrences, so I'm not sure if that is what the adventures say or if the GM was mistaken.

[Mark Moreland]

Lehmuska wrote:

Deussu wrote:

** spoiler omitted **

Then again, ** spoiler omitted **

Frozen Fingers of Midnight:

That, like all other favors, has conditions that prevent it from ever being used!!!