CR too low to give experience

[Grigor Umlich]

In 3.5 once past a certain level, I believe 5 levels or more, opponents with low CRs no longer gave experience. Is that still the case? I can't seem to find a reference in the rules.

[cannon fodder]

Gamemastering section - Awarding Experience:

prd wrote:

Awarding Experience

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game characters advance in level by defeating monsters, overcoming challenges, and completing adventures—in so doing, they earn experience points (XP for short). Although you can award experience points as soon as a challenge is overcome, this can quickly disrupt the flow of game play. It's easier to simply award experience points at the end of a game session—that way, if a character earns enough XP to gain a level, he won't disrupt the game while he levels up his character. He can instead take the time between game sessions to do that.

Keep a list of the CRs of all the monsters, traps, obstacles, and roleplaying encounters the PCs overcome. At the end of each session, award XP to each PC that participated. Each monster, trap, and obstacle awards a set amount of XP, as determined by its CR, regardless of the level of the party in relation to the challenge, although you should never bother awarding XP for challenges that have a CR of 10 or more lower than the APL. Pure roleplaying encounters generally have a CR equal to the average level of the party (although particularly easy or difficult roleplaying encounters might be one higher or lower). There are two methods for awarding XP. While one is more exact, it requires a calculator for ease of use. The other is slightly more abstract.

[Brf]

In 3.5, the experience chart was 2-D, so different experience was given, depending on the level difference between the players and their victims. That type of chart is not used in PF.

[Lincoln Hills]

Brf has given you a good answer right there (although not the rules-as-written one); as soon as you stop thinking of the NPCs in a combat as 'threats' and start thinking of them as 'victims', you should probably stop doling out XP for them. ;)

[Grigor Umlich]

Agreed. I'm running an E6 game, and the party just ran a dungeon absolutely owning the CR2 skeletal warriors found therein. I am letting them have Exp for them, but will probably start pulling back any Exp from something that wasn't a real threat. Not that it matters too much, seeing as how they just hit level 6. ;)