New GM Question about rewards language on published adventures.

[wc5b]

I am starting a group up and have not GM'd in many years. Since Highschool and I am in my 40's now. I plan to use published adventures like AP's and Society scenarios so I can present this new group to tried and true stories and hooks.

I am trying to clarify rewards as described in Paizo official adventures. When it says award the group with xxx XP, is that split or per PC? Same question goes for currency and items. When it says something like "presents PC's xxx "currency" from doing X and a X item, is this to EACH PC or to be split between them? Does this change depending on if AP content or Society Scenario.

I don't want to provide exact examples due to spoilers. Can anyone clarify how and when to tell the difference when a reward is intended to be split or given to each PC?

[Belafon]

For modules and Adventure Paths, the listed experience is a group award that is split among the PCs. (A mechanic which handily balances out the challenge by having large groups level slower and small groups level faster.)

Pathfinder Society uses its own rules for leveling (each PC gets 1 point per adventure, 3 points to level) and therefore doesn't provide direct xp per encounter. If you use PFS scenarios as part of a home game you'll need to go the Core Rulebook and figure out how much XP an encounter of the listed CR is worth.

Ditto for the currency. In modules and APs, it's a group award unless it specifically says something like "awards each of the PCs XXX." PFS scenarios are based on a fixed amount of gold per scenario for each character (as given on the chronicle sheet at the end).

Flagged for movement to general discussion.

[wc5b]

Ok, so I guess where my confusion is when it sorta mentions both. Such as in the Outcome after Mission 1 in The Commencement SFS #1-01:

Reward:

Laboni presents the PCs with a set of graphite carbon skin armor and 400 credits from the race's prize pool. I read that as a total of 1 piece of armor and 400 credits to be split up between the PC's. But in the next paragraph under rewards it mentions if the PC's fall short, that it reduces "each" PC's credits earned by 185 or 90. Does this mean that they actually should be getting 400 each? If that is the case, are they also each getting the armor?

[BigNorseWolf]

wc5b wrote:

Ok, so I guess where my confusion is when it sorta mentions both. Such as in the Outcome after Mission 1 in The Commencement SFS #1-01:

** spoiler omitted **

NPC in question presents cool armor: it will probably be on the chronicle sheet, being on the chronicle sheet means you can buy it sooner or even if you have infamy. If the party flubs the mission, the DM should cross that off the chronicle sheet

NPC in question showers you with cash: this winds up as part of your credits earned for the scenario. If the PCs flub this part, it's already accounted for with the "if the PCs crash and burn like a dumpster fire on wheels they lose this much..."

Wow, there’s a lot of stuff on this chronicle, I’m rich!

Whoa there

The credits you get from the scenario is on the upper right hand side. This is usually your reward. This amount assumes that your party took everything back to Absolom station, sold it and divied up the loot.

Just about everything else on the chronicle sheet merely provides slightly earlier access to the item, not the item itself.

[wc5b]

Ah! Ok, I get it now. Thank you. That was the key to my head scratching.