PC exp difference...

[Sajiena]

Hi guys,

Intro:
I've had a pretty decent grp for my campaign. 6 Players and myself. An evening was planned when 4 or more ppl were Present. Due to Corona Lockdown I lost some of the players. (they did not like it via videocall and we can't (legally) meet in person.

The Problem:
My grp had high differences in exp, because sometimes ppl were not present and did not gain exp. Now I only got 4 Players left and one is far behing the others. While the Barb, Mage and Rogue (yeah mainstream) are all about to hit lvl 11 @ the end of my current dungeon. The Oracle on the other hand will barely reach lvl 9. The chances are pretty high that she also failed to write down exp from time to time. Because she keeps falling behind even though she gains more exp.

My failed attempt:
My first idea was to set the whole grp to lvl 11 after the dungeon, but our Rogue felt overlooked. Because the Oracle used some exp (~3.6k at that time) to gain a special pet that gives her a constant ablility bonus.(+2cha +2con) This pet on the other hand was designed to balance her a bit because she was (on average) 2-4 points lower than the rest of the grp.

Anyone got a good solution on how to solve this?

PS: I've chose homebrew because every solution is welcome

[yukongil]

what do you mean she used some exp? She spent 3.6k to gain an ability boost?

XP expenditures don't exist anymore in Pathfinder, but if you're doing something like that, then while that doesn't account for the gulf between 9th and 11th, that is not a little chunk of xp to have spent.

I don't really like XP differences in PCs because of situations like this, I prefer to reward attendance with other types of boons/items. So maybe let everyone be 11th, but either dock her some loot, or give the other 3 some xtras (I'd vote for the later, just don't give any stat or enhancement boosting items, instead pick out some fun and flavorful wondrous items that they could use inventively, or maybe a special mark/tattoo that casts some useful spell 1/day if they are the type to immediately try and hock the wondrous item and buy a new sword that is more powerful than they should have)

[SheepishEidolon]

Same XP and level for everyone worked pretty well for my group. It reduces the bookkeeping and nobody feels at a disadvantage. Some other GMs do away with XP completely and instead offer level ups when they feel it's appropriate.

You could go either way. I agree with yukongil about giving the three others something extra. Though, depending on their mindset, they might want the same kind of boon as the oracle (two +2s to important stats). You could roll with that, since such a boon is not that strong anymore at level 11.

Keep it fair to avoid sour players. In doubt ask them about their opinions and wishes - if they are introverted, rather do so in private. You don't have to fulfill every wish, but (customer service wisdom) it's important they feel you care and at least consider their thoughts.

[Firebug]

D&D 3rd edition got around this problem with the whole 'xp is a river' thing. Basically, if you were a lower level, you got more XP per CR than someone who was higher.

For example: Party of 4, 3 level 10s and 1 level 8. They fights a CR 11 and win. The chart shows that a level 10 would get 4500 xp divided by the number of group members(4), so 1125 xp. The level 8 would get 7200 xp divide by the number of group members(4), so 1800. In a couple of levels, everyone is roughly the same level again. The only weird thing about it, is if you do the same thing with large chunks of XP, and someone is just shy of leveling where everyone else had just leveled. Very corner case though.

Pathfinder did away variable XP rewards because it made more work for the GM and was confusing for the players.

The way I run XP at my table is that there is a single XP total for the party, no matter who shows up. So everyone levels at the same time, and only 1 person needs to track the XP. But you only get a share of the loot that drops when you do show up. So if someone new shows up, they are the same level as everyone else, and if someone dies it's just a penalty.

[Gilfalas]

Here is my suggestion:

Check the characters and see who has the most attribute points in total on their character. Allow the other players to add points to their stats until they have the same total on their characters. That way everyone has equal stat potentials (for the most part) and no one is behind others in the group.

Then just set the XP for all characters equal to the XP of the character with the most XP. The policy of penalizing people for not being able to make games is TERRIBLE. Stop doing it.

Having everyone have the same XP means less book keeping and less stress for EVERYONE. The problem your asking for help on is one of your own making, so get rid of the policy. Our group used to do this 20 years agao and got rid of it since real life needs to be dealt with and that sometimes means a PLAYER missing a game. But the CHARACTER is still there and would still be learning in the setting from actions.

[Dragonborn3]

There is also Paizo's own rule for catching up on experience. Use this and when someone misses a session their characters can still gain experience.

[TxSam88]

Keep all party members at the same level all the time. use this via either milestone leveling or giving people XP even when not at the session.

[Sysryke]

I'm with the keep everybody on an even level crew. Bringing up your lag player is a bit tricky, but you've been given some good recommendations for that.

Something my group does is award what we are currently calling bonus points (star points?), I forgot, doesn't matter. Basically, when someone does something funny, cool, dazzling, epic, or otherwise entertaining, the GM can award them a point. All characters get to save these points in a pool. In later sessions they can spend the points as a free action to boost any roll. Similarish to how hero points work. Basically it's a reward for good playing, and obviously can't be earned if one isn't present. But, this system doesn't give any long term advantage to any one player over the others.

[Warped Savant]

Keep everyone at the same level. If someone has to miss a session they shouldn't be punished for it because either A) they had no choice and weren't able to make it or B) they'd rather be doing something else and don't really enjoy the game.
If it's "A" why would you punish them for real life getting in the way?
If it's "B" they aren't really enjoying the game so being lower level than everyone else will either exacerbate the problem or it won't change their behaviour because they don't care about the game.

Either way, it's not making things any better for anyone.

[HighLordNiteshade]

tl;dr - As others have recommended, I'm doing away with XP and the party is going to level-up as a group when they reach certain points in the campaign.

As a hold-over from 3.5, I used to do all sorts of XP awards...you got bonus points for attendance, for keeping a journal, for coming up with a unique idea that benefited the party, etc. It was a huge pain, because while some items were objective (attendance) other were subjective (was that idea truly unique?). And as others pointed out, even objective measures could be unfair (someone missed a game because they were on-call, or an EMT, or caring for a sick relative vs. just not feeling it that day). As a result, the more involved/active players were always a level (or sometimes 2) higher than the rest of the party. I also had a rule where if a new member joined they were a level behind the lowest member of the party, to discourage suicidal actions if someone just wanted to make a new character (by intentionally killing off the old...a story for another time). ANYWAY, it seemed to create some strong feelings on both sides...the hyper-involved wanted to know why they didn't have MORE bonus XP, the low-involved got mad they were falling behind, and the middle group kept wanting to argue over how much their actions helped the party to get those subjective points.

I'm running Curse of the Crimson Throne next, and I've decided I'm doing away with XP. The whole party will just level up at the points in the AP when they are supposed to be at a certain level. I'm going to use hero points or some other method (still to be fleshed out) to reward party members, and I am going to keep it as objective and fair as possible.

[Ishkakwqui]

I find my players enjoy XP more than levelling where appropriate for an adventure or AP because they can see a number go up and when they will level ahead of time. But I think a communal XP total that's the same for all players is the way to go. For my next campaign, I plan on running it at slow advancement, but making sure to still award XP for RP encounters and acts of service, like keeping a journal—as long as the XP reward is then applied to the communal XP total and not to an individual player or character's XP total.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Awarding XP has the advantage that players can anticipate upcoming leveling and proactively begin planning their build choices for next level. Pre-set interval leveling has the advantage that the entire party advances together generally and it is another tool in the hands of the GM to modulate the pacing of the campaign.

I personally still award XP b/c frankly my players have requested it. For as methodical and mechanical as my players are, I have the feeling they make tweaks to their builds by level; most think real hard about what they want at level 1, figure out what class abilities/archetypes they want for the long haul, then stop there.

If the players WANT variable levels and random chunks of XP, give that to them. Otherwise, I'd suggest keeping all PCs around the same level of XP over the course of a campaign. It simply easier bookkeeping and short-circuits any debate of what one player feels owed vs another and so on.

[Ryze Kuja]

I used to use Exp, and then about 6-7 years ago I switched to storyline-based "Milestone" leveling, and I'm never going back.

Milestone-leveling is easy, there's no bookkeeping for me or the PC's whatsoever, and doesn't incentivize murderhoboing and rabbit-kicking in the slightest, but rather incentivizes the party to stay on task with driving forward with the story. Its win win win win.

[Goth Guru]

If someone was not in attendance, give them XP and other perks for down time activities. If they went to a funeral, roll on a random inheritance table(there's one around here somewhere). If they work as a longshoreman, any ability bonuses for level increases will be in strength. All the skill increases go into the profession and or art that was practiced.