bounties, quests, and XP application to higher level characters


Pathfinder Society

1/5 **

After discussion with our local VC, I'm a bit baffled and not sure I understand how the application of experience works with bounties and quests. If you play a pregenerated character at a table for a bounty, can't you apply that experience to a higher level character of your own, using your character's level for appropriate treasure? If not, then your character can be stuck at an odd experience amount if they played three bounties in games at 1st level, and then played in other games and leveled up before getting that 1 XP from a fourth bounty. Your character is then always stuck at 1 XP less than leveling up if you can't play a pregen for a low level bounty or quest to apply as catchup to the 4 XP per scenario standard.

Dark Archive 4/5 *** Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Turku

steelhead wrote:
After discussion with our local VC, I'm a bit baffled and not sure I understand how the application of experience works with bounties and quests. If you play a pregenerated character at a table for a bounty, can't you apply that experience to a higher level character of your own, using your character's level for appropriate treasure? If not, then your character can be stuck at an odd experience amount if they played three bounties in games at 1st level, and then played in other games and leveled up before getting that 1 XP from a fourth bounty. Your character is then always stuck at 1 XP less than leveling up if you can't play a pregen for a low level bounty or quest to apply as catchup to the 4 XP per scenario standard.

Your local Venture officer is correct: If you play a pregenerated character at a table (be it a bounty, quest, or a scenario), you can only apply the chronicle sheet to: a character that is lower level, or a 1st level character.

If you apply it to a 1st level character, the rewards get downgraded to level 1.
If you apply it to a lower level character (such as playing a level 3 pregen in a level 3-6 adventure and your own character is level 2, you'll have to set the chronicle sheet aside: you will get level 3 rewards (including the xp) for it, but only after your own character reaches level 3. There are quests that give 1 xp to a level 1-4 (or 3-6) character though, so you can catch up with one of those.

It is true that if you play 3 bounties at level 1 and then play three scenarios, your character will always be at an odd number of xp: But, it still takes 3 scenarios to level up, so your character effectively has 3 bounties worth of extra gold.

I've spoilered below the wall of text that goes a bit deeper into the math of doing bounties, but the short answer is that you should: either get 12 xp each level, OR if you happen to get an odd number of XP, play only 4xp scenarios afterwards to keep ahead in the gold.

Spoiler:
A character that played 3 scenarios would be level 2 and probably has 3x14+15=57gp, while your character would have 3x4+3x14+15 = 69gp, while in practice both characters are exact at the same point: At the start of level 2, with 3 scenarios needed to level up.

If you do want to catch up in XP, you can do so by playing a level 3 bounty at level 3, or playing one of the quests - there are some repeatable level 1-4 quests that give 1 xp, and there's a level 3-6 quest that's also repeatable. You could also play a scenario at slow XP, gaining just 2 xp instead of four - then you'd have just "one extra xp" instead of 3 as you'd jump from level 2 and 11 exp to level 3 and 1 xp.

Note, however, that 'catching up' actually loses you some gold: In the example, you've played three bounties and three scenarios: You're level 2 with 3 xp and 69 gp. If you play three scenarios at level 2, you get 3x22gp = 66gp more, reaching level 3 and 3 xp, with total wealth of 135gp. Your friend who skipped the bounties (or played 4 bounties and 2 scenarios) has roughly 57gp when they reach level 2, and after 3 more scenarios, they also level up to 3 and now have 57+66=123gp, 12gp less than you.
However, if you do end up playing a quest at level 2 to catch up that 1 xp, you'll end up with: 69+5,5gp, at level 2 and 4 xp. Then you play 2 scenarios to reach level 3, and you get 2x22 gp = ending at 118,5gp, 4,5gp less than your friend who only played sceanrios / played 4 bounties at level 1.

Sovereign Court 3/5 **** Venture-Agent, Ohio—Columbus

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Some people call this “Bounty Jail”. It’s one of the reasons that I stay away from bounties myself.

The new “Series 2” quests are 2 xp at least. That’s a little easier to manage.

Grand Lodge **

I'm not clear on why having a little extra gold is considered "jail."

Sovereign Court 3/5 **** Venture-Agent, Ohio—Columbus

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Super Zero wrote:
I'm not clear on why having a little extra gold is considered "jail."

For one, it’s annoying to some to have a few extraneous xp hanging around all the time. For second, if for some reason you correct it at a later level (e.g. a Dark archive adventure on slow mode) to even out your xp, then you actually have less gold than another pc who played only scenarios (at 4xp apiece). Tomppa explains this in the spoilered portion of their post.

Scarab Sages 4/5 5/55/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Australia—NSW—Greater West

Although, there is a little solution past 1st level, as some of the older 1xp quests were replayable, including 1 in the 3-6 tier, and there are also 4 3rd level quests.

Scarab Sages 4/5

As mentioned, I used a slow track Dark Archive adventure to even out my xp after I was past the level of the quests. I think Big Trouble in Little Absalom is still 1XP, but with full rewards?

1/5 **

sanwah68 wrote:
Although, there is a little solution past 1st level, as some of the older 1xp quests were replayable, including 1 in the 3-6 tier, and there are also 4 3rd level quests.

Thanks! It looks like there are a couple in the the 3-6 tier, which is perfect. Quest #7: A Curious Claim or Quest #9: Wayfinder Origins will work. I'll have propose GMing those at a local store.

Scarab Sages 4/5 5/55/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Australia—NSW—Greater West

steelhead wrote:
sanwah68 wrote:
Although, there is a little solution past 1st level, as some of the older 1xp quests were replayable, including 1 in the 3-6 tier, and there are also 4 3rd level quests.
Thanks! It looks like there are a couple in the the 3-6 tier, which is perfect. Quest #7: A Curious Claim or Quest #9: Wayfinder Origins will work. I'll have propose GMing those at a local store.

Quest 7 is not replayable, but quest 9 is.

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