XP for monsters... I don't get how it works in C&C! >_<

[treant_on_fire]

I have the 2005 Monsters & Treasure book, I don't know if later printings are more clear but... I honestly don't understand how to calculate XP for monsters!!!

They use the Skaag as an example but then when I want to look at it to get an idea, I can't find the damn monster in the book when I look under 'S'!

The base XP in the table doesn't fit what they explain or what's in the monster stats block... And are the XP for special abilities already included? I think so but I'm not sure... How much XP do I add for the hit points? Are the <+X> an example of if the monster only had 1 HP per HD?

If someone doesn't mind taking the time, I would like some step-by-step examples using monsters that I CAN find in the book...

Like, how much XP would a kobold with 5 hp be worth? Stuff like that.

If I had at least a concrete monster to compare it to (unlike the Skaag who's nowhere to be seen), maybe I'd be less confused.

[Lord Dynel]

A 5 hp kobold would be worth 10 XP. His listed Experience Point value is "5 + 1" meaning 5 XP, plus 1 per hp.

The formula to figure out total XP should be its listed XP, then so much per hit point, represented by the "+ X" number. So a 20 hp Wight would be worth 200 XP: 120 base XP, plus 80 more (since it's listed as 120 + 4). I don't mess with the table in the front unless I'm converting monsters from other rules, I've made up one on my own (like I believe the Skagg to be, which I think is only used to illustrate the chart), or (and especially) if I want to improve monsters in the book.

The premade monsters in the book don't always jive with the chart, if I recall correctly. I wouldn't sweat that too much if you can't back-engineer the monsters. But taking the centaur, I think it's a good example of being able to back engineer.

The centaur is a 4 HD creature, and its base XP is 40 + 4. Now, it has three abilities - darkvision (a Special I ability), Track (another Special I) and Woodland Stride (I would consider a Special II ability). These abilities total out to be 20 + 20 +30, or 70 additional base XP. Add that to the 40, and you get 110. So its total XP comes out to be 110 + 4, which is the listed amount in the Centaur entry. Hope this helps!

[tylermo]

Treant, I have a file somewhere. It's a list of creatures from m&t with experience already figured. Serleran compiled it as I recall. I can send it to you if you like. We'll still have to do the dirty work when it comes to figuring creatures from M&T of A, and the upcoming Classic Monsters.

[tylermo]

Nice to know I wasn't the only one trying to figure it out. Probably just me, but maybe it could have been the wording. Oh well.

[Arduin]

Nice to know I wasn't the only one trying to figure it out. Probably just me, but maybe it could have been the wording. Oh well.

I think it is the wording. I had same question when I 1st bough the book. It isn't clearly stated that I could find.

[tylermo]

Well, I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box, so I wondered. There might be a few other areas in the corebooks where this is the case. Wasn't spell resistance one such area? Maybe another here and there?

[Arduin]

Well, I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box, so I wondered. There might be a few other areas in the corebooks where this is the case. Wasn't spell resistance one such area? Maybe another here and there?

Spell resistance just didn't take into account the Siege Engine. A S.R. of 1 was meant to mean a 5% chance that a spell would not effect the creature. (1 in 20 chance) Siege Engine requires that you equal or better the AC, SR, etc. Well you ALWAYS roll that on a D20. So, SR 1 had no meaning. What I did was up any listed S.R. by +1. So, a monster with a listed SR 1 (5% chance to ignore) now have an SR of 2. And so on. The errata for this was written incorrectly as it made any monster with an S.R. of 1 as having NO chance to resist...

[treant_on_fire]

Well, the good news is that I gave my players the right amount of XP for those kobolds then!

Turns out I used the rules correctly, but every time I looked at that confusing chart I wasn't so sure anymore!

I started this thread a few hours after GMing my first C&C game. (But I'm not new to tabletop RPGs as a player or GM)

I gotta say I like having a specific amount of XP for the amount of HP a monster has! I just wish the rules had been more clear on how it works when it comes to that chart.

P.S: To whoever offered to show me a list of specific HP and XP for each of the monsters, sure, I can definitely see it as something useful to have when you have less time to prepare a game.

[tylermo]

Yeah. I couldn't remember. I need to bone up on that section of the book, as spell resistance will become more important as my group of players level to 2nd and beyond.

[Omote]

The oldest Monsters & Treasures book did have a bad example on how to calculate monster XP. This has been corrected in later printings. The chart did not change at all, just the example.

~O

[serleran]

Yes, I made a document that lists average awards for the monsters in M&T. I still have it.

[edit]

Tried to attach it, but pdf is not allowed.