Ever earn bonus XP for brilliant roleplay, creative thinking or some other Moment of Greatness in D&D? Of course you have!
But what if you don’t use XP anymore in 4e, leveling instead after a number of encounters or sessions, or at certain story points?
In any D&D game – whether you use XP or not – there are some great alternative ways to reward outstanding play besides the classic small XP reward.
Here’s a list of six simple and easy-to-use approaches you can use or ask your DM to consider for your game tonight:
Leonine Six: Alternatives to XP Awards
- Reward Tokens +X. Classic advice that still works; Mike Shea of Sly Flourish uses poker chips, and I use coins. What do you use? Add the token’s +1 or +2 bonus to any roll.
- Re-Roll. Along the lines of the +1 Reward Token, a chance to re-roll any die, especially an attack roll, is something every PC loves. Missing is awful!
- Action Point. Some brilliant and inspirational words or actions are worth more than others. An action point as a Moment of Greatness reward is a win-win – it’s appropriate for truly heroic moments and also means the character gets to continue to be heroic by spending this “bonus” action point, perhaps even right away!
- Milestone. This award has the subtle benefit of powering several magic items, most notably magic rings. When an action point isn’t enough, consider awarding its big brother, which may award you even more.
- Temporary Hit Points. Hit points are an abstraction of physical and mental toughness, and as such, temporary ones make for a very flexible Moment of Greatness award. Go with a number of temporary hit points equal to the character’s level, with a minimum of 5, or simply 5 or 10/tier.
- Superior Temporary Hit Points. Similar to how the milestone is a stronger version of the action point, do what I do and award superior temporary hit points instead of typical temporary hit points. Superior THP’s last until you take damage; they do not expire after a rest. Especially good reward for the most challenging or dramatic scenes of your game.
Other Sources of Inspiration
Find other and similar rewards by scanning fortune cards, boons or feats. Much like my Simple Companion Characters, you’re looking for a minor, but noticeable bonus. Something flavorful that goes well with heroics or an otherwise powerful and memorable moment of roleplay, action, theatrics or dialogue.
What about magic items? As minor XP award alternatives, I personally dislike magic items as a reward for outstanding play worth an XP award – it’s a bit too gamey for my tastes that a magic item just happens to immediately show up in your inventory. But if you and your group happen to like the idea of your backpack suddenly taking on ten pounds after somebody cracked a rib-splitting, tears-inducing joke in front of the king, then more power to you!
Alternative XP Awards as Treasure
Remember you can weave any of the Moments of Greatness awards in as treasure as well for successfully overcoming an encounter or completing a quest. Reward tokens, action points, and temporary hit points are quite versatile – so be sure to experiment with how you include them as awards and treasure in your game.
In this way, they’re not too unlike glory or divine boons, or tattoos – still helpful, but not as permanent. For example, you might award 20 superior THP’s as a type of magical treasure to your party for overcoming the wicked two-headed dracolich that is the ultimate villain at the end of your paragon tier of play. This “treasure” stays with the party until they fight again, whether it’s cleaning out the massive white wyrmling nest in the next chamber, or whether it’s weeks later on a new adventure should they miss or skip the nest wetwork.
How Do You Do It?
Do you use any of the above methods to reward truly outstanding roleplay or gameplay? Do you still use XP awards for this in 4e? Which one of the alternatives here do you like most and plan to add to your next game?
Kilsek
I use custom made “Woah” tokens for awesome RP, ideas, description, and basically anything that makes the game more fun for everyone. They’re just 1″ washers with images I made and punched out with a 1″ hole punch and attached with glue. Woah tokens can be traded in to bend the rules by making something difficult easier and making something impossible become possible. The exact effect is determined on a case-by-case basis, but the cooler the thing you trade the Woah token in for, the more likely I’ll go all the way for the player.
Eden, welcome to Leonine Roar and thanks for your comment!
Those sturdier sorts of reward tokens sound awesome! Your tokens remind me of Monster Tokens – which actually, if your group still uses minis mostly, also make for a great alternative type of reward token. Tossing someone a displacer beast monster token as a Moment of Greatness Reward during an Underdark adventure, for example, would be pretty cool!