XP Dilemma: Double Dip?

[joca4christ]

My party is currently running through Shackled City Adventure Path. They aren't the "fight and smash" types and have ended up tackling the grell for the dark stalker in Jzaridune & have managed to take not one, but TWO skulks as captives.

I gave XP for negotating with the dark stalker & for capturing the skulks. What happens if they encounter him again, and he isn't so friendly? Or if the skulks escape and fight the party again? Do you give XP for the same monster again?

Help!

[Shpadoinkle]

In 3.Xe you get XP for overcoming challenges. Regarding encountering the same skulk again, well, it depends on the context. What challenge does he present this time, if any? Do the PCs overcome it or not?

[joca4christ]

Great questions! Helped stir my thinking.

The way I see it, if they were to just decide the captives where no linger useful and offed them, no XP. They've already been defeated.

But, the party is planning on having at least one of the skulks lead them to the Malachite Hold. There are a couple of traps on the way, and I can see the skulk attempting to spring them in an attempt to get away. If he gets lucky, and does escape? And the party corners him again? Would that be XP? Full XP? partial?

[Yora]

If they encounter the very same enemies again and have to fight them against because they let them live and go earlier, that's a problem them made for themselves. If that second encounter would not have happened in any other way otherwise, I'd say stick to giving them XP only once.

And after all, it's an Adventure Path and the characters are supposed to have a given level at any given point of the campaign, so you have to keep them from lagging behind or advancing to fast anyway.

[Thomar_of_Uointer]

I would simply say that if they meet those monsters again, the monsters will be reluctant to fight. First off, they know that the PCs can kill them easily. Secondly, they know that the PCs are not violent sociopaths and are open to negotiation. If the PCs meet them again they'll either flee, or make hollow demands for a toll. They obviously won't help the PCs do anything to complete the adventure, but they won't act as an obstacle any longer.

You could even use this for further adventure hooks. The next time the monsters meet the PCs they may offer them payment for mercenary work. Maybe a band of evil humanoids has been hunting them, and the monsters promise the PCs some treasure and safe passage through their territory if they help.

If you want to drive home the fact that the monsters are evil and irredeemable (boooring!), have the monsters use subterfuge. Have them offer the PCs aid, or encourage them to fight something big and dangerous, and then have the monsters try to betray and kill the PCs when they're at their weakest.

[angry_bear]

If the prisoners escape, and come back for a rematch; then if the party wins give them the XP. It's a new encounter, even if it's the same enemies.

Not sure what the Dark Stalker is, but if they left on friendly terms, then I don't see a problem if they encounter it again. Unless during the second encounter it actually leads to combat, or negotiation, then give them full xp if it's combat, and maybe partial xp if it's diplomatic. Although if the second encounter is just a casual "Hi, how's it going?" then that doesn't really count as anything other than meeting with a friendly NPC a second time in my opinion.

[Coidzor]

Great questions! Helped stir my thinking.

The way I see it, if they were to just decide the captives where no linger useful and offed them, no XP. They've already been defeated.

But, the party is planning on having at least one of the skulks lead them to the Malachite Hold. There are a couple of traps on the way, and I can see the skulk attempting to spring them in an attempt to get away. If he gets lucky, and does escape? And the party corners him again? Would that be XP? Full XP? partial?

He was a partially overcome challenge and then he became a different sort of challenge when he double-crossed them and became a personal enemy.

So I'd say, yes, in that case they'd get whatever XP they'd get for the encounter with him again and any allies or traps he's set up for them coming after him if he didn't just get out of dodge.

It's not like, say, they negotiated for safe passage with a tribe kobolds whose turf they had to pass through and then decided to double-back and murder them all after getting awarded the XP for non-violently resolving things with the kobolds.