Skip to content

XP Rewards for Having Certain Characters at Certain Encounters

HaHaCharadeHaHaCharade Member Posts: 1,644
edited October 2012 in Archive (Feature Requests)
I always thought that when you have Edwin in your party and therefore avoid the battle with the Red Wizards, or have Xzar in the party and avoid the fight with the Zhent mages in the city of Baldur's Gate, you should get some kind of XP award. You're avoiding a battle, which is kind of a victory in its own right. Besides, if you fight them and kill them you get loot, so its nice to have some alternative that still nets a reward. There might be other NPCs that would net similar rewards in their own personal scenarios, but just a thought.

Comments

  • TJ_HookerTJ_Hooker Member Posts: 2,438
    Yeah, I like this idea. I never liked the fact that in BG, and most other RPGs, you're usually better off going in guns blazing, at least in regards to tangible benefits like loot and XP. It's disappointing to deftly avoid combat through diplomacy only to be left standing there with nothing to show for it. Especially if it's some jerk who's up in your face, where avoiding combat actually seems the the hard thing to do, and yet you effectively get penalized for it.
  • VedwintheTyrantVedwintheTyrant Member Posts: 50
    Hear, hear! I often found myself in the same position. The penalties for not engaging in what amounts to homicidal mania are far greater than the rewards for playing a civil, socially adept character. It's not important that the rewards be the same, or even similar, but the fact that murdering people nets a reward that persuading them doesn't puts a pressure on characters which is not in keeping with the idea of a storytelling game.
  • trinittrinit Member Posts: 705
    Hm, i don't like XP reward idea. it would seem like the game is forcing you to play a certain way.

    i would rather see a good banter or two regarding incident and sense of closure, otherwise unattainable if you miss on bringing the right NPC. too bad they can't add new content on old NPCs. :/
  • scriverscriver Member Posts: 2,072
    trinit said:

    Hm, i don't like XP reward idea. it would seem like the game is forcing you to play a certain way.

    I don't understand how you can see it that way. By your reasoning, the game is already forcing you to play it the murderous way, as that is the only way to get Experience. This suggestion would in fact mean that the game opens up more ways to play it, as you can get XP by not fighting as well.
  • BrudeBrude Member Posts: 560
    Agreed -- but it occurs to me that I tend to think of XP as a charcter's overall, in-world experience and a reflection of their value.

    But it is really only a representation of combat experience. Minsc doesn't become better at wielding Spider's Bane by talking his way out of fights.

    The other, more practical, downside to doing this is that it encourages cheese and thoughtless playstyles -- follow an online guide and answer 1, 2, 2, 4, 4 at the prompts and voila! "free" experience. That doesn't sound particularly well designed or fun.
  • DeeDee Member Posts: 10,447
    Those guides are going to exist regardless. I agree with the OP, though, that avoiding an encounter should (as it does in PnP gaming) grant equivalent rewards to fighting through it.
  • BerrynBerryn Member Posts: 2
    edited October 2012
    HaHaCharade said:

    I always thought that when you have Edwin in your party and therefore avoid the battle with the Red Wizards, or have Xzar in the party and avoid the fight with the Zhent mages in the city of Baldur's Gate, you should get some kind of XP award. You're avoiding a battle, which is kind of a victory in its own right. Besides, if you fight them and kill them you get loot, so its nice to have some alternative that still nets a reward. There might be other NPCs that would net similar rewards in their own personal scenarios, but just a thought.

    All that evil needs to succeed is for good men to do nothing. — Edmund Burke

    It has been a very long time for me however, the whole BG story line is about stopping an evil god re-manifesting during the Time of Troubles.

    The Zhents and Red wizards of Thay were followers of what diety... cyric/bane was it? who during this time were trying to become greater gods?

    Hence why the Harpers / Gorion / Elminster were so keen to keep your character a secret.

    My appologies if I am mistaken, it has been over ten years since I delved into the FR setting.
  • BrudeBrude Member Posts: 560
    Aosaw said:

    Those guides are going to exist regardless. I agree with the OP, though, that avoiding an encounter should (as it does in PnP gaming) grant equivalent rewards to fighting through it.

    That's true, but I think the goal should be to minimize encounters that deliver rewards without actual play.
  • DeeDee Member Posts: 10,447
    edited October 2012
    Brude said:


    That's true, but I think the goal should be to minimize encounters that deliver rewards without actual play.

    Fair. Another way to look at it, though, is that an encounter that is bypassed without the player's control should not deprive the player of the opportunity to gain any rewards at all.
    Post edited by Dee on
  • HaHaCharadeHaHaCharade Member Posts: 1,644
    edited October 2012
    Berryn said:



    All that evil needs to succeed is for good men to do nothing. — Edmund Burke

    It has been a very long time for me however, the whole BG story line is about stopping an evil god re-manifesting during the Time of Troubles.

    The Zhents and Red wizards of Thay were followers of what diety... cyric/bane was it? who during this time were trying to become greater gods?

    Hence why the Harpers / Gorion / Elminster were so keen to keep your character a secret.

    My appologies if I am mistaken, it has been over ten years since I delved into the FR setting.


    Well.... The Zhentarim and the Red Wizards really care about the conquest of Faerun more then about resurrecting a god per say. While its true that the Zhents are Banites (and later they follow Cyric) they really don't give a hoot about Bhaal who is the god of interest in Baldur's Gate. The Zhents seem to be involved simply because they have investments in the region. The Red Wizards are barely involved at all apart from Edwin's completely separate story line where he is there to take out Dynaheir and likely prove himself to his superiors.
  • trinittrinit Member Posts: 705
    XP is the reward system and no matter what you tie reward to, you are forced doing it to keep up the progress. so yes, you are forced to murder your way through game (a delicious irony for good characters, no?). and i agree about XP for avoiding the fight but disagree rewarding a certain roleplaying style and/or choices if they do not result in different outcome. (good play is already much more rewarding and that is not really ok).

    sorry if i misunderstood the first time, but my bottom line- XP for different approach is good. extra XP just for having a specific party member that will make a comment and then the fight proceeds anyway is not good IMO. that way even regular banters could start yielding XP
Sign In or Register to comment.

2024 Overhaul Games, a division of Beamdog. © 2024 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Baldur's Gate, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, Baldur's Gate, Wizards of the Coast and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries, and are used with permission. Hasbro and its logo are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. and are used with permission. © 1998 BioWare Corp. All Rights Reserved. BioWare, the BioWare Infinity Engine and the BioWare logo are trademarks of Bioware Corp. Black Isle Studios and the Black Isle Studios logo are trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp. Atari and the Atari logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.