Neverwinter Nights: Experience Points
I identify two types of experience point reward in Neverwinter Nights 1: kill experience and quest experience.
Neverwinter Nights: Kill Experience Points
Kill XP is tailored to character level and party size. If we defeat an enemy stronger than us (as per its Challenge Rating), we receive lots of XP. But if we defeat one weaker, we receive only a little or even none at all.
Further to that, if we defeat an enemy without help from NWN Companions, NWN Summons and familiars (or such helpers are out of a certain radius), we receive more XP than if we defeated it with them.
We cannot manipulate XP acquisition under the CR system by delaying our level-ups (like we can in IWD2) because the game considers us as having leveled up BEFORE we even click the level-up button.
We can easily control our party size and our helpers' proximity to us, however.
Further to that, if we defeat an enemy without help from NWN Companions, NWN Summons and familiars (or such helpers are out of a certain radius), we receive more XP than if we defeated it with them.
We cannot manipulate XP acquisition under the CR system by delaying our level-ups (like we can in IWD2) because the game considers us as having leveled up BEFORE we even click the level-up button.
We can easily control our party size and our helpers' proximity to us, however.
Soloing might be difficult or impossible for some players; it depends largely on gaming aptitude, NWN build knowledge and foreknowledge of the campaign. Soloing is easy for veterans.
In the OC, and only in the OC, kill XP actually differs from class to class. Wizard NWN gets more than Fighter NWN, for example. This is because the designers thought that Wizards were harder to play than Fighters in the early stages. However, it quickly evens out.
As an AD&D veteran, CR disgusted me at first. I liked flat XP rewards, and getting 2 XP per kill at higher levels seemed like slap in the face. Why bother killing these things? Just run past them or employ stealth.
In the OC, and only in the OC, kill XP actually differs from class to class. Wizard NWN gets more than Fighter NWN, for example. This is because the designers thought that Wizards were harder to play than Fighters in the early stages. However, it quickly evens out.
As an AD&D veteran, CR disgusted me at first. I liked flat XP rewards, and getting 2 XP per kill at higher levels seemed like slap in the face. Why bother killing these things? Just run past them or employ stealth.
Moreover, CR often doesn't reflect the difficulty of the enemy we're facing. For example, in the OC, Sorcerer Meldanen had a CR of "Impossible", but I finished him off with a couple of spells.
Neverwinter Nights Quest Experience Points
Quest XP is static; that is, it doesn't change with our level or party size. This is the XP we receive for completing quests and returning to the quest-giver.
Therefore, in order to maximize XP gain, we should not return to quest-givers until AFTER we've killed all the monsters we can.
Perhaps you should make clear that the differing XP scale for different classes applies only to the OC, not NWN modules generally (which is good since the class-based scale is stupid).
ReplyDeleteThe big problem with CR is that the default CR is auto-generated based on the creature's level, stats, feats, special powers etc. by a problematic formula, which means that many monsters have a CR that has almost no relation to their actual difficulty. It is possible for module builders to manually set the CR to whatever they think appropriate, but doing so is a bit of extra work and they rarely bother.