Throughout your characters' adventures, you will be tasked with assigning them rewards. This section provides practical advice not only for adjusting rewards according to the guidelines of existing scenarios but also for creating your own scenarios and defining rewards that match the challenges you design for your players.
Here you will find guidelines for distributing experience points, skill points, and monetary rewards fairly and effectively.
Types of Rewards
Let's revisit the different types of rewards and their usefulness, which will help you better understand their uses and stakes.
Experience Points (XP)
Experience Points (XP) are essential for the leveling up of player characters (PCs). They earn XP by completing quests and winning battles.
XP Cost Next Level = 2 x Current Level
XP can also be used to significantly improve the outcomes of their tests, by adding +10 to a test performed, before or after it is rolled.
1 XP spent = +10 to the test
Capability Points (PC)
Capability Points (PC) are earned at the end of an encounter or upon leveling up, each level gain offering 3 PC.
These points allow PCs to acquire new capabilities or improve existing ones during a long rest period in a relaxed setting. To unlock a capability evolution, the character must have reached the minimum level required by it.
3 PC spent = Acquisition or improvement of a capability
PCs can also be used to reduce the cooldown time of capabilities.
| PCs spent | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 PC | Reduces the cooldown of a capability by 1 turn for each PC spent. This mechanic is cumulative with the use of Magic Points (MP) for an additional reduction. |
| 2 PC | Allows immediate reuse of a capability whose encounter limit has been reached. |
| 3 PC | Allows immediate reuse of a capability whose daily usage limit has been reached. |
It is important to note that these reuse options are not applicable to Innate Capabilities.
Nexus Shards (NX)
Nexus Shards (NX) are the currency of the game and can be used in various contexts:
- Purchases: Use NX to acquire objects, weapons, or equipment.
- Upgrades: Invest NX to enhance your weapons and equipment.
- Adventure expenses: Cover regular expenses, such as inn fees.
- Bribery: Use NX to influence other characters and facilitate your interactions.
NX also enables maintaining the connection of a character's soul fallen in battle, which is essential for a possible resurrection (refer to the Player's Guide for more details).
Determining Rewards
Now let's look at some guidelines and tips that will make it easier for you to determine the rewards to be given to your players.
Quests and Missions
Quests and missions are one of the main ways for PCs to earn XP. The significance of the quest determines the amount of XP that can be gained.
| Significance | Description | Gains per PC |
|---|---|---|
| Insignificant | Minor tasks without major challenges, often compensated with a higher monetary reward. | 0 XP |
| Notable | Quests with modest challenges or some narrative importance. | 1 XP |
| Important | Major quests requiring significant skills and efforts. | 2 XP |
| Exceptional | Epic and rare quests with a considerable impact on the game world. | 3 XP |
Combat and Encounters
PCs gain XP and PCs by facing opponents. Here's how to determine the XP/PC rewards per PC and per combat.
| Encounter Type | Description | Gains per PC |
|---|---|---|
| Random | Encounters not planned by the scenario, without narrative impact. | 0 XP and 0 PC |
| Standard | Fights with basic creatures or relatively weak opponents. | 1 XP and 1 PC |
| Mini-Boss | Encounters with at least one creature having boss-like HP or dealing boss-like damage. | 2 XP and 2 PC |
| Boss | Epic battles with creatures acting like real bosses. | 3 XP and 3 PC |
It is strongly advised against rewarding player characters who engage in farming, i.e., the excessive repetition of combats to accumulate gains, unless this approach is specifically planned by your scenario.
Monetary Rewards
To determine the amount of monetary rewards for a scenario, consider the following parameters:
- Base reward: 100 NX
- Minimum number of sessions to complete your scenario (assuming a session lasts between 1.5 and 2.5 hours).
Here is the formula to apply to determine the recommended minimum amount of monetary rewards for each PC:
Min. reward per PC = 100 x Number of sessions
Distributing Rewards
Once the rewards for your scenario are set, adjust the amounts of Experience Points (XP) and Capability Points (PC) to offer various rewards depending on the methods used by players to solve quests or missions.
It is advisable to maintain a global equivalence between the XP and PCs distributed, regardless of the path chosen by the players.
Take, for example, a scenario featuring a final fight against a mini-boss, rewarding each player character (PC) with 2 XP and 2 PC. If players opt to capture the villain alive, you could adjust the rewards to 3 XP and 1 PC, thus valuing a more strategic or diplomatic approach.
Regarding monetary rewards, you have the flexibility to distribute them either at the end of the scenario or each session, or progressively as combats are resolved and quests are completed.
It is recommended to regularly distribute monetary rewards to allow players to at least cover their adventure expenses.