As players achieve objectives, destroy enemies, and manage to loot
their way from start to end of an adventure, they get rewards. Money
and treasure are the most common types of awards but there are others
that can be given as well. I hope to list a few different options in
the hopes that it will help someone out there.
Items and Money
Paying people in goods (including magic items) or money is extremely
common. It's the default reward system in most role-playing games.
For this particular section, I am referring to a one time payment.
Favours
When you make powerful friends, it makes sense that you might be able
to call in a favour. Paying off a massive gambling debt, joining on
the players' side in a battle, or presenting lavish presents every
now and then are all examples I've seen in the games I've run and
played in. Depending on how friendly the source of the favour is,
there could also be conditions attached.
Allowances
You might not be able to spend it on anything you want, but from your
family or other connections there might be a certain amount of money
set aside for necessary things. The most common form in the games
I've played in is a living allowance (basically giving you a room and
food for free) or a guard/troop allowance (giving you so much money
to hire guards and other personnel). You can also give your players access to some services, such as a limited amount of magic casting at a temple that they helped.
Fame
Doing something super impressive will probably leave a lasting
impact. Even if they might not have tangible benefits like a money
reward, bards may choose to immortalize the character(s) in song and
they might get other benefits such as a free room. This is different
than the above allowance since the allowance can be spent anywhere.
In this case, these are benefits given to the character in
appreciation of what they did and will greatly vary on a person to
person basis (in some cases, it may even be hostility). It could very
naturally open up opportunities that the players did not previously
have. Maybe now the king will meet with the players. You might also
choose to tie the characters into future games you play. I've never
seen a player not liking seeing a statue of their previous character
in a campaign set years in the future.
Skills
Ever have players come back from an alien realm having lost their
sense of fear for creatures? Or have your players spend 5 years in a
foreign land and learn the language through exposure? Or maybe they
were imbued with a special magic as a result of a freak accident or
perhaps the blessing of a mysterious being? Some of the rewards
players gain can directly improve the capabilities of the characters
in combat and other skills. I'd recommend doing it sparingly unless
campaign reasons give a good reason for it (all your players are the
avatars of gods on earth and their avatars have been steadily getting
stronger, for example) but it's another tool to reward players over
the course of the campaign.
Contacts
Knowing someone who knows someone can be an extremely powerful thing.
Even without something more tangible, being able to get the ear of
the next in line to the throne presents new options to the player and
also allows for all kinds of new stories to be created by the Dungeon
Master. I will say that it's important that they are a real option
over the course of the game. Making them only an option when you as
the Dungeon Master want them to tends to feel cheap. Contacts are
already part of the game and as the players level they tend to expand
their sphere of influence. Contacts are often combined with some of
the other rewards mentioned earlier, such as favours and fame.
Story Progress
Not everything needs to reward players. I've had quite a few players
enjoy taking an action that they knew would not reward them. However,
it was what their players would do and lead the story forward. Doing
the right thing in a situation can be its own reward, especially when
it leads to more story. This is especially true for players that play
for the role-playing aspect.
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