Is XP impacted by summons, companions, henchmen etc

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There was another thread recently which tried to explain how XP from fights worked in NWN. What I'm still not sure of is how the XP you get from a fight is impacted by the presence of allies (i.e. henchmen, familiar, animal companion, summons). Do you get more or less XP for having allies in the fight?

Example: who would get more XP for the same fight out of:
a) a melee oriented Half-Orc Druid who wades in and does his own fighting
b) a summoning oriented Elf Druid whose strength lies in being able to call up powerful allies to assist him?

 

Taluntain is correct. The XP you get in a fight is split amongst all the participants, including henchmen, summons and familiars. The more of you there are, the less XP your character will get. This is mitigated somewhat by the fact that a large, high level party will generate large, tougher spawns. However, the extra XP for the tougher spawns will not compensate for the XP lost to the rest of the party.

Therefore, if you can do it, always play solo -- no henchmen, summons or familiar. Anyway, the AI is terrible so you will spend too much time trying to get the rest of the party to do what you want. If you want to run a party, play the BG or IWD series. NWN is best played solo.

 

That doesn't really sound fair. In my example, the two characters are identical but one has focussed on melee skills and the other has focussed on summoning skills. Both are using their skills to defeat the same enemy. But one gets more XP than the other. It makes me reluctant to use summoning spells if I can find something else that works, which surely can't be the intention of the methodology.

 

I can understand having to share XP with your henchman because that is an extra person, external to your powers.

But you shouldn't get less XP for using animal companions and summons because they are part of your powers.

 

I don't mind the limit on summoning (based on the the mental control required to keep more than one summons in line), but I'm just a bit annoyed that a spellcaster can get less XP from casting Summon Elemental than from casting Horrid Wilting.

Do you even have to share XP with Mordenkainnen's Sword? What a gyp.

 

Hmmm, that does seem to be a bit wrong. I can understand other party members stealing XP, but your own summons? That's why I play rogues.

 

Me too, but I want to play something else next. I look at the cool summons that a Druid can have but I don't want to base my strategy around summons if they're going to steal XP from me.

 

They don't steal that much (or rather, what they steal is compensated by the fact that the game generates more monsters for you to fight).

If I remember correctly, the difference in experience gained in the OC beween a mage using summons (+ familiar) and one who doesn't was somewhat more than one level (I finished the game with one at level 16, with the other at close to 18)

 

Wow - you finished this game twice? You legend.

I'm on Level 14 at the start of Chapter 3. I hope that doesn't mean I only have a couple more level-ups for the rest of the game!

 

What's the relation between the amount of XP you lose to henchmen and the amount you get from doing their quests?

 

Chev, probably not relevant given that you only need to have the henchman with you for 5 seconds to complete their quests. My usual routine would be to recruit the henchman, have the quest conversation, go fight someone, watch helplessly as they wade stupidly into battle and die instantly, then have to plod on solo because I'd broke going back to Tyr every few minutes to pick them back up again.

 

Right, you can have the henchman in your party just for the amount of time needed to give them the object of their quest (gem, or feather, or whatever). So then you don't lose any points.

Harbourboy: what are you doing to those henchmen ?! I recruited even the gnome sorcerer for some time, and it was okay (Of course I had to stay in front and take the brunt of the attacks, but it was easy enough. Other than some wizards, I don't think there are very tough enemies in the OC)

 

My henchmen always rush madly into battle and refuse to retreat when wounded so they die. And that's the warriors. The spellcasters are even worse. A human controlled character just acts with a bit more self-preservation.

 

Right. But still they should not die so fast

You could tell them to stand, and attack first. Then when the enemy has concentrated upon you (who, presumably, are all buffed and well prepared ) tell your henchman to attack. He/she should last longer.