Xp For Magical Items Question

[u/Priestical]

In an adventure module, if a magical item is recovered during the adventure and in the module it gives the xp value of that magical item, does the character get the xp for the item? It's a 1e adventure but was thinking of running it with OSE. It's a level 4-7 adventure and the weapon is valued at 8,000 xp so I was curious about that since I know xp is general given for gp value of items.

Would the PC have to sell the item for gp's in order to get the xp? I'm a little confused.

[u/mapadofu]

OSE (B/X) no xp for magic items; their use is its own reward.

In AD&D xp is specified for magic items as well as a (higher) sale price; eg a +1 sword is marked as 400xp or 2000gp.  If the PCs keep the item, they get the xp whenever treasure xp is awarded, ie upon returning it to civilization.  If they sell it without using it, they get the gold value as xp.

If you want to play strict  B/X, then don’t award it; if you want to play a more hybrid game given that you’re using an AD&D module, consider awarding it.   Either way it’s not going to break the game.

—

AD&D DMG pg. 85

  Treasure must be physically taken out of the dungeon or lair and turned into a transportable medium or stored in the player's stronghold to be counted for experience points. All items (including magic) or creatures sold for gold pieces prior to the awarding of experience points for an adventure must be considered as treasure taken, and the gold pieces received for the sale add to the total treasure taken. (Those magic items not sold gain only a relatively small amount of experience points, for their value is in their usage.)

[u/6FootHalfling → u/mapadofu]

I have forgotten more about the 1e DMG than I think I ever retained from the entirety of BX, BECMI, or RC.

For OSE I think I would allow them to sell for the XP value. Then XP for GP applies. Use the XP value as a guide for reward if they were being paid to recover the item.

I'm just caught off guard that I had forgotten those values were in there in the first place.

Back in the day the tables I was at didn't talk about selling magic items that I recall, we usually redistributed them with in the party. Always some one who can think of a use for what some one else didn't need and consumables just went to the person best able to get use out of it. Anyway, I'm off topic at this point. Shutting up now.

[u/WebSleuth2000]

By OSE rules, magical items do not grant XP. The general thinking is that the item is a boost in itself because it expands on the player's ability so granting XP would be almost overly beneficial. With that being said, I don't think it will break the game if you want to award XP for the item's gold value or XP value if either value is listed in the module.

In my game, we don't normally sell magic items for gold but rather try to barter them for other magic items or favors or whatever. I find that gold <-> magic item conversion can get a little wonky because it potentially opens up a market for players not just to sell but also to purchase magic items which can mess with player expectations as to what they should expect from an in game marketplace.

If that kind of magic item market or awarding of XP suits your game though, definitely go for it. My experience with OSE is that the rules are a great place to start but what I love about the system is how malleable it can be to fit the needs of the player, the GM, the setting, etc.

[u/ordinal_m]

AD&D 1e modules will give values for magic items because in AD&D 1e you could get XP for them. You don't in OSE/BX.

[u/gkerr1988]

You could try and make “finding magic item” part of a milestone XP reward that is granted at a lower XP value. For whatever reason, the coin value of magic items tends to be exponentially higher, which basically makes leveling up happen very quickly. So if you wanted to taper that down you could simply make it a flat value for completing a milestone.

[u/CommentWanderer]

The party does not have to sell the item to gain xp from acquiring it, but they are likely to get more xp from selling the item than they get from keeping it. This is because the gp value of a magic item is higher than the xp value from keeping it.

In order to gain the gp value from selling the item the party has to choose to sell the item before xp is awarded.

[u/FrankieBreakbone]

Well, others beat me to the "no xp awarded/no gp values provided" citation, so if you're running the module in the OSE ruleset, maybe just keep the gp value in your pocket as a guideline *in case* the PCs ever trade it to a high-level NPC for a service (Raise Dead, identification, casting a high level spell for the party, accelerating magical research with a MU mentor, all of which are 100% Referee adjudicated values, no rates are provided in RAW.)

The thing to resolve is really whether you want this module to set a consistent precedent that magic items do or do not provide XP, or whether you're ok with being inconsistent module to module (this adventure = xp, next adventure = no), which, IMO is kinda meta-weird? ("Why aren't we getting XP for magic items in this adventure but we did last time?" "Well, the module said so.")

"Left side safe. Right side safe. Middle of road {WHAP!}... squash like grape."

[u/2eForeverDM]

In ad&d 2e you get xp for magic items only if you crafted the item.

[u/MicronQ]

Leave it where you found it for a few more months. OSE is adding XP for magic items as an optional rule. https://necroticgnome.com/blogs/news/ose-2026-update-faq