How is experience divided up in D&D 4th ed.?

Question

I see the Xp # in the upper right hand corner of the box of info on the monster, but dose every character involved in the fight get that much, or is it divided up between the characters? I don't think it would be divided because playing that way takes so long to level up, but my friend who DM's for us sometimes divides it so after we fight like 6 guys we only get the total of all the xp numbers added together and then divided by the number of players. I don't believe it works this way, but I can't change the way he plays unless I have proof.

Answer 1

This is actually a very pressing topic in my group.  The way my DM currently does it is by damage dealt.  Word from the wise, don't do that.  If you do that, then the strikers (Aka. rangers, rogues, etc) get most of the experience  In a party, you have to assume that all players contributed (even though in most cases they didn't).  In this case, the adding of the monstors experience and then dividing by the number of players is the fairest way.  What you can do, is convince your DM to give out role-playing experience.  It's a good way to get more people role-playing, and then experience just got interesting.

Answer 2

All the XP from the different monsters (traps and skill challenges included) in the fight is added up.  Then, it is divided by the number of PC's and NPC's that participated in the encounter.  The amount of XP that you end up with = what each PC gets.  A way to level up quicker is to fight more than one monster during one encounter.  Yes, it does take time.  Some of my friends, playing 3.5, have been playing for a little over a year.  They are currently only at level 3.  4e. isn't much different.  It takes a long time.  Have patients and trust your DM.  If you still don't think he is doing it correctly, ask to see his DMG.  The rules for XP are in chapter 4, pages 56-57.