Spending Experience Points (XP)¶
Experience Points may be spent to improve Skills, acquire Gifts, and deepen your character's capabilities.
Some forms of advancement draw on Spent XP, which represents long-term, irreversible growth.
Unspent XP may be saved freely.
Only XP that has been spent counts toward Spent XP.
Skill Advancement¶
Buy a New Skill (Novice)¶
Cost: 5 XP
You gain the skill at Novice (+2).
This represents basic training or exposure.
Raise an Existing Skill¶
Cost: Current bonus × 4
| Current Level | Bonus | Cost | New Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novice | +2 | 8 XP | Apprentice (+4) |
| Apprentice | +4 | 16 XP | Journeyman (+6) |
| Journeyman | +6 | 24 XP | Expert (+8) |
| Expert | +8 | 32 XP | Master (+10) |
Raising a skill to Expert or Master requires appropriate training, access, or instruction in the fiction.
Mastery always requires a true master, tradition, or equivalent narrative justification.
Gifts¶
Buy a New Gift¶
Cost: 5 XP
Most Gifts are single-level and complete when purchased.
A Gift should change what your character can attempt, not merely improve numbers.
You must meet any narrative or fictional requirements to purchase a Gift.
Raise a Leveled Gift (If Applicable)¶
Cost: Current Gift level × 4 XP
This applies only to Gifts that explicitly have multiple levels, such as Health.
Examples:
- Raise a Level 1 Gift to Level 2: 4 XP
- Raise a Level 2 Gift to Level 3: 8 XP
Leveled Gifts are intentionally rare.
If a Gift feels incomplete without multiple levels, it should be redesigned.
Sorcery and Ka¶
Sorcery and Channeling must already be unlocked through Gifts or narrative events.
Increasing Ka represents expanding magical capacity, not improved control or technique.
Increasing Ka¶
Ka is purchased per point and scales in cost.
- Maximum Ka: 24
| Ka Points | Cost per Point |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | 1 XP |
| 5–8 | 2 XP |
| 9–12 | 3 XP |
| 13–16 | 4 XP |
| 17–20 | 5 XP |
| 21–24 | 6 XP |
Ka must be purchased sequentially.
You may not skip ahead to higher tiers.
Spent XP Advancement¶
Some forms of advancement do not cost XP directly.
Instead, they require a minimum amount of Spent XP, representing deep, lasting experience.
Attributes¶
Cost: (Current Attribute + 3)² Spent XP
When raising an Attribute that received a bonus from species or Background, treat it as 1 lower for cost purposes.
Attributes may never be raised above 6.
Attribute increases are rare and represent permanent changes to who your character is.
What Spent XP Is Used For¶
At present, Spent XP may be used for:
- Increasing Attributes
Additional uses for Spent XP may be introduced later, such as:
- Permanent enchantments
- Major supernatural transformations
- Founding or reshaping institutions
These advances always require GM approval and strong narrative justification.
Design Intent (Player Guidance)¶
- Skills provide breadth and competence.
- Gifts provide new capabilities or permissions.
- Ka represents capacity, not mastery.
- Attributes represent who you have become, not what you practice.
Characters grow outward before they grow upward.