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 Legacy XP, which represents long-term, irreversible growth.
Unspent XP may be saved freely.
Only XP that has been spent counts toward Legacy XP.
Skill Advancement¶
Buy a New Skill (Novice)¶
Cost: 5 XP
You gain the skill at Novice (+1).
This represents basic training or exposure.
Raise an Existing Skill¶
Cost: Current bonus × 4
| Current Level | Bonus | Cost | New Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novice | +1 | 4 XP | Apprentice (+3) |
| Apprentice | +3 | 12 XP | Journeyman (+5) |
| Journeyman | +5 | 20 XP | Expert (+6) |
| Expert | +6 | 24 XP | Master (+7) |
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.
Legacy XP Advancement¶
Some forms of advancement do not cost regular XP directly.
Instead, they cost Legacy XP, representing deep, lasting experience.
Attributes¶
Cost: (Current Attribute + 3)² Legacy XP
When raising an Attribute that received a bonus from species or Background, the formula is (Current Attribute + 2)².
Attributes may never be raised above 6.
Attribute increases are rare and represent permanent changes to who your character is.
What Legacy XP Is Used For¶
At present, Legacy XP may be used for:
- Increasing Attributes
Additional uses for Legacy 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.