Earning XP

The most common ways to earn XP are through GM intrusions, character arcs, and story awards. Usually experience points are earned during a game session, and sometimes they're earned between sessions. In a typical session, you generally earn about 4 XP from all sources.

GM Intrusion

At any time, the GM can intrude on the situation with an unexpected complication for your character. When the GM intrudes, they give you 2 XP. You then must immediately give 1 of those XP to another player and explain why you're giving it to them—maybe they had a good idea, they brought snacks to the game, their character saved someone's life, or you just think they could use some XP.

As a general rule, the GM intrudes at least once each session, but no more than once or twice each session per character.

Character Arc

A character arc is how your character becomes more invested in the story of the game. Just like in a book or a television show, your character progresses through their own personal story and changes over time. You choose what character arc you want for your character, and why. By progressing toward that goal, you earn XP.

It's your choice to take a character arc. The GM can't force one on you, but they might suggest one or two arcs that will relate your character to the events in the story. On the other hand, the GM can also tell you that your idea for an arc isn't appropriate for the story or isn't long enough to be a character arc.

Initial Character Arc: When you create a character, you can choose one free character arc for that character. This helps define your starting role in the story—revenge, earning money, joining a prestigious organization, and so on. For example, if your character begins the game with an arc to find their brother's murderer, that establishes some interesting and useful information about your character: they have a brother, they probably were close to the brother, the brother was in a dangerous situation, and the character is strongly motivated to find the one who killed him. Tell the GM what your character arc is so they can incorporate it into the overall story for the game. (It's up to you whether you want to tell the other players or their characters about it, or keep it a secret for now.)

An arc is specific to your character, but it's common for other PCs to help you with your arc and for you to help them. Two or more characters can even have the same arc at the same time—maybe the person who murdered your brother also killed a friend of another PC, so you're both motivated to bring the killer to justice. Arc Steps and Rewards: When you finish a game session, talk to the GM about whether you think you’ve made progress on your character arc. If the GM agrees that you have, that counts as a “step” in your character arc, and you get 1 XP for it. For example, in the hunt for your brother’s murderer, discovering their identity is probably a step, learning the city they live in is a step, confronting them is a step, and so on. You get 1 XP for each step you complete (as does any character whose arc is to help you on this arc). Character arcs have different steps that mark the character’s progress through the arc. Each arc eventually reaches a climax and then finishes with a step that is a final resolution. Character arcs are the most straightforward way that a character earns XP. Typically, PCs will earn about half their total experience points from arcs or other GM awards. It’s okay if a character arc falls by the wayside and you never finish it. Completing an Arc: Eventually you reach a climax point in the arc where you either succeed or fail at what you’ve set out to do. Not every arc ends in victory. If you succeed, you earn 4 XP. If you fail, you still earn 2 XP. For example, finding and killing your brother’s murderer or getting them imprisoned is a success, and it’s a failure if they escape or an innocent person is punished for the crime. After a successful arc, there’s usually one more step (the resolution) where you reflect on what happened, wrap up loose ends, and figure out what’s next, which earns you a final 1 XP. Taking Additional Arcs: You can take on a new character arc whenever you want by spending 1 XP. There's no limit to how many you can have at one time, but it's best to have no more than three or four so your attention doesn't get scattered. In most cases, you can't have more than one of the same character arc at the same time (such as two arcs to avenge a death, two arcs to establish a business, and so on).

Example Character Arcs

Here are two sample character arcs with the individual steps outlined.

Avenge

Someone close to you or important to you in some way has been wronged. The most overt version of this arc is to avenge someone’s death. When you take this arc, you might declare (publicly or privately) your intentions, such as killing the offender, imprisoning them for their crime, or returning something valuable to its proper owner. Step(s): Tracking the Guilty. You track down the guilty party. The details of this step depend on what you know—learning their identity, discovering their location, and so on. You repeat this step as many times as needed. Each of these steps is worth 1 XP. Step: Finding the Guilty. You finally find the guilty party, or find a path or make a plan to reach them. Now all that’s left is to confront them. This step is worth 1 XP. Climax: Confrontation. You confront the guilty party. This might be a public accusation and demonstration of guilt, a trial, or an attack to kill, wound, or apprehend them—whatever you choose to be appropriate. Success means you earn 4 XP; failure means you earn 2 XP. Resolution: After a successful confrontation, you resolve the outcome and its later ramifications, then decide what to do next. This step is worth 1 XP and completes the arc.

Join An Organization

You want to join an organization. This might be a guild, corporation, military organization, secret society, religion, or something else. There’s probably a specific reward you’re interested in for doing so, such as wealth, status, access to secrets, or learning a special combat technique or magic spell. When you take

this arc, you've learned what you can about the organization and what you have to do to become a member, and you've decided to make it happen. Step(s): Making a Contact. Friends on the inside are always important. With one or more people like this on your side, you can move forward to prove yourself to the organization. This step is worth 1 XP. Step(s): Performing a Deed. The organization might want to test your worth, or this might be a ceremony you must take part in. It might include paying some sort of dues or fee. Or all of these things. This step is worth 1 XP. Climax: Proving Your Worth. This is the point at which you attempt to show the organization that they would be better off with you as a member. This is usually a significant challenge related to the needs and goals of the organization, such as defeating a powerful member of a rival group, uncovering secret information or an object the group needs or wants, and so on. Success means you earn 4 XP; failure means you earn 2 XP. Resolution: After successful proof of your worth, you consider your efforts and assess what your membership gets you. This step is worth 1 XP and completes the arc.

Additional Arc Ideas

The following are some common character arcs. Work with your GM to figure out the steps, climax, and resolution for your specific arc. Note that some of these arcs have similar themes (such as Avenge and Defeat a Foe); the GM has more information on the nuances of the steps and details. Aid a Friend: You promise to help a friend with their character arc. As you help them complete the steps, climax, and resolution for their arc, you earn the same XP that they do for it. Assist an Organization: You set out to accomplish something that will benefit an organization. Birth: You are becoming a parent. (This assumes you already have a partner or surrogate; otherwise you may want to start the Romance arc first.)

Build: You're going to build a physical structure—a house, fortress, workshop, defensive wall, and so on. Cleanse: Someone or something has been contaminated (with a curse, evil spirits, radiation, and so on), and you want to rid them of these influences. Create: You want to make something, such as a painting, novel, machine, or powerful magic item. Defeat a Foe: Someone stands in your way or is threatening you, and you must overcome the challenge they present. Defense: A person, place, or thing is threatened, and you want to protect them. Develop a Bond: You want to get closer to another character, such as making a friend, finding a mentor, or establishing a contact with someone in a position of power.

Enterprise: You want to create and run a business or start an organization (such as a guild, church, or school). Establish: You want to prove yourself as someone of importance, whether that means socially, financially, romantically, or within a group you belong to. Explore: There’s something unknown you want to explore to learn its secrets, such as an area of wilderness, a new planet, or a strange dimension. Fall From Grace: Your life takes a downturn because of actions you take—a mistake harms someone you care about, you treat someone badly, or the like. (This is more of an arc you as a player choose for your character rather than something your character chooses for themself.)

Finish a Great Work: Something that was begun in the past must now be completed—finishing a monument, developing the final steps of the cure for a disease, and so on.

Growth: Willingly or unwillingly, you are going to change, becoming less selfish, braver, or something similar. Instruction: You teach a pupil in an area of knowledge that you have—lore, a combat style, a rare type of magic, and so on. Justice: You try to right a wrong or bring a wrongdoer to justice. Learn: You want to learn something, usually a whole area of knowledge such as a language, how to play an instrument, or how to be a good cook. Master a Skill: You’re skilled, but you want to become the best at something (not necessarily a skill). This often follows a Learn arc. Mysterious Background: There’s something important you don’t know about your past, and you want to find out. New Discovery: You want to invent a new device, process, spell, or the like. (This arc is similar to Finish a Great Work or Learn, but you’re blazing a new trail.) Raise a Child: You raise a child (whether your biological offspring or not) to adulthood. This is obviously a long-term arc. Recover: You need to heal from a significant wound or trauma—severe damage, amputation, seeing a close friend die, and so on. Redemption: You've done something very wrong, but you want to atone and make it right. (This arc is similar to Justice or Undo a Wrong, but you are the wrongdoer. Possibly a follow-up to a Fall From Grace arc.) Repay a Debt: You owe someone something, and it’s time to make good. Rescue: Someone or something of great importance has been taken, and you want to get them or it back. Restoration: You want to restore your good name, recover what you've lost, or rebuild what has been destroyed. (This arc may be a follow-up to Fall From Grace.) Revenge: Someone did something that harmed you, and it’s time to make them pay. (Unlike the Avenge arc, you are the injured party.) Romance: You want to create a romantic relationship with someone—one person in particular, or perhaps by opening your heart and finding someone new. Solve a Mystery: You want to solve a crime or similar action committed in the fairly recent past, asking the right questions and finding the answers. Theft: Someone else has something you want. Train a Creature: You want to domesticate and train a beast. Transformation: You want to be different in a specific way, such as becoming a ghost or taking on the power of a dragon. (This arc is different from Growth in that this is a physical change rather than emotional or spiritual.) Uncover a Secret: You seek a piece of hidden knowledge that you want, such as a unique focus ability or combat technique, a key to open a sealed door, or the true name of a devil. Undo a Wrong: Someone did something horrible, with ramifications that are still felt even if it happened long ago, such as the burning of a library or people being driven from their homeland. (This arc is different from Justice in that it’s about undoing the harm that was done.)

Story Awards

A group session often deals with events that are above and beyond individual character arcs. Because you are making progress through the parts of the story the GM wants to tell, you earn XP for this, too—usually 1 to 3 XP per session, depending on what you accomplish. Common story events that earn XP include:

• Exploring a new area
• Rescuing someone from harm
• Discovering a threat or secret
• Retrieving an important object
• Learning significant information
• Defeating a powerful foe