Trading gold for XP requires a week of time during which some complication may arise. Limits to where the gold is spent apply and reset on a weekly basis. Wealth spent on XP can take any form, does not need to be converted to gold coins first. The equivalent cost in gold must be calculated, then that total is transferred to a beneficiary.
Beneficiaries
Characters must choose where gold goes that’s exchanged for XP. The entity receiving the gold will be in a particular location, such as a certain village, and of a particular type, such as the taverns that support carousing. The various types express different side effects, desirable and otherwise. Some types suffer from limitations, particularly in relation to location.
Fame
Gold spent towards fame advertises the deeds of the character as art: song, poetry, memoirs, oil painting, statuary, monuments. See Projects of Fame for more ideas.
Elves, who value beauty, earn 1% extra for creating works of art.
Festivals
Festivals are any public celebration include parties, parades and contests. At the low end, characters may be attending gladiator battles. At the high end, they may be sponsoring week-long games.
Hoarding
Hoarding is keeping valuables in a secure location for no other reason than the love of the wealth, typical behavior for dragons and dwarves. The wealth must be stored and left unspent, not carried with an PC. It must be in a known location that the PC could access, though it can be hidden or guarded, even by the PC. Tossing a trunk full of gold coins in the ocean is not hoarding. Burying a sack of coins in the woods and making no attempt to remember where is not hoarding. Putting a collection of gems in a trapped chest behind a wizard-locked door guarded by six skeletons is hoarding.
At any time, the owner of the hoard can extract some wealth for the benefit of some other beneficiary, subject to stated limitations. The PC retains the XP. For example, a PC might take gold from his hoard to give to the church without affecting XP total, no gain or loss. However, wealth extracted from the hoard for any other reason causes an immediate lost of XP at the same exchange rate. This often happens due to robbery, the chance of which increases with the fame of the hoarder.
There is no limit on the rate of hoarding, and dwarves earn a 1% bonus for hoarding.
Hobbies
Hobbies must be described in terms of a project which the DM rates as requiring a number of steps, typically 4 to 8. Each time gold is spent on the hobby, compute the % of XP earned versus total XP needed for the character’s current level. Roll against this percentage to test if progress is made in the project. When all steps are complete, the project is complete. Regardless, all wealth spent on the project converts to XP.
For example, a 6th level magic user currently has 45,000 XP, therefore needing 35,000 XP to reach 7th level. The PC is working on a project to build a library for a small town. The steps required are: obtain the deed to a plot of land, construct a building, acquire a large collection of books, and hire a librarian. The PC spends 1,000 GP towards finding a plot of land. 1,000 / 35,000 rounds up to 3%. The player rolls 14 on 1d100 and is unsuccessful, but the PC still gains 1,000 XP.
Magical Research
Clerics and Magic-Users conducting magical research, including enchanting items, earn 1 XP for every GP spent.
Philanthropy
Any charitable spending suffices for philanthropy. At the lower end, the character hands coins to beggars. Wealthy characters may maintain an orphanage. Excessive charity may attract fame or produce unintended economic effects, such as farmers neglecting fields in favor of collecting free food.
Halflings and Paladins hold gifting as a cultural value and earn 1% extra for philanthropy.
Religion, Clan or Lord
Voluntary tithing or great donations of funds to an organized church increases the influence of the church, which can also encourage counter-measures from rival cults. At extremes, it may draw the attention of the gods. There is no limit to the funds given to a church by a declared follower. Cynical donations by the faithless may incur the wrath of the gods.
Rather than tithing to a church, a sacrifice might be offered at a shrine. Shrines outside of settlements might have higher limits on donations or no limits at all.
Subjects of a lord can give wealth to support the principality. This could be the an earl, count or king. It might also be a local crime lord. Members of clans, most typically dwarves, may donate funds to their clan hoard, a single treasury owned by their clan. In most of these cases, the PC must travel to the one location where beneficiary resides.
Revelry
Revelry is indulging in hedonistic pursuits such as drinking, gambling, feasting, romance. Revelers often become carried away or entangled in difficulties. The PC must Save vs Poison to avoid entanglements, as defined by Drunken Debauchery.
Training
Characters that train purchase materials and time from a teacher more advanced than themselves. Without a suitable teacher, characters must spend 2 GP per 1 XP, which makes training a less practical as characters go up levels.
Locations
Most beneficiaries are limited in intake by the size of the populace in their location. A tiny village can only provide so much ale for revelers. Resources ebb and flow, determined randomly each week. This limit applies for all characters per beneficiary type. For example, a limit of 500 GP for revelry could be spent all by one character or split 200 GP and 300 GP between two PCs. Some locations may have higher or lower limits.
| Community | Max Population | GP Limit |
| Thorpe | 20 | 1d6 x 10 |
| Hamlet | 200 | 1d6 x 50 |
| Village | 1,000 | 1d6 x 100 |
| Town | 5,000 | 1d6 x 250 |
| City | 25,000 | 1d6 x 1,000 |
| Metropolis | None | 1d6 x 10,000 |
Characters may invest in a location to increase its capacity. 5% of the GP spent advances the limit for one beneficiary. The GP spent does not earn XP. For example, Tienarth spends 1,000 GP to build a theater in St. Orlan. This advances the capacity for fame by 50 GP, perhaps going from 1d6 x 250 to 1d6 x 300. If the average limit advanced to match the next larger community size, the population has also grown.
St. Orlan – pop. 850
- Fame: 1d6 x 100
- Festivals: 1d6 x 100
- Hobbies: 1d6 x 150
- Philanthropy: 1d6 x 150
- Revelry: 1d6 x 100
- Training: 1d6 x 100
Slateholm- pop. 10,000
- Fame: 1d6 x 500
- Festivals: 1d6 x 250
- Hobbies: 1d6 x 250
- Philanthropy: 1d6 x 1,000
- Revelry: 1d6 x 1,000
- Training: 1d6 x 250
Morgansfort- pop. 200
With a third of the population soldiers, there is ample opportunity for training and revelry.
- Fame: 1d6 x 50
- Festivals: 1d6 x 50
- Hobbies: 1d6 x 50
- Philanthropy: 1d6 x 50
- Revelry: 1d6 x 50
- Training: 1d6 x 100
Kegh Buldohr – pop. 743
- Fame: 1d6 x 100
- Festivals: 1d6 x 100
- Hobbies: 1d6 x 100
- Philanthropy: 1d6 x 100
- Revelry: 1d6 x 100
- Training: 1d6 x 100
Osrendell/The Naked Isle – pop. 800
- Fame: 1d6 x 100
- Festivals: 1d6 x 200
- Hobbies: 1d6 x 100
- Philanthropy: 1d6 x 100
- Revelry: 1d6 x 200
- Training: 1d6 x 50
Inspired by Justin Alexander’s Special Interest Experience rules meant for his Blackmoor remix. See also Debauchery & Dragons: Carousing for XP, 1977 to 2015. Also Drunken Debauchery! by Colin Chapman.