In sufficiently civilized areas, there are experts in combat that can train characters at a rate of 1XP for 1GP. Magic Users seeking new spells must look elsewhere, but they can spend gold for XP.
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.
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
Hoarded wealth must be stored and left unspent and unattended by the character. Keeping gold on your person is not hoarding. Burying it or leaving it in a chest at home is hoarding. The wealth may later be converted to another beneficiary with no loss of XP. While stored, the wealth has some chance of being robbed, in which case XP is lost. The chance of robbery increases with fame. There is no limit to hoarding.
Dwarves who hoard earn 1% extra XP.
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. For example, a 6th level magic user needing 40,000 XP to reach 7th level could spend 5,000 GP on a hobby which represents 5% of the XP needed to advance. Roll against this percentage to test if progress is made in the project. When all steps are complete, the project is complete.
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 hold gifting as cultural value and earn 1% extra for philanthropy.
Religion
Tithing or great donations of funds to the organized church. Wealth 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 the church.
Revelry
Revelry is indulging in hedonistic pursuits such as drinking, gambling, feasting, romance. Revelers often become carried away or entangled in difficulties. Save vs poison to avoid.
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 per character and per beneficiary type. Two characters may both spend up this limit but it must be for different types. 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 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
Inspired by Justin Alexander’s Special Interest Experience rules meant for his Blackmoor remix.