XP Bonuses

Characters earn bonus experience based on playing to type. Everyone is a heroic adventurer and therefore can gain experience points in the same way: killing monsters and training with gold. They can earn bonuses by roleplaying according to the standard tropes for their race (dwarves, elves, halflings, humans) and class (clerics, fighters, mages, thieves).

NPCs and PCs with absent players cannot earn roleplaying bonuses.

Additionally, players can earn XP through game enhancing activities, as outlined below.

Everyone

The following bonuses apply to everyone for the sake of being heroic adventurers.

  • Monster XP for defeat, per standard rules.
  • Spending 1 GP for 1 XP (no bonuses).
  • +1% per trope role-played, with a maximum of +5%. Humans automatically get 10%.
  • Discovery of a wonder or natural resource earns an exploring party 1,000 – 10,000 XP if they can return to civilization with news and reasonable directions. The wonder could be natural (El Capitan, Victoria Falls) or man-made (lost ruined city, lost tribe). A natural resource could be an iron mine or a marble quary.
  • Discovery of an artifact of great cultural significance brought back to civilization can earn as much as 100,000 XP. Artifacts are not necessarily magical. They are hard to keep once known to exist by the authorities.
  • XP for damage taken or delivered was removed for being too much work to track.

Dwarves

  1. Rugged: Resilient, courageous, endures hardship with no complaining or being afraid.
  2. Stubborn: Unwavering, steadfast, headstrong, obstinate.
  3. Suspicious: Cautious, wary, hesitant to trust easily, skeptical.
  4. Trencherman: Enjoy a hearty meal and/or a strong drink.
  5. Dour: Taciturn, humorless (except black humor).
  6. Stonework Expert: Discovers something important based on knowledge of stonework.
  7. Comfortable Underground: Adventures underground and not on water.
  8. Haggler: Drives a hard bargain.
  9. Conformist: Respects law or tradition.
  10. Greedy: Acquires a double share of gold or gems measured by value.

Elves

  1. Graceful: Elegant, refined, poised, tactful.
  2. Inquisitive: Notices something by keen eyesight or hearing.
  3. Free Spirit: Respects nature over law or tradition. Nonconformist.
  4. Passionate: Ardent. Enthusiastic pursuit of ideals.
  5. Haughty: Dignified, proud, sometimes arrogant or condescending.
  6. Comfortable Outdoors: Adventures in wilderness and not in a city, on water or underground.
  7. Magic Collector: Collects a magical item.
  8. Artist: Creates art.
  9. Devious: Cunning, clever and sly, like a fox in a henhouse.
  10. Patient: Even-tempered and serene, like a wise owl watching the world go by.

Sea Elves

  1. Graceful: Elegant, refined, poised, tactful.
  2. Curious: Notices something by keen eyesight or hearing.
  3. Passionate: Ardent. Enthusiastic pursuit of ideals.
  4. Comfortable In the Water: Adventures underwater.
  5. Devious: Cunning, clever and sly, like an octopus.
  6. Tribal: Shows tribal loyalty. Suspicious of those outside the tribe.
  7. Ally: Values community and alliances versus rivalry and individualism.
  8. Cautious: avoids danger, including combat.
  9. Communal: Shows low respect for ownership beyond what can be carried.
  10. Oathmaker: Holds promises sacred. Honors oaths of ancestors.

Goblins

  1. Misanthrope: Shows a bad attitude for others. Shows no regard for private property. Steals. Takes slaves.
  2. Cowardly: Avoid direct confrontation, preferring the safety of ambushes. Opportunistic, ruthless and underhanded in a fight.
  3. Comfortable Underground: Adventures underground and not in a city, on water or in daylight.
  4. Authoritarian: Follows a strict pecking order and seeks to climb the ladder of influence.
  5. Indiscriminate Eater: Eats low quality food, including carrion.

Halflings

  1. Agile: Leverages agility to good effect.
  2. Goes Unnoticed: Quiet, humble, like a star dimmed by the moon’s glow.
  3. Good-Natured: Outgoing, unassuming, unobtrusive.
  4. Peaceful: Gentle, empathetic, and harmonious, like a warm sunbeam on a winter day.
  5. Quick-witted: Tells stories or jokes. Enjoys making others laugh.
  6. Comfortable Outdoors: Adventures in wilderness.
  7. Epicurean: Spends money on comforts, including good food and drink.
  8. Smoker: Smokes a pipe.
  9. Curious: Risks danger to satisfy curiosity.
  10. Lucky: Blessed and rightfully optimistic.

Half-Elf

  1. Graceful: Elegant, refined, poised, tactful.
  2. Inquisitive: Notices something by keen eyesight or hearing.
  3. Free Spirit: Respects nature over law or tradition. Nonconformist.
  4. Passionate: Ardent. Enthusiastic pursuit of ideals.
  5. Comfortable Outdoors: Adventures in wilderness.
  6. Automatic 5% bonus for half-human nature.

Half-Orcs

  1. Aggressive: Short-tempered, like a pot ready to boil.
  2. Action-Oriented: Prefers acting to pondering. Prefers fighting to arguing.
  3. Tribal: Shows tribal loyalty.
  4. Simple: Enjoys simple pleasures, including feasting and drinking.
  5. Comfortable Outdoors: Adventures in wilderness.
  6. Automatic 5% bonus for half-human nature.

Humans

Automatic 10% bonus, per standard rules. Humans are diverse and tolerant of diversity.

Barbarians

  1. Fights in combat.
  2. Use strength to good effect.
  3. Rages.
  4. Destroys the unnatural.
  5. Uses primitive methods when sophisticated solutions are available.

Clerics

  1. Practices a key tenet of faith
  2. Preaches or ministers
  3. Smites undead
  4. Offers wisdom or act wisely
  5. Offers help, including healing

Druids

  1. Protects plants and animals, particularly oak and mistletoe.
  2. Gets revenge on those who damage nature.
  3. Maintains balance between good and evil.
  4. Adventures in the wilderness.
  5. Performs rituals and rites, including sacrifice.

Fighters

  1. Fights in combat.
  2. Use strength to good effect, such as breaking down a door.
  3. Protects a weaker companion.
  4. Leads the group.
  5. Stands in the front or guards the rear.

Gladiators

  1. Performs for crowds. Uses dramatic gestures and flashy moves to entertain spectators. 
  2. Uses brute force in battle. Fights savagely. Intimidates. 
  3. Follows a strict code of honor. Refuses to fight unfairly or dishonorably. 
  4. Carefully plans attacks and defenses, using guile to outmaneuver opponents. 
  5. Shows no fear in the face of danger. Charges into battle with reckless abandon.

Rangers

  1. Fights in combat.
  2. Adventures in the wilderness.
  3. Fights with a bow.
  4. Fights chosen enemy.
  5. Individualistic. Works alone.

Mages

  1. Acquires magic or knowledge of the arcane.
  2. Avoids combat.
  3. Demonstrates superior intelligence.
  4. Manipulates with words.
  5. Uses magic when mundane solutions are available.

Necromancer

  1. Acquires knowledge or magic related to death.
  2. Avoids combat.
  3. Adventures in a graveyard or tomb.
  4. Collects macabre artifacts, such as bones, skulls, or preserved organs.
  5. Breaks a taboo by interacting with the dead.

Paladins

  1. Practices a key tenet of faith.
  2. Smites undead.
  3. Protects the weak.
  4. Leads the group.
  5. Fights in combat.

Thieves

  1. Steals. Also, the value of anything stolen awards 1 XP / 1 GP in value immediately. Can also be spent later on training.
  2. Uses dexterity to good effect, including thief skills.
  3. Successfully deciphers an unknown language or reads an arcane scroll (use Find Traps roll at 3 levels lower, not usable until 4th level).
  4. Attacks by surprise or behind and never in frontal assault.
  5. Avoids honest work. Runs a racket. Plays a trick for monetary gain.

Bounty Hunters

  1. Tracks a target.
  2. Takes a bounty. Brings back a wanted criminal. Rescues a kidnap victim.
  3. Subdues a foe rather than kills.
  4. Is ruthless in a public way that promotes infamy.
  5. Individualistic. Works alone.

Scouts

  1. Fights with a bow.
  2. Surprises a foe.
  3. Tracks prey.
  4. Individualistic. Works alone.
  5. Discovers a secret.

Assassins

  1. Assassinates. Kill a human or humanoid by surprise.
  2. Uses poison.
  3. Is misanthropic. Shows a bad attitude for others. Shows no regard for private property.
  4. Is a guildmember. Obeys the orders of the guildmaster.
  5. Deceives, using disguise or lying.

Fighter-Mages

  1. Protects a weaker companion.
  2. Leads the group.
  3. Stands in the front or guards the rear.
  4. Acquires magic or knowledge of the arcane.
  5. Uses magic when mundane solutions are available.

Mage-Thieves

  1. Acquires magic or knowledge of the arcane.
  2. Avoids combat.
  3. Steals. Also, the value of anything stolen awards 1 XP / 1 GP in value immediately. Can also be spent later on training.
  4. Attacks by surprise or behind and never in frontal assault.
  5. Avoids honest work. Runs a racket. Plays a trick for monetary gain.

Exchanging Gold for XP

Characters may exchange 1 GP for 1 XP, usually called training, though other activities can represent this transaction. No percentage bonuses apply. The time required varies based on where the gold goes. Training lasts one week. See Experience for Gold.

Game Enhancing Activities

Players can earn XP equal to 5% of that needed to go from their current level to the next level by producing any of the following.

  • Exceptional heroism during play
  • Writing a session report of at least 1000 words
  • Drafting a map of any kind, including places no one has ever been
  • Illustrating game objects or events
  • Composing other evocative works such as lore or poetry

For example, Fighters reach 5th level at 16,000 XP and 6th level at 32,000, thus requiring 16,000 XP to go up a level. 5% of 16,000 is 800.