adventure, and as a result of constant practice. The GM is the sole dispenser of Experience Points; he makes his
determination of the award for each player character based on the following rules. A character improves his abilities
as he gains experience. The GM is enjoined to keep his Experience Point awards within the limits given here. A player
wants a sense of accomplishment when he acts the part of a character in a role-playing game, and the GM should be
moderating partly for the purpose of giving a fantasy game an aura of verisimilitude. The distribution of too many
Experience Points to the player characters will result in the characters becoming disproportionately powerful, and
therefore (goes the reasoning) the players have performed exceedingly well. This short-term gain belies the long-term
disservice the GM and players have done to themselves: the exploits of the characters will have been cheapened by
the ease which one can become a mighty hero or wizard.
The GM should make one set of Experience Point awards for every five hours of effective play during one session.
The players are effectively playing their characters when the characters are attempting to complete a mission (i.e.,
discounting time spent by players in eating or arguing, or time spent by players on inconsequential activities). The five
hour measure of time is intended as a flexible guideline. If the GM runs an especially long play session, he will
probably want to reward the players for their patience and sustained acting of their respective character parts. The
totals listed in are also intended as guides for awards given during an unfinished adventure.
The base Experience Point award for a character at the conclusion of an adventure depends upon the character's
proficiency and the success or failure of the common mission.
A character is considered to be at mercenary level until he graduates to adventurer level. If such a character is
with a party that fails (to accomplish their mission) his base award is 600 Experience Points. A character is considered
to be at adventure level if he has at least 8 abilities Ranked 4 or greater. If such a character is with a party that fails
his base award is '1200 Experience Points. A character is considered to be at hero level if he has at least 8 abilities
Ranked 8 or greater. If such a character is with a party that fails his base award is 1600 Experience Points. The base
award for a character is doubled if the mission of his party succeeds. Note: An ability is defined as anything a
character can do that is Ranked, including all languages, spells, talents, rituals, skills, weapons, etc. The base
Experience Point award can be increased or decreased by increments of 10% for special circumstances.
There are two categories for which a player character can gain or lose Experience Points, depending on the player's
performances. A good/bad performance adjusts the Experience Point (EP) total by 10%, an exceptional/terrible
performance adjusts the EP total by 20%, and an excellent/abysmal performance adjusts the EP total by 30%.
1. How well or poorly the player portrays his character within the adventure. The character will gain EP's as the
player adds new dimensions to his personality and/or when he takes an action of note (which may be to the detriment
of the party) which illuminates an aspect of his personality. The character will lose EP's when the player has him
perform in a manner inconsistent with his stated purpose or beliefs. Also crucial in this regard is for a character to act
with all the knowledge (or, more importantly, lack thereof) which he would actually become privy to.
2. How well the character performs while executing his duties as an adventurer. Thus, the fighter who stands up to
the gryphon to allow his companions to escape, the thief who disarms the trap in time, the Adept whose spell work was
crucial to the success of the adventure, all these should be given bonuses. Similarly, failure in one's appointed job
should deserve a penalty (if failure wasn't enough penalty in and of itself). The GM should award these with care and
be conservative else other players feel cheated due to the lucky rolling of one player.
HOW EXPERIENCE IS USED
The player adds Experience Points awarded to his character to the Experience Point Brink on his Character
Record. If the character has spent the requisite amount of time and Experience Points to improve in an ability or
vocation, the player notifies the GM, debits the Bank, and adds to the Rank or index. A player may expend earned
Experience Points for his character anytime but when on adventure. A player may not spend Experience Points not in
his character's Bank; once a decision has been reached about where Points are to be allocated, they may never be
recovered.
The player translates Experience Points into increases in Rank or to indices (e.g., characteristics) for his
character. All Experience Point costs may be found on the Experience Point Cost Chart or in spell and ritual
descriptions.
A player may declare that his character is beginning to spend the necessary time to improve in an ability or
vocation before he gains the necessary Experience Points. If the character does not have the correct amount of EP by
the time he has completed the first requirement; he has one month to gain that amount. If a character gains the
necessary EP within the one month time limit, he must spend an extra day in study and/or practice to gain in Rank.
Otherwise, the character forfeits the time already spent. A character must satisfy all requirements to increase his Rank
by one in an ability or skill before he again increases it by one. Thus, a character may never "skip" Ranks. A character
must have attempted an ability or skill on the adventure previous to a gain in Rank in that ability or skill.
The value of a characteristic may be increased immediately by the expenditure of the proper amount of Experience
Points. The players will note, if they study the Experience Point Cost Chart, that there is a' separate EP charge for the
first point added to a characteristic and another/for all subsequent points added to that characteristic. While a
characteristic is less than its original value, the player may pay the lesser of the two Experience Point costs until he
has restored the characteristic to its original value. A characteristic value may never be increased during an
adventure and only by 1 point at a time between adventures, regardless of the amount of time or Experience Points
available.
A character must spend Experience Points, time and money to improve his Rank with a weapon. A character is
assumed to be unranked with any weapon until he improves it to Rank 1. A character must practice with a weapon for
a number of weeks equal to two times the Rank he is to achieve (e.g., 10 weeks to achieve Rank 5). He must practice
with an instructor of Rank at least equal to that which he seeks to achieve for one of those weeks. Unless another
player character is willing to serve as instructor for a reduced fee, the character must pay (Rank Squared x 10)
Silver Pennies for the service. A character may practice with up to two weapons at the same time.
A character must spend money and time to learn a spell or ritual, and Experience Points and time to increase his
Rank with it. A character begins knowing all General Knowledge Spells and Rituals of his College. If, for some reason,
he should forget such a spell or ritual, he may re-learn it from a fellow Adept of his College for a fee of 100 Silver
Pennies and one week's study. A character does not know any Specialized Knowledge Spells or Rituals when he
begins. The character must spend a number of weeks equal to the ordinal number of the spell (if it has one) divided
by two (round up) to learn a specialized spell or ritual. In addition, the character must pay (200 x Ordinal Number)
Silver Pennies to an Adept who knows the spell. If a spell or ritual has no ordinal number attached to it (those in 84,
for example), it costs two weeks and 100 Silver Pennies to learn it. A character need not expend Silver Pennies to
gain Rank with a spell or ritual once it is learned, but he must study the spell for a number of days equal to the Rank
he is to achieve, and a ritual for a number of weeks equal to the Rank he is to achieve. He need not study with an
instructor.
A character must spend Experience Points, time and perhaps money to increase his Rank with a skill. A character
must spend a number of weeks equal to the Rank he is to achieve with a skill practicing it. He may wish to acquire the
services of an instructor to aid him in the learning process; this will cost him (150x Rank) Silver Pennies for his
mentor's time, unless he can make a deal with a player character of appropriate Rank. A player may practice up to two
skills at the same time. (Optional rule) If the character is taught by someone of greater rank in the skill, decrease any
Experience Point cost by 10%.
A player chooses a life-style for his character by the amount of money he has the character spend on upkeep.
Life-Style Expenses/Week
Subsistence 20 sp
Moderate 45 sp
Comfortable 65 sp
Expensive 100 sp
Extravagant 150 sp and up
The above sums will purchase food and lodging for a week, including drinks at bars, laundering of clothes, etc. Any
permanent acquisitions (such as clothes and furniture) must be paid for separately. A character who lives at
subsistence level temporarily reduces his Fatigue and Endurance to three-quarters (round down) value. A character
who cannot even afford (or does not wish to pay for) that minimal expense temporarily reduces his Fatigue and
Endurance to one-half (round down) value. It can be assumed that a destitute (or extremely penurious) character
survives by rooting through garbage heaps for his daily fare and sleeping in the cold outdoors.
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