Experience Point (XP) Advancement Quick Reference

Core Principle of XP Advancement

Player Characters (PCs) earn experience points (XP) for engaging in adventuring activities, and accumulating sufficient XP allows them to advance to the next level.

XP Per Level

  Level   Total XP Needed  
1 0 XP      
2 10 XP      
3 25 XP      
4 60 XP      
5 125 XP      
6 255 XP      
7 400 XP      
8 550 XP      
9 800 XP      

Earning Experience Points

XP is awarded for achievements across five categories of adventuring activities, as detailed below.

Loot Awards

Experience is granted for acquiring treasure and valuable materials.

  • 1 XP for obtaining Carry Loot B, a Trinket or Curio, Valuables A, or harvesting a useful monster part.
  • 2 XP for obtaining Valuables B, a Minor Charm, a Scroll, a Potion, or harvesting a valuable monster part.
  • 3 XP for obtaining a Major Magical Item or a Spellbook.
  • 2 XP (base) for acquiring Lair Treasure, plus the standard XP awards for each individual treasure item found within.

Combat Awards

Experience is granted for overcoming significant martial challenges.

  • 0 XP for defeating insignificant foes.
  • 1 XP is awarded for any of the following:
    • Defeating significant foes.
    • Saving a PC, ally, or innocent from severe injury or death.
    • Successfully retreating from a losing battle.
  • 2 XP for defeating difficult foes.
  • 3 XP for defeating very difficult or particularly dangerous foes.
  • 5+ XP for defeating extremely dangerous foes.

Exploration Awards

Experience is granted for discovering new locations and overcoming environmental hazards.

  • 1 XP for exploring several hexes of untamed, dangerous wilds; discovering a new ruin, dungeon, significant lair, or other major point of interest; exploring a new level of a ruin, dungeon, or other major adventure site; or interacting with mysterious dungeon components like levers or buttons.
  • 2 XP for discovering lost or forgotten lore, learning an important clue, discovering a secret door, or detecting a trap.
  • 3 XP for opening a discovered secret door, or successfully disarming or re-purposing a detected trap.

Social Awards

Experience is granted for meaningful social interactions and building relationships.

  • 1 XP is awarded for any of the following:
    • Making a new contact.
    • Earning a new ally.
    • Strengthening bonds with another PC or an NPC.
  • 2 XP for making a new contact of significant power or successfully influencing them for an important purpose.
  • 3+ XP is awarded for either of the following:
    • Making a new contact of great power or successfully influencing them for an important purpose.
    • Earning a new henchman.

Bonus Awards

Bonus experience can be earned through specific activities, most notably during Downtime.

  • Carousing: For each 20 sp spent on carousing activities during a Downtime period, the character earns 1 XP. The maximum XP that can be earned from carousing per Downtime is based on the character’s level:
    • Levels 1-3: 5 XP maximum
    • Levels 4-6: 10 XP maximum
    • Levels 7-9: 20 XP maximum

XP Adjustments for Party Size

For parties larger than seven members, a penalty of -1 XP is applied for each additional member. This penalty is subtracted from the total XP awarded for the entire adventure, not from individual XP awards.

The count for party size is determined as follows:

  • Non-combatant hirelings: Count as half a member.
  • Ranger beasts, dogs, birds of prey, warhorses, and other fighting animals: Count as full members.
  • Monstrous pets: Count as two members.