Leveling Rules

Leveling System

Character growth paced through experience, milestone breakthroughs, and a persistent point pool.

How It Works

Leveling follows a repeatable loop: earn XP, cross the next threshold, gain points, and invest them where the build needs them.

Every level follows the same loop. XP accumulates from play and never resets. When the next threshold is crossed the character gains points, which can be spent immediately or saved for later.

1. Gain experience from objectives, victories, discoveries, and meaningful play. XP is cumulative and never resets between sessions.
2. Cross the next threshold. When total XP reaches the next level boundary, the character gains one level and receives their point reward.
3. Spend points across attributes and skills. There is no class track — points go where the build needs them.
4. Save if needed. Unspent points persist across sessions and can be spent at any time.
5. Repeat. The loop continues at the same pace: 2,000 XP per level, with a larger reward every fifth level.

Core Progression

Key numbers that drive the leveling curve.

Every level costs the same amount of XP. Point rewards are consistent, with a larger bonus every fifth level to mark milestone growth.

Progression Table

Quick-reference leveling curve for players and GMs, Levels 1–10.

Worked Examples

The system supports both single-level progress and large XP jumps that cross multiple thresholds at once.

Level Rollback

During an active level-up, before saving, a character can roll back one level and redo their point spend from scratch.

If a character has started spending their level-up points and does not like where the build is heading, they can roll back to their previous level's stat line and begin the point spend again. This is available at every level-up, with no limit on how many times it can be used across a character's progression.

Player Notes

Point rewards persist cleanly across sessions and can be saved instead of spent immediately.

Characters do not need to spend their points the moment they level up. Points persist until spent, and there is no pressure to allocate them before they are ready.

• Starting characters begin with a substantial opening point pool during creation — enough to build a functional character across attributes and skills.
• Unspent points persist across sessions. There is no expiry and no penalty for holding them.
• Multiple level-ups in one session stack — if a character crosses two thresholds in a single session, they receive both point rewards and can spend them together.
• Points can be spread across attributes, skills, or both — there is no requirement to spend within a category.
• Milestone levels (every fifth level) deliver double the normal reward — plan for them.

GM Guidance

The system expects a steady pace of XP rewards, with room for quest bonuses and pacing corrections.

XP awards should feel earned without being stingy. The baseline is designed so that consistent play produces regular level-ups, keeping progression visible and meaningful across a campaign.

• A practical baseline is roughly 500 to 1,000 XP per session, adjusted upward for major breakthroughs or decisive victories.
• Small quests sit in the 250 to 500 XP range. Major quest completions, campaign milestones, or exceptional roleplay moments can award 1,000 to 2,000 XP.
• At the baseline pace, characters level roughly every 2 to 4 sessions — fast enough to feel progression, slow enough for each level to mean something.
• If the party has fallen behind due to a slow arc or heavy roleplay sessions, a single larger award can correct the pace without needing to retroactively adjust past sessions.
• Milestone levels at 5, 10, 15, and beyond are worth framing as story moments — the double point reward reflects that these levels represent real transformation.