[House Rules] Alternate Experience System

Assigning Experience:

Every Skill gains its own set of Improvement Experience (IXP) that may be spent only on improving that skill. General Experience, however, may be spent on anything, provided the GM approves an improvement. General XP may be spent as IXP when a character is improving a Skill.

Skill Experience:

Listed below is how skills gain their individual Improvement Experience Points, assigned at the end of the play session. Unlike General Experience awards which are added together, Skill Experience is assigned singly to each skill.

The Skill was:

• Used in a common way, but failed [1 IXP]
• Used in an uncommon way, but failed [2 IXP]
• Used successfully one or more times [3 IXP]
• Used successfully in a unique way(s) [4 IXP]
• Used in a way that had a strong impact on game events [5 IXP]
• Used multiple times in ways with a strong impact on game events [6 IXP]
• Used exceptionally well, and changed the course of the game [7 IXP]
• Used exceptionally well, in a unique way, and changed the course of the game [8 IXP]

Skill Improvement Experience Points are tracked for each skill individually. When a skill's current IXP total meets or exceeds ten times the die rating of the next skill die, the skill improves and the current IXP total for a skill is reset back to zero. If a skill die will exceed or already is higher than a skill's governing Attribute, then it costs twice as many IXP to improve the skill.

General Experience:

The Character:

• Was active/present in the game [+1 XP]
• Contributed meaningfully to the game [+1 XP]
• Had an outstanding contribution to the game [+2 XP]
• Overcame a major personal obstacle [+3 XP]
• Met a major personal goal [+3 XP]

The Group:

• Was successful in their efforts [+1 XP]
• Succeeded admirably due to skill and ingenuity (not sheer luck) [+1 XP]
• Overcame a major obstacle [+3 XP]
• Achieved a significant long-term goal [+3 XP]
• Completed a minor storyline [+3 XP]
• Completed a major storyline [+5 XP]

Both Character and Group bonuses add together to total a character's full general experience points for a session. It may be noted that in any given game session, experience earned may fluctuate significantly. Average gains tend to be 4-7 points per session, but may range much higher in those sessions where more dramatic vistas were reached. Character development and advancing the story tend to present more significant bonuses.

Unified Experience Costs:

Skills	Edges*	Characteristics**	XP Cost
New Skill (d4)	New Edge	---	40
d6	Seasoned	d6	60
d8	Veteran	d8	80
d10	Heroic	d10	100
d12	Legendary	d12	120

*In the case of those Edges where there is a demonstrable progression of a single ability (called an Edge Track), the cost of an Edge of superior rank includes those points already spent in earlier, lesser versions of the ability. Edges where there are normal, and then Improved versions tend to be good examples of Edge Tracks.
**For non-humans, consider each improvement value as the basic die before racial modifiers are added. For example, Dwarves, who would gain a +1 Vigor Die and suffer -1 Agility Die (from their maximum), treat Vigor as being one step down the table, and Agility as one step up. So, a Dwarf increasing Vigor from a d8 to a d10 would pay 80 (instead of 100) XP and increasing his Agility from d6 to a d8 would pay 100 XP (instead of 80).