Each time you play a linear, you receive 3 experience points (XP). You may gain an additional 2 XP by writing field reports. XP earned by a character may be spent only on that character, unless the character died, retired, or otherwise became unplayable during the linear.

Each time you monster a linear, you gain 5 XP. When you GM or co-GM a linear, you gain 5 XP immediately, and a further 5 XP once the adventure summary has been written.

Other events (such as freeforms and the 36 hour) may award different amounts of XP.

XP can be spent on skills from the Core Skills page, and the page for your character's chosen class.

Skills are divided into “basic”, “advanced”, and “capstone” skills.

• Basic skills may be purchased by anybody.
• Advanced skills may only be purchased by a character who has been on an adventure while having at least 30 points of skills.
• Capstone skills may only be purchased by a character who has been on an adventure while having at least 60 points of skills.
  • Each character may have only one capstone skill from the standard skill pages.
  • A character's capstone skill may be replaced. This doubles the cost of the new skill the first time it is done, triples the cost the second time it is done, etc.
  • Characters may obtain capstone-level abilities from other effects (i.e. through actions on adventures). Only two such effects may be used in any given adventure, but these do not need to be chosen in advance.

Some skills will have prerequisites, as indicated in the skill description. In order to buy these skills, a character must have the prerequisites. Each skill may only be bought once, unless specified otherwise.

Characters can always obtain the equipment needed to use their skills between adventures - e.g. if a character has the shield skill, they can acquire a shield. If they lose the shield on an adventure, they can acquire a new one before the next adventure.