Story Points

Story points (SP) are a spendable currency awarded by the narrator to player characters at the end of each encounter. PCs can accrue these points, and then spend them when and how they see fit to unlock new tales and talents, or to upgrade existing skills and other attributes.

Earning and Spending

SP are earned only at the end of every encounter. The exact amount is up to the narrator, but there are general guidelines available based on the events that transpired. SP are not earned exclusively for killing monsters, but are meant as a reward for furthering the progress of the story (hence the name). While slaying evil creatures may be part of the plot, it is unlikely to be the only part; characters must engage with non-aggressive NPCs, seek clues to ferret out villains, and more.
Once SP are earned, they are added to any other SP the character has currently banked.
The character may then spend SP at any time outside of a dire situation on any unlocks or upgrades they see fit. To spend SP, simply reduce the total banked by the required amount, and then mark the unlock or upgrade on the appropriate location on the character sheet.

What to Spend SP On

SP can be spent on any of the following:
  • Training skills: each skill available to the player (12 common skills, and any magic skills the character has an affinity for) can be trained up to 5 times. The cost to train each skill level is: 3SP -> 5SP -> 7SP -> 9SP -> 15SP.
  • Critical skills: each skill available to the player can have its critical value upgraded four times. The cost to do so is: 5SP -> 10SP -> 15SP -> 30SP.
  • Unlocking tales: PCs start with one tale unlocked for free; beyond that, each additional tale the character wishes to unlock costs an increasing amount of SP. The cost to unlock additional tales is 20x the current number of tales unlocked (e.g., 20SP -> 40SP -> 60SP -> etc.).
  • Unlocking talents: unlocked tales contain a selection of talents, which take the form of actions, passive abilities, affinities, and more; the character must have already unlocked the tale as a prerequisite to unlocking any talents within that tale. The cost to unlock each talent is specified in the talent's entry.
  • Upgrading attributes: many of the attributes that PCs have can be upgraded a number of times beyond their initial values; each of these upgrades costs SP:
    • Toughness, movement, and initiative: the base values are set by the character's species, but each can be upgraded up to 5 times. The cost to upgrade each to the next level is: 8SP -> 12SP -> 16SP -> 20SP -> 30SP. (Note that each can be upgraded 5 times on top of the starting values.)
    • Defenses: each of the five defensive attributes can be upgraded up to 5 times. The cost to upgrade each to the next level is: 4SP -> 6SP -> 8 -> 12SP -> 20SP.
    • Breakpoint: a threshold for suffering damage which can be upgraded up to 20 times. The cost to upgrade the breakpoint to the next level is 3x the current level of the breakpoint (e.g., 3SP -> 6SP -> 9SP, etc.).
  • Unlocking hexemes: many hexemes are found as talents, however a default set of hexemes is available to all players (see Magic). The cost to unlock each hexeme is specified in its entry.
  • Weave machines: mundane items can be combined with a thread and magic to create a machine, an item imbued with magical power; the cost to do so scales with the quality of the thread used, as specified by the individual Weave action.
  • Researching alchemy: unlocked recipes in the alchemy research tree can be crafted. The cost to research the next quality level of an alchemical recipe is: 5SP -> 10SP -> 15SP -> 20SP -> 30SP.
NPCs do not earn SP; they cannot accrue them or spend them. Narrators may opt to grant NPCs upgrades over time to keep them in line with the PCs. Villains, in particular, may behave in this way; but in any event, this is not through the SP mechanic, which is for PCs only.