s time passes, people (living or dead) grow and learn. They acquire new skills, talents, and knowledge. To reflect that, characters in Oblivion receive Experience Traits as they sojourn through the afterlife. The more they see and do, the more they know and know how to do, and Experience Traits reflect this.

While experience Traits themselves do nothing, they can be traded in for other, more useful characteristics. A sufficient number of Experience Traits can be swapped for new Passions, Fetters, Pathos, Willpower, Traits, Abilities, and even Arcanoi. When you want to swap Experience Traits for something else, simply inform your Storyteller what you’re buying and how much Experience you’re cashing in.

Different characteristics cost different amounts of Experience.

New Attribute Trait - One experience point per Trait.

New Ability - One experience point per Ability Trait.

New Arcanos - Two experience points for Innate Abilities, four for Basic Arcanoi, six for Intermediate Arcanoi, and nine for Advanced Arcanoi. Being apprenticed within a Guild reduces the cost by one for all Arcanos levels except Innate Abilities.

New Willpower - Three experience points per Trait.

Buy off Negative Trait - Two experience point per Trait.

New Background - One experience point per Influence Trait, with Storyteller approval.

Pathos - Two Traits per experience point.

Getting Experience

Characters gain one Experience Trait at the end of each game. In addition, Storytellers have the option of handing out additional Experience to players as well for exceptional roleplaying. Players should always gain at least one Experience Trait unless they really, truly, vehemently prove that they do not deserve it (say, by spending the entire game playing a Spectre who says nothing but, “Bork, Bork, Bork!”). Otherwise, participation is enough to grant some Experience.