Experience and Progression

Player characters and non-player characters alike share the concept of having levels in The Domains of Dread as a measure of development and power, from 1st to 14th. Player characters reach the 3rd level by the end of character creation and therefore must accumulate experience in order to progress through their remaining levels.

Experience in The Domains of Dread

Two primary modalities exist for experience in The Domains of Dread—hostile, and storyline experience. These modalities exist separate from one another but contribute the same points required in order to level up. The character’s exact experience points are obfuscated in both the character window and using the !menu chat command. Likewise, system messages regarding experience gain are limited:

• Gained some hostile/storyline experience: acquired minor point amount
• Gained hostile/storyline experience: acquired normal point amount
• Gained major hostile/storyline experience: acquired significant point amount

Players may at any time see an estimate of how close a character is to leveling up through invoking !menu, including if the character has banked a level. Banked levels must be confirmed by successfully resting in order to initiate a level up. A character may have only 1 banked level at a time, but does not waste any received experience after a bank but before that level up is confirmed.

Hostile Experience (HEP)

Hostile experience is associated with combat challenges and is acquired by:

• Defeating hostile AI controlled entities whose overall challenge ratings meet or exceed the character’s level;
• Defeating hostile, named AI controlled entities as part of a bounty or another assigned task;
• Disarming dangerous objects and/or traps which were not placed by another player;
• Completing an encounter involving hostile AI controlled entities;
• Completing an oubliette after the first time.

Hostile experience is subject to a rolling cap derived from the lifetime of the character and their current level. It becomes increasingly difficult to obtain hostile experience from sources as this cap is approached until the character no longer receives any hostile experience at all for a period measured from hours to days IRT.

Storyline Experience (SEP)

Storyline experience is associated with progressing a character’s arc in the roleplay and is acquired by:

• Making a discovery, such as identifying a lore object or item for the first time, or revealing a path for the first time;
• Participating in a Game Master chaperoned event or encounter;
• Roleplaying (writing in the chat window, whether emoting or speaking) in company of at least one other visible character;
• Completing an oubliette the first time;
• Traveling to new areas;
• Speaking to non-player characters with usually conditional, specific dialogues.

Storyline experience is not subject to any cap, however characters who roleplay considerably over a day IRT may be subject to the system awarding them less ticks relating to roleplaying through the day. This clamping is intended to occur only in select instances and is not expected to cause major roll-off in storyline experience gain.

Progression in The Domains of Dread

Generally speaking, a fresh character at the 3rd level may expect to reach the 14th level within 4 months IRT of moderate play, defined as anywhere from 5-10 hours a week IRT. The Domains of Dread is balanced such that any given level will be composed of roughly 33% hostile experience and 67% storyline experience. Prior to the 9th level, progression is appreciably faster than the last 5 levels required to reach the 14th level.