History Main / ExperiencePoints

The TropeMaker, as the first TabletopRPG, is ''DungeonsAndDragons''.

* Jim from ''DarthsAndDroids'' is surprised you can get them from actually roleplaying.

* Fate-based games, such as ''TabletopGame/SpiritOfTheCentury'', ''TabletopGame/TheDresdenFiles'' RPG or ''Kerberos Club'', effectively don't use XP for individual achievements at all. Instead, the player characters will simply collectively hit "milestones" offering the players an opportunity to make changes to them corresponding to the ''magnitude'' of the milestone in question every so often over the course of play -- a typical setup might be a minor milestone (which allows some small evolution or "retraining" but no net improvement as such) at the end of each session of play, a significant one (allows the actual raising of a single skill) upon finishing a complete scenario, and a major milestone (increases refresh, allows redefining a character's high concept, and may even raise the skill cap for the the entire campaign) at the end of a major plot arc or when the game world is otherwise changed in some suitably important and lasting way.

* Fate-based games, such as ''TabletopGame/SpiritOfTheCentury'', ''TabletopGame/TheDresdenFiles'' RPG or ''Kerberos Club'', effectively don't use XP for individual achievements at all. Instead, the player characters will simply collectively hit "milestones" offering the players an opportunity to make changes to them corresponding to the ''magnitude'' of the milestone in question every so often over the course of play -- a typical setup might be a minor milestone (which allows some small evolution or "retraining" but no net improvement as such) at the end of each session of play, a significant one (allows raising a single skill) upon finishing a complete scenario, and a major milestone (increases refresh, allows redefining a character's high concept, and may even raise the skill cap for the the entire campaign) at the end of a major plot arc or when the game world is otherwise changed in some suitably important and lasting way.

* Some FATE games, such as ''TabletopGame/TheDresdenFiles'' RPG or ''Kerberos Club'', track character advancement across "milestones" and story events, where you'd get to change around your stats for minor milestones (finishing a "chapter" of a story), and get bonus Refresh (which controls your pool of bonus "fate points" which you can spend for immediate bonuses like rerolls) on major milestones (finishing a "volume" of a story). Refresh can then be spent on powers, gifts, stunts, and similar bonuses, giving you more power but reducing your fate points and thus your flexibility.

* In Webcomic/Goblins, XP is a part of the world, including discussions between MinMax and Forgath about whether the GM awards XP for roleplaying.

* The German RPG ''TabletopGame/{{Midgard}}'' goes the extra mile by having three different ''kinds'' of experience points -- combat (earned by fighting), magic (earned by casting spells), and general (earned through miscellaneous actions such as dramatically appropriate skill checks). The main difference between the three types is in what improvements they may be spent on -- most notably, combat XP won't help with more "intellectual" pursuits while magic XP are useless for developing one's physical fighting skills.

* Although present in most ''Franchise/PaperMario'' games, [[AvertedTrope it is totally absent]] in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar''.

* In ''WolfQuest'', you get experience points when you kill coyotes, hares, elk, etc., and also when you do things such as mark territory. With enough points, you earn rewards: the ability to name your pups, easier to mark territory, a bonus den choice, or even a pure white pup (despite the parents' colors).

[[RPGsEqualCombat The most common method is killing monsters]], but there are other ways.

* In TabletopGame/{{Mordheim}} and TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}} units gain experience for surving and achieving objectives in each battle which can be used to gain new skills or stat increases.

** In [[spoiler:Homestuck]] a fridge levels up after being thrown at imps. It makes more sense in-- ... [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext actually it doesn't]].

** ''DarkSiders'' employs an identical system, gathering souls to buy advancements. Fitting, as it was heavily... "inspired" by these games, among others.

* The ''SaGa'' games don't use experience points--Human characters simply get an increase to stats related to what they did in each battle--cast a lot, max JP and intellect increases, use melee attacks, Strength and max WP goes up. Monsters and Mechs get stats based on what form they're in and what they're wearing respectively. Mystics change based on what monsters they've absorbed.
** ''{{Quest64}}'' also increases stats just by your in-game actions. Also, the strength of your melee staff attack is based on the sum of your four elements' levels.
* ''FinalFantasy'' games often separate experience gains into XP, which raise the character's stats, and [[TechPoints AP]], which teach them new skills or abilities.

*** The reason the system isn't used in the later entries (apart from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'', which still uses traditional EXP and levels but awards bonuses to skills based on use) is twofold: one, the system was easy to break (beating the crap out of your own party members was an effective way to boost max HP), and two, the system was at least partly broken to begin with (in the original NES version, a ''canceled'' move would be counted just the same as an executed one: repeatedly selecting commands and then backing out would still provide bonuses).

* Used downright horribly by ''{{FATAL}}'' in which these points are given only by doing things related to the class you're leveling. The problem comes when it takes 83 years to level up a clerk, and a whore has to reach level 20 by giving ''millions'' of blowjobs.

* The old MarvelComics RPG put out by TSR had Karma. Player characters would get Karma at the end of every adventure chapter if they accomplished mission objectives, which they could spend on either permanently raising attributes and abilities or on modifying dice rolls in-game. Karma could also be contributed to a community pool in order to help your teammates out in a tight spot. However, being heroes, they lose Karma if they fail objectives or do heinous things. They will lose ALL of their experience points (with the exception of any Karma specifically set aside, either before a session begins or after it ends, in a sort of "savings account" toward improving your character later on) if they kill anyone, including villains, and even if it was by accident (thanks to an unlucky roll of the dice, for example). Interestingly enough, the character of [[AntiHero Wolverine]] is the only one immune to losing Karma if he kills someone.

* ShockSocialScienceFiction, designed to play out a new ThreeActStory every session, gives Protagonists an extra die every time they fail their Intent roll. Antagonists, in comparison, are able to roll up to six dice per conflict, but have a very limited supply and don't get any more.

* Blur has ExperiencePoints and CharacterLevels in the form of Fans and Fan Levels. You get more fans by winning races in higher places, pulling off stunts, and wrecking other drivers.

* ''{{Minecraft}}'' has [[ExperienceMeter experience orbs]] that you get from [[RPGsEqualCombat killing monsters]]. Unlike other games that use EXP, the only use for EXP in this game is [[SpellBlade enchanting]] [[ScrappyMechanic weapons]] and tools. These enchantments range from [[CriticalHit higher critical hit rates]], extra damage to the undead and [[FlamingSword adding fire damage]]. Some [[GameMod mods]] add more uses for EXP, as well.

* In the FireEmblem series experience is not only gained from killing enemies, but also from healing allies, using thieves to steal enemy items or weapons and using [[SpoonyBard dancers]] to allow another unit to move again.

* The online mode in MetalGearSolid4, uses a slight twist. Each character has levels, and levels determine who you get automatically matched up against, but all EXP is, in fact, based on the player's overall performance, rather than a basic EXP scale. That means that it ranks your ratios from each match, and determines how much EXP you gain. To make things fair, if you don't preform above a set scale, then you can lose EXP and levels.

* ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' does this for weapon levels; experience (triangular coins) is collected from enemies, [[LevelDrain and is lost by getting hit]]. The Spur is charged up instead of relying on experience and the Nemesis level sup easliy yet gets weaker as it levels up. [[spoiler: In the Last Cave (Hidden) and Sacred Grounds, where all weapons are brought back to LEvel 1, these two weapons will be the most used.]]

* Some FATE games, such as the ''DresdenFiles'' RPG or ''Kerberos Club'', track character advancement across "milestones" and story events, where you'd get to change around your stats for minor milestones (finishing a "chapter" of a story), and get bonus Refresh (which controls your pool of bonus "fate points" which you can spend for immediate bonuses like rerolls) on major milestones (finishing a "volume" of a story). Refresh can then be spent on powers, gifts, stunts, and similar bonuses, giving you more power but reducing your fate points and thus your flexibility.