Experience Points
PCs advance by earning experience points (XP) to level up. Characters who survive an adventure receive XP awarded by the referee. XP can be earned in three primary ways: recovering treasure, defeating monsters, and achieving outstanding accomplishments.
Recovering Treasure
Treasure recovered from the wilderness and dungeons is split between all party members at the end of an adventure. A PC earns 1 XP for every 1 silver piece (sp) of treasure recovered.
Encounter Experience
Monsters encountered (defeated, thwarted, killed, routed, avoided, parlayed with, etc.) grant XP based on how tough and dangerous they are. Base XP values are modified by any special qualities or abilities.
| Monster HD | XP Reward |
| 0 or 1/2 | 5 |
| 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 20 |
| 3 | 40 |
| 4 | 60 |
| 5 | 90 |
| 6 | 120 |
| 7 | 150 |
| 8 | 200 |
| 9 | 250 |
| 10+ | +100 |
Character Improvement
Leveling Up
When a PC earns enough XP, they ascend to the next level. This does not occur amid an adventure, but only after the character spends a week to train and hone their abilities.
XP Requirements by Class
| Level | Cleric, Halfling, Thief | Dwarf, Fighter, Ranger | Elf, Magic-User |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 1500 | 2000 | 2500 |
| 3 | 3000 | 4000 | 5000 |
| 4 | 6000 | 8000 | 10,000 |
| 5 | 12,000 | 16,000 | 20,000 |
| 6 | 25,000 | 32,000 | 40,000 |
| 7 | 50,000 | 64,000 | 80,000 |
| 8 | 100,000 | 120,000 | 150,000 |
| 9 | 150,000 | 180,000 | 220,000 |
| 10 | 200,000 | 240,000 | 290,000 |
| 11 | 250,000 | 300,000 | 360,000 |
| 12 | 300,000 | 360,000 | 430,000 |
Ability Score Change: Each time the character levels up, the player rolls for each ability to see if it increases. Roll 1d20, and if the result is greater than the current score, increase the score by +1, up to a maximum score of 20. This indicates the PC has learned and grown in ability. Update ability modifiers for score changes as needed. See table below for full ability modifier list.
Hit Point Increase: Each level, the PC gains a hit die of a type determined by their chosen class. When a new hit die is gained, reroll all hit dice and apply the character’s CON modifier to the result of each die. Total up all modified hit dice to find the result. If this total is greater than the character’s current maximum hit points, it becomes their new maximum hp. If not, add +1 to the character’s maximum hp.
Class Specific Improvements: Some classes gain new special abilities as they ascend in level. Refer to the class description for details.
Ability Change
Ability scores change during play. This could be due to improvement from leveling up, certain conditions or magical effects, and from the powers of magic items. Consult the table below for the full array of modifiers.
Ability Modifier Table
| Score | Modifier |
| 1-3 | -3 |
| 4-5 | -2 |
| 6-8 | -1 |
| 9-12 | +0 |
| 13-15 | +1 |
| 16-17 | +2 |
| 18-19 | +3 |
| 20-21 | +4 |
| 22-23 | +5 |
| 24-25+ | +6 |
Wealth
As character survives adventures and accumulates treasure, they can use this increased wealth to bolster the strength of themselves and their party members. Money can be used to fund weekly upkeep and training, purchase new equipment and useful items, pay hirelings and specialists, pursue personal projects, invest in business ventures, establish or expand organizations, build strongholds, and more.
Money
Coinage minted from precious metals is the most common form of money. Most transactions are performed in silver pieces (sp), but coins can come in many forms that affect the value of each, including platinum pieces (pp), gold pieces (gp), electrum pieces (ep), and copper pieces (cp).
The Silver Standard
Adventure Master uses the “silver standard” instead of the usual “gold standard” of most fantasy games. That is to say, silver pieces are the most common form of currency and the type of coin that will earn players XP, not the typical gold piece.
Coinage Conversions
1 pp = 5 gp = 10 ep = 50 sp = 500 cp
1 gp = 2 ep = 10 sp = 100 cp
1 ep = 5 sp = 50 cp
1 sp = 10 cp
| Coin/Value | 1 pp | 1 gp | 1 ep | 1 sp | 1 cp |
| Value in pp | 1 | 1/5 | 1/10 | 1/50 | 1/500 |
| Value in gp | 5 | 1 | 1/2 | 1/10 | 1/100 |
| Value in ep | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1/5 | 1/50 |
| Value in sp | 50 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 1/10 |
| Value in cp | 500 | 100 | 50 | 10 | 1 |
Starting Money
Player characters begin the game with 4d6x10 silver pieces (sp).
Optional: Inheritance
A player character may create a will to bestow their accumulated wealth upon an heir in the event of their untimely demise. Any treasure passed down in this fashion is taxed at 10%. The heir must be a newly created 1st level character, and no character may be the heir to inheritance more than once.
Strongholds & Domains
Upon acquiring sufficient money, many characters will choose to build strongholds in various locations of the wilderness. From a stronghold, a high level character can project power and establish a domain that will attract loyal retainers and peasant settlers to live there. See Domains & Strongholds for rules on building strongholds and establishing domains.
Hirelings & Retainers
Player characters often hire NPCs to assist them and perform certain services for them. These NPCs are called hirelings. Hirelings do not accompany PCs on adventures. Characters may hire NPCs that do accompany them on adventures; these are called retainers.
Mercenaries: These are NPC soldiers who guard, patrol, or do battle on behalf of the PCs in wilderness settings. They do not accompany the PCs on adventures, only serving as a larger military force.
Retainers: These are NPCs for hire that will go on adventures with the PCs, delving into dungeons and taking risks alongside them.
Specialists: These are NPCs with special skills, abilities, and knowledge that the PCs may hire to perform tasks on behalf of the PCs.