Experience
Characters can earn EXP from participating in group activities, such as events, roleplays and art submissions. Through earning EXP, they can gain personal progression and general rewards.
About EXP
EXP can be considered our main group currency, which is earned through participation in group activities and can be used to level up characters and obtain special benefits.
EXP is:
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Limited to main characters.
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Tied to the specific character who earned it.
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Permanent, i.e. it will not deplete or be spent. Instead it accumulates as a reflection of time and effort in the group.
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Rewarded by milestone, i.e. rewards will be unlocked as EXP reaches certain amounts.
EXP is not:
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Transferable between characters, even in case of death.
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Reflective of canon wealth. It is a meta reward.
Note: Side characters do not earn EXP (meaning they can neither generate nor accrue it). Instead they earn MP for the Heroic Quest.
Read on for more about...
Earning EXP
You can earn EXP by general participation - i.e. gallery submissions, memes, resources, etc. - and by story participation - i.e. taking part in story events and related activities such as mod-hosted games and roleplays.
General Participation
Gallery submissions will be given points as outlined below. The mod team will do all EXP tallying, but it is up to you to submit and claim your EXP correctly. Remember to use your character's official name (the one on the census) when claiming EXP.
To be eligible for EXP, submissions must be:
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Your own original work.
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Canon.
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Compliant with the world lore and group rating.
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Officially accepted by the group (i.e. by Arcem Alva’s deviantArt, Twitter or Google Drive).
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Of characters with approved references (mains, sides, mod NPCs). Personal NPCs do not count for EXP.
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Of decent quality and quantity. Submissions that are too small or unfinished do not receive EXP.
For more details and a summary on how to grind for EXP, see the Quick Guide to EXP.
Art
Visual art submissions, from portraits to comics. The EXP earned will depend on content (e.g. bust, full body, background), level of detail, and finishing (e.g. unfilled, coloured). As a yardstick, most pieces will end up between 5 and 20 EXP (about 2-8 EXP per character and 2-6 EXP for the background). Sketches do not earn EXP unless they are part of a sketchdump.
Memes
The EXP earned from a group-hosted meme varies and is stated on the Meme base. Unfinished memes (e.g. missing sections, sketches only) will not receive EXP. Memes completed with side characters will receive MP instead.
Birthday Gifts
Gift art or stories of a main character whose birthday is in the current month will have its calculated EXP increased by 50%. (Please note that gifts are for others, so your own characters don't receive this bonus.) Birthday characters are available via the front page or the link below.
Literature
Creative writing, from prose to roleplay transcripts. The EXP earned will depend on word count (1 EXP per 200-400 words), finishing (e.g. standard, expository), and depth of plot or character involvement. Please always provide a summary, word count and list of all player characters involved. Drabbles (pieces under 1000 words) earn EXP but not bonuses.
Resources
All mod-approved submissions to the Resources folder (e.g. flora/fauna sheets, city environments) will receive 10 EXP each. Where possible, the normal art or literature calculations may be applied instead. Mods and minimods will also receive this 10 EXP for creating Alvapedia articles, event pages, official activities, etc.
Miscellaneous
Submissions that don't fit into any existing category or that don't suit the existing calculations will be judged on a case-by-case basis (e.g. sculptures, crafts, cosplay, videos, recipes, games).
Story Participation
By participating in activities which tie in with the group plot, not only will get you bonus points, but you will be able to affect the group plot direction. This will be done via events, prompts and intervals as described below. While they are encouraged, they are not mandatory; what you participate in is up to you. All pieces done for events, prompts and intervals should be submitted to the Events gallery folder.
Art or literature submissions for an event, prompt or interval will receive bonus EXP, outlined below. Only main characters may earn this bonus, once per character per activity. There is no limit on how many main characters you may use, but a submission can only earn one bonus, for one character - meaning each of your characters needs their own submission.
To qualify for the bonus, submissions must be finished (not a WIP, sketch or drabble) and relevant (it contributes meaningfully to the purpose of the event, prompt or interval).
Events
Events are the turning points in the group plot - and where your characters can make their mark! The details for how it works will change every time to keep things fresh, but in all cases your participation will determine where the plot will go. In all events, the earnable EXP are:
Event Activities: 20 EXP
These are mod-hosted games, roleplays, battles, etc. which set the canon for parts of the story. They each earn flat EXP for participation*.
Event Art: +30 EXP
Gallery submissions for an event (in any art or lit medium) will earn an extra 30 EXP on top of the normal art/lit calculation.
Event Prompt Art: +10 EXP
Gallery submissions for an event that react to but don't directly contribute to the event happenings earn an extra 10 EXP on top of the normal calculation.
Prompts & Intervals
Prompts are the regular roleplay or art prompts posted to the group, related to happenings in the world. They can be casual, or related to important happenings in the plot.
Intervals are similar to prompts but run for a longer period with a gradual release of content. An interval may contain prompts. At points where the plot requires more exposition than is possible in a prompt, or if a series of prompts need to be grouped together, intervals will be used.
Prompt/Interval Activities: 10 EXP
These are mod-hosted games, roleplays, battles, etc. which set the canon for parts of the story. They earn flat EXP for participation*.
Prompt Art: +10 EXP
Gallery submissions for a prompt or interval (in any art or lit medium) will earn an extra 10 EXP on top of the normal art/lit calculation.
* To receive the participation reward for roleplays, the character must have made at least 6 posts participating in the main content of the roleplay. This means interacting with mod characters or the mod-controlled setting, about the main aim as specified in the roleplay premise. This means characters do not earn the reward if their posts are just:
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Personal roleplay, with the setting as a backdrop
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Spectator posts, i.e. reacting, introspecting or making comments but not contributing to the main aim
This 6-post minimum may be lowered for short roleplays, at the mod's discretion. Keep in mind also that some roleplays require profile cards to participate. Naturally, these need to be completed too.
Other Participation
Other activities, such as Advent activities, gift collabs, raffles, drives, etc. will also be held from time to time. These may or may not have EXP rewards attached, e.g. as a raffle prize. If there are EXP rewards beyond the usual art or meme EXP, they will be specified with the activity itself.
EXP Rewards
By accumulating EXP, characters can gain progression and various rewards. These are tied to EXP milestones as described below:
Class Level-Ups
Earning EXP allows a character to level up to a higher tier class. This allows them to begin using skills associated with their class upgrade in roleplays and activities. This becomes especially important in stat-based battle games and roleplays with skill components, which use class as a basis for abilities, advantage, damage, etc. The level up requirements are:
Base > Intermediate: +400 EXP
Intermediate > Final: +800 EXP
God's Favour & God's Hand
Characters can also earn a God's Favour and God's Hand as part of accruing EXP, alongside leveling up.
Unlocking a God's Favour will give a character special boons related to one of the five Alvan gods. These are initially secret and will be released gradually as part of the main plot. These boons and earned God's Favours are recorded in Enhancements. Note that God's Favours are no longer earnable, as the deadline for their first reveal has passed.
Unlocking a God's Hand gives a character double influence on outcomes for all events (and prompts / intervals if applicable) they participate in.
God's Favour: +800 EXP
God's Hand: +1600 EXP
Wildcard Bonuses
At regular and repeated EXP thresholds, characters can earn Wildcards. These can be used to draw random special prizes for your character, such as event roles, quests, items, experiences and bonus EXP. Alternatively, you can exchange your Wildcard for a Character Token or Memory Shard instead of rolling for a prize (see below for more details).
To cash in a Wildcard you have reached, please make a claim via the submissions form (linked at the bottom). We will then ping you in the #rewards channel with which prize you have randomly drawn.
A full list of the prizes available in the Wildcard draw, plus their relative rarities, can be found in the Rewards Appendix.
First Wildcard: +100 EXP
Following Wildcards: +200 EXP each
Character Tokens
You can trade in wildcards you have earnt for character tokens - which allow you to submit new characters outside of openings, including characters in excess of the usual number / starting tier restrictions. As the group is closed, this is now the only way to introduce new characters. The token requirements are:
1 Token
1x main character within your usual allowance OR 1x side character
2 Tokens
1x base-tier main character outside of your usual allowance
3 Tokens
1x intermediate-tier main character outside of your usual allowance
4 Tokens
1x final-tier main character outside of your usual allowance
Note: The usual character allowance for every member is 1x final-tier main character, 1x intermediate-tier main character, and 2x base-tier main characters. You can imagine these as four character slots that you start with, so it costs more tokens to create a new slot than fill an existing one.
To collect a character token, please submit a claim for it upon reaching a wildcard. We will keep a tally of your tokens but it's advised you keep track as well. Tokens are collected per user so you can collect from multiple characters, e.g. if Character A has 2 tokens and Character B has 1, you have 3 tokens in total (and can therefore buy an extra intermediate main character).
To spend character tokens, send a dA note to the group with the number of tokens you wish to spend plus your completed application for assessment. It will undergo the same process as in openings (assessment > verdict > corrections if applicable). After this, there is a cooldown of 6 months before you can spend character tokens again. Spent tokens cannot be refunded, regardless of the verdict or whether you remove the character in the future.
Memory Shards
First Oriad characters can also exchange a wildcard for a memory shard instead.
A memory shard is a snippet of their past life that they will canonly remember, and may reveal clues about the greater plot, truths about the oriad's real nature, or bring forgotten skills back into use. Once given, these memories cannot be opted out of - they will irrefutably become part of the oriad's canon and it is up to the player to reconcile old and new details as necessary.
To obtain a memory shard, please submit a claim for it upon reaching a wildcard. You will be pinged with the memory in the #rewards channel. For organisation, we recommend you compile all unlocked memories in the description of your oriad's application (or in a document that is linked in their application).
Submissions
To actually accrue EXP, you must make a submission to notify us to update our records tally. Note that for variable EXP rewards like art, we (the mods) do the calculation for the sake of consistency.
Making a Submission
Submissions and reward claims are to be entered through the below form, under the Gallery or Claim categories. All submissions will be reposted to the #submissions channel in our Discord server via bot.
Tracking Your EXP
The current EXP for each character, along with notices for wildcard and class upgrades, is available via the EXP Tally spreadsheet - which can be found on the front page, or via the link below.
It will be updated as often as possible but may lag depending on mod availability (in particular, tallying may slow during RP-intensive events, as mods will be occupied with running these). If you require your EXP totals urgently for any reason, feel free to ping the mods in the Discord chat!