As your character adventures and overcomes challenges, they gain experience, represented by experience points. A character who reaches a specified experience point total advances in capability. This advancement is called gaining a level.

When your character gains a level, their calling often grants additional features, as detailed in the calling description. Some of these features allow you to increase your ability scores, either increasing two scores by 1 each or increasing one score by 2. You can’t increase an ability score above 20. In addition, every character's proficiency bonus increases at certain levels.

Each time you gain a level, you gain 1 additional Hit Die. Roll that Hit Die, add your Constitution modifier to the roll, and add the total to your hit point maximum.

When your Constitution modifier increases by 1, your hit point maximum increases by 1 for each level you have attained. For example, if your 3rd-level fighter has a Constitution score of 17, when they reach 4th level, they increase their Constitution score from 17 to 18, thus increasing their Constitution modifier from +3 to +4. Their hit point maximum subsequently increases by 4.

The Character Advancement table summarizes the experience points you need to advance in levels from level 1 through level 5, and the proficiency bonus for a character of that level. Consult the information in your character's class description to see what other improvements you gain at each level.

Experience points are earned in two ways:

1. Exhibiting a character's personal characteristics (i.e. traits, ideals, flaws, bonds) through play.
2. Passing major and minor milestones.

Details on both are given below.

Personal Characteristics

Whenever a player brings one of their character's personal characteristics into play, they should make it clear to the GM that they are doing so and make note. At the end of a session, the players and GM should discuss the use of personal characteristics. If the majority of the players and the GM agree that the use of a characteristic drove the narrative forward or contributed to character development, the corresponding experience points—50 for each characteristic used—should be tallied and recorded on the character sheet. Only 50 experience points per characteristic can be gained in a single session.

For example, Jacques Lillard is a French Woodsrunner. His bond is, "I owe my life to the priest who hid me from my enemies." He is currently accompanying the priest, Anatole Berger, on a journey to Wendake. Along the way, they are ambushed by a Haudenosaunee raiding party. In the ensuing skirmish, a Haudenosaunee warrior attempts to attack Anatole with a hatchet. Jacques' players announces, "Because of my bond to Anatole, I throw myself in harm's way." As a result, the attack is resolved on Jacques instead of Anatole. At the end of the session, the players and GM agree that the use of Jacques' bond further developed the character. 50 experience points are earned as a result.

The Character Advancement table below shows how many experience points are required to gain a new level.

Milestones

Milestones are narrative objectives predetermined by the GM. Major milestones are most often placed at the end of an adventure—for example, at the end of a two month journey from Trois-Rivières to a mission village deep in Wendake. A minor milestone might be placed at the end of an adventure episode—for example, after traveling one leg of a journey or an encounter with a Haudenosaunee raiding party.

The GM will let the players know when they have reached a major or minor milestone. When this happens, the corresponding XP is recorded on the character sheet—100 for minor milestones and 200 for major.

The Character Advancement table below shows how many experience points are required to gain a new level.