"Story Game" XP in D&D

Advancement, or XP, is really cool because it is such a powerful tool and because it's usually just about the easiest thing that you can hack to make a game play differently. Of course XP is pretty blunt as far as tools go. It's a big, red, flashing neon sign saying THIS IS WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO! 

But that isn't a bad thing necessarily. Most players love chasing incentives and getting rewarded. Choosing what to reward (if anything) is important. This is why every OSR guy on r/dndnext recommends "gold xp" where players are rewarded for getting treasure instead of killing monsters. Players instantly get more cautious. And they become willing to delve deeper and more greedily. Suddenly players have a reason to explore your sandbox and don't need a series of railroad quests.

Of course the OSR has gone in a different direction as of late. The whole idea of player incentives is getting questioned. I am loving the new more diagetic advancement procedures are being developed, and really dig systems where loot is being prioritized over points. This is all great stuff. I too crave a game where my adventurer must seek out a holy man on top of a mountain, or delve deeply to the intersection of ley lines, to gain powerful spells.

But... What if you wanted to go the other way? There is a whole other school of XP out there in the "narrative" or "story games" crowd that asks different questions. There is this whole thing where games ask deep questions about what your players want, what they believe, what they care about... And you can inject that right into your D&D game.

So what happens when you take Burning Wheel, Dungeon World, and Blades in the Dark, mash their progression systems together, and force it to work in 5e? Well... in my experience you get deeper characters and more emotional moments. 

So with all that being said here is a thing I made for my pre-covid 5e westmarches game. You could probably use it with any game that has XP.  It's an unholy abomination and it WILL change the way your game plays so use it sparingly. 

Some guides on how to use this.

Beliefs- this is a Burning Wheel thing and that book has lots of advice on how to write good Beliefs, but no one should be forced to read Burning Wheel so you might check out the amazing and much simplified Gold Hack instead. Basically a belief just needs to represent a deeply held ideal that can be expressed or challenged during play. Check out some examples from my game:

"My life is not my own anymore and so can not risk it heedlessly. Not even for my friends"

"I must ensure the guilds safety at any cost"

"Heirarchy is what makes civilization work."

"Knowledge is the path to power and self improvement and is worth any price"

Instincts- another Burning Wheel thing. Generally a statement about how your react, what you always do or never do within a specific situation. Some examples:

"I will always lie to get what I want"

"I will always follow an order from a superior"

"I try my mysterious key in every lock I come across"

"I offer tea to potential new friends"

Bonds- There are lots of versions of bonds, this is just straight up the Dungeon World version. Basically just a feeling or connection you have to another member of the party. You get xp for changing these to track how you relate to your party mates. Some examples:

"Boar is a useful tool. He is amenable to following orders without really questioning their intent."

"Yuri is truly a model of justice. What does he know about me? Do I need to worry about him undermining me?"

"Let Ezra maintain her leadership façade. She is more predictable when she is in charge."

" I owe Wen my life. And money. A lot, really."

OH and hey, here is a free adventure that itch.io won't index for some reason. Download it! It's been described as "charming" and "usable"