Experience Points (XP) and Skill Advancement

Experience Points (XP) and Skill Advancement

In Void Pirates, your character grows stronger not through sudden bursts of power, but through the slow, hard accumulation of Experience Points (XP) earned from surviving jobs, succeeding at dangerous tasks, and learning from failure. XP is spent to improve skills, raise ranks in existing skills, or — rarely — increase core attributes. This section explains how XP is earned, how it is spent, and how it ties into character progression, skill bonuses, level advancement, and the Threat Scaling system that makes high-skill characters face harder challenges.

Skills Overview

Skills represent specialized training and expertise your character has gained through past work, adventures, or hard knocks. Every time you attempt an Action Roll (AR), you may add the Skill Rank Modifier (SRM) from one relevant skill — never more than one per roll. You should always choose the single highest-ranking skill that logically applies to get the best possible result.Skills are divided into two categories:

Average Skills (ASR – Average Skill Rank): Common, everyday abilities. The bonus is simple: +1 per rank (Rank 1 = +1, Rank 5 = +5).
Difficult Skills (DSR – Difficult Skill Rank): Advanced or specialized abilities. The bonus escalates: Rank 1 = +1, Rank 2 = +3, Rank 3 = +5, Rank 4 = +7, Rank 5 = +9.

Attribute Increases with XP

During character creation: You may spend Backstory XP to raise any initial attribute roll by +1 point.
- Cost: 12 XP per point.
- Limit: Only two attributes may be increased.
- Maximum increase per attribute: +1 point.
After character creation: Any future increases to attributes cost 30 XP per +1 point. There is no limit to how high an attribute can go, but the cost is steep and permanent.

Backstory XP (Only Used at Creation)

Players choose their starting age (18 or older). Backstory XP accumulates from age 15 onward at a rate of 6 XP per year. This pool is spent only during character creation on initial skills, ranks, or attribute increases.

Starting Age	Years of XP	Total Backstory XP
18	3 (15–17)	18 XP
20	5 (15–19)	30 XP
25	10 (15–24)	60 XP
30	15 (15–29)	90 XP

Skill Rank Modifier (SRM)

You apply only one relevant skill’s SRM to any Action Roll.
Always choose the most advantageous (highest rank) skill that fits the action.
Average Skill Rank (ASR): +1 per rank (Rank 1 = +1, Rank 5 = +5).
Difficult Skill Rank (DSR): +1 for Rank 1, then +2 per additional rank (Rank 1 = +1, Rank 2 = +3, Rank 3 = +5, Rank 4 = +7, Rank 5 = +9).

Skill Ranks and Costs

All costs are per rank and must be purchased sequentially (you cannot buy Rank 3 without first buying Rank 1 and Rank 2).

Rank	Average Skill Cost	Total XP Spent (Average)	Difficult Skill Cost	Total XP Spent (Difficult)
1	6 XP	6	12 XP	12
2	9 XP	15	18 XP	30
3	12 XP	27	24 XP	54
4	15 XP	42	30 XP	84
5	18 XP	60	36 XP	120
6+	21 XP (increases by 3 XP each rank)	—	42 XP (increases by 6 XP each rank)	—

Common Skills by Attribute

The following is the complete list of core skills in Void Pirates, organized by their primary attribute. Each entry includes the skill type (Average or Difficult), primary attribute, and a brief description of typical uses.Strength (STR) Skills

Athletics — Average — Climbing, jumping, lifting, swimming, feats of strength.
Melee — Average — Close combat with blades, clubs, improvised weapons.
Unarmed — Difficult — Brawling, grappling, martial arts.

Agility (AGL) Skills

Acrobatics — Average — Dodging, balancing, tumbling, flips.
Evasion — Difficult — Avoiding fire, maneuvering in combat.
Piloting — Difficult — Flying small craft, air/rafts, zero-G maneuvers.
Sleight of Hand — Average — Pickpocketing, lockpicking, sleight.
Stealth — Difficult — Sneaking, hiding, silent movement.
Zero-G — Average — Moving/fighting in space, freefall.
Vacuum Suit — Average — Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) operations, suit repairs in vacuum.
Ranged Combat — Average — Firearms: pistols, rifles, boarding guns.

Intellect (INT) Skills

Computer — Difficult — Hacking, programming, data slicing.
Electronics — Average — Repairing/fixing electronics, sensors, alarms.
Engineering — Difficult — Ship/power plant maintenance, jury-rigging.
Mechanics — Average — Vehicle/ship repairs, mechanics.
Medicine — Difficult — Treating wounds, surgery, poisons.
Navigation — Difficult — Plotting jumps, star charts, astrogation.
Demolitions — Average — Explosives, breaching hulls, booby traps.
Gunnery — Average — Ship turrets, missile bays, orbital fire.
Tactics — Difficult — Battle plans, ambushes, boarding operations.
Salvage/Fabricate — Average — Scavenging/looting wrecks, fabricating from scrap, jury-rigs.
Security Systems — Average — Cracking vaults, disabling security.

Health (HLTH) Skills

Endurance — Difficult — Resisting fatigue, poison, torture, long hauls.
Survival — Average — Foraging, tracking, wilderness/planet survival.

Personality (PER) Skills

Perception — Average — Spotting ambushes, noticing details, scanning.
Streetwise — Average — Urban navigation, contacts, black market.
Persuasion — Average — Haggling, charming, leadership.
Deception — Difficult — Lying, bluffing, disguise.
Intimidate — Difficult — Threats, coercion, scaring foes.
Broker — Average — Trading cargo, smuggling deals, negotiations.
Recon — Average — Scouting enemies, sensor sweeps, patrols.
Leadership — Difficult — Rallying crew, issuing commands.
Gambling — Average — Card games, cons, high-stakes bets.
Forgery — Difficult — Fake IDs, documents, manifests.

Threat Scaling by Total Skill Ranks (TSR)

Total Skill Ranks (TSR) is the sum of all skill ranks your character has purchased (each rank counts as +1, whether Average or Difficult). Examples:

Ranged Combat Rank 3, Zero-G Rank 2, Piloting Rank 1 = TSR 6
Melee Rank 4, Unarmed Rank 3, Endurance Rank 2 = TSR 9

Threat Scaling Table (Character-Specific)
As your character gains skills and reputation, jobs become bigger and deadlier. When your TSR reaches certain thresholds, all Target Numbers (TNs) for your personal Action Rolls increase by the listed amount. This affects only your rolls — not the rest of the crew’s.

Character TSR	TN Increase	Narrative Feel
0–10	+0	Starting out — jobs are rough, but enemies are sloppy
11–15	+1	Building a rep — jobs get riskier, security tightens
16–20	+2	Proven crew — targets are high-value, defenses are serious
21–25	+3	Heavy hitters — only the big scores pay enough
26–30	+4	Elite operators — missions are suicide runs for most
31+	+5 (maximum)	Legends — the only jobs left are the ones no one else can handle

The TN increase is capped at +5, no matter how high TSR goes.
Recheck and apply TSR scaling at the start of each session or when taking on a new job. TSR only increases when you spend XP on skills.

Reputation Offset
If your party has +3 or higher Reputation with the relevant faction or local power (tracked via the Reputation Track), every member of the party reduces their personal TN increase by 1 (minimum +0). Example: A character with TSR 22 normally faces +3 TNs. If the party has +3 Reputation with the local syndicate, their increase drops to +2.

Why This Rule Is Core
Characters do not stay small-time forever. As they gain ranks, they chase bigger hauls — riskier ships, better-defended stations, more paranoid marks. This rule ensures high-level jobs remain dangerous and rewarding without the Game Master having to artificially inflate every enemy. It works alongside Party Challenge Rating (PCR) (sum of levels) to scale overall module difficulty, enemy numbers, and threat scale.

Character Levels

Only XP spent after character creation counts toward level growth. Backstory XP is not included.

Level Progression Table

XP Expended on Skills and Attributes	Level
0	1
150	2
350	3
600	4
900	5

Levels max at 5. Characters at Level 5 or higher are considered Master Level Veterans.
Levels are primarily used to calculate Party Challenge Rating (PCR), which is the sum of all crew members’ levels. PCR scales mission difficulty.

Level Progression Benefits Table

Level	Actions per Turn or Move Multiplier
1	1 action (any) + ¼ Move Base, or 1 full Move Base
2	1 action + ½ Move Base, or ×1.5 full Move Base
3	1 action (any) + 1 Full Move Base, or ×1.5 full Move Base
4	1 attack action + 1 non-attack action + ½ Move Base, or 1 non-combat action (cannot convert to combat action) + ×1.5 full Move Base
5	1 attack action + 1 non-attack action + 1 Full Move Base, or ×2 full Move Base

Non-combat actions used aggressively in combat suffer a –2 penalty unless the Game Master rules otherwise.
Generally, character growth is measured more by the number of skills and ranks than by level. Levels mainly improve combat action economy and contribute to Party Challenge Rating.

How Experience Points (XP) Are Earned

Experience Points are earned during gameplay only when a player succeeds at actions that truly matter — the dangerous, high-stakes challenges that define life in the Cradle. Routine or average tasks do not grant XP; only rolls of Difficult difficulty or higher (Target Number 18+) count toward advancement.Award Structure

Fully Successful Action Roll (total ≥ TN 18 or higher) = 1 XP awarded.
Partially Successful Action Roll (total = TN – 1, where TN is 18 or higher) = 0.5 XP awarded.
Action Rolls at Routine (TN 8) or Average (TN 12) difficulty give 0 XP — these are considered baseline competence, not heroic achievements.

The Game Master settles all disputes and may award XP immediately after determining the outcome (house rules should be consistent and evenly applied).

0.5 XP fractions are banked; two halves combine into 1 full XP (round up when spending).

Bonus XP is awarded for special accomplishments (mission-specific goals, clever solutions, roleplay milestones, or narrative beats) and divided evenly among the crew. The Game Master determines bonus amounts at the end of a session or major event.This restriction ensures XP feels earned and keeps progression meaningful — players only advance by surviving and succeeding at the Cradle’s most perilous moments, not by grinding simple checks. Routine tasks build confidence; Difficult and Heroic rolls build legends.

Eligible Actions
Any player-initiated action resolved via an Action Roll — including combat attacks, skill checks, opposed tests, and creative actions outside structured combat (if the Game Master allows).

When and How to Spend XP
Players may spend accumulated XP to increase skills or attributes only when the Game Master determines it is appropriate (examples: end of session, during downtime activities, or after completing a mission). Example
In a salvage operation, a player succeeds on a Difficult Mechanics Action Roll (TN 18) to repair a hull breach (Full Success). The Game Master awards 1 XP.

This completes the VP system for earning and spending XP, advancing skills, scaling threats with TSR, and progressing levels. Growth is slow and earned — the Void rewards those who survive long enough to learn from their mistakes.