Raising Backgrounds
The core book rules do not discuss how to raise a character's Backgrounds. Storytellers are encouraged to adopt one of two methods for this, depending upon their personal preferences and what works for their game:
- Method 1: Backgrounds Cost Experience. Backgrounds may be raised at the cost of 3 Experience per new dot (similar to the cost of a Specialty). Thus, an Exalt raising her Allies from 4 dots to 5 dots would pay 3 Experience points. Storytellers should generally let players recover Experience invested in this fashion if story circumstances force the character to lose dots in a Background. Such protection should not be absolute – dumb moves should have consequences – but players shouldn't be afraid of permanent losses merely at a whim, either. Should the story demand that a character gain a Background in play without having the necessary Experience, she must spend at least half of all Experience she gains toward this Background until she is no longer in debt. For example, if Dace raids his own tomb and gains a reaver daiklave, but doesn’t have 6 Experience points banked, then he would still gain the daiklave but would need to invest the Experience as soon as possible or lose the daiklave to story development (perhaps it is stolen by a sneaky Wyld Hunt scout).
- Method 2: Backgrounds Are Free. Backgrounds do not cost any Experience to raise, but they may only be raised with the explicit permission of the Storyteller. The Storyteller may only allow the increase (or loss) of Backgrounds when dictated by the story of the game. Although Backgrounds gained under this method are "free" they must still be earned via in-character play. For Dace to gain his ancient reaver daiklave, he must delve into his tomb, while building a mercenary unit requires active recruitment and campaigning.
Neither of these procedures is inherently better than the other, so Storytellers are encouraged to use whichever method proves best for their game. Neither method obviates the fact that the character must earn the Background in play. One method simply requires that players invest Experience in Backgrounds just as they do in other Traits.