05 Progression
Because the Academy environment is grueling, the ultimate currency for progression is not arbitrary XP, it's Time. Progression is tied directly to how you choose to spend your days.
1. The Daily Time Slots
Each day is divided into 3 Time Slots:
- Morning (Standard Studying): Dedicated to Academy classes, structured magical theory, and core academics.
- Afternoon (Hybrid): Students are free to use Academy facilities, socialise/network, or begin their own activities.
- Night (Exploring): Dedicated to investigating the mysteries of Cyoria, off-campus activities, or resting.
Every slot you spend huddled in a library or sweating in a training room is a slot not spent tracking down cultists or traversing dangerous areas.
2. Study Points (SP) - "The Grind"
Study Points represent time spent practicing, reading, attending Academy lectures, and doing repetitive shaping exercises. Because the characters are in a Time Loop, SP is their primary, steadily growing currency.
How to Earn SP:
- Session Reward: 2 to 3 SP per session (representing a week or two of in-game studying/surviving).
- End of Loop Bonus: A lump sum at the end of a Reset based on how long characters survived and how strictly they stuck to their study schedule.
- Base Study Yield: Spending a Time Slot studying alone or attending a standard class grants 1 SP towards a specific goal.
What SP Buys (The Costs):
- Learn a New Spell: SP equal to the Spell's Tier (e.g., Tier 3 spell = 3 SP). Requires the appropriate dots in the Core School.
- Master a Spell: SP equal to the Spell's Tier. Max Mastered Spells = Memory × 2.
- Increase an Attribute (Mental, Physical, Social, or Magical): New Rating × 3 SP. (e.g., Going from Tier 2 to Tier 3 costs 9 SP).
- Increase a Core Magic School (1 to 5): New Rating × 4 SP. (e.g., Going from Tier 3 to Tier 4 in Alteration costs 16 SP).
3. Insight Points (IP) - "The Epiphany"
If SP is time, IP is breakthroughs. You cannot become an Archmage just by sitting in a library for 100 years; you have to push your limits, fight for your life, and uncover the secrets of the world. IP is a rare, narrative currency.
How to Earn IP:
- Solving a Mystery: Discovering a major clue about the Time Loop, the Cult, or the Sovereign Gate.
- Surviving a Deadly Threat: Defeating or surviving an encounter with a "Loop-Aware" entity, a boss-level monster, or an Archmage.
- Major Milestones: 1 IP awarded at the end of a highly successful, plot-advancing Loop.
What IP Buys (The Costs):
- Unlock a Specialization (1 IP): You cannot just "buy" dots in Mind Magic, Teleportation, or Chronomancy with SP. You must spend 1 IP to have the epiphany required to unlock the Specialization tree (usually after finding a rare teacher, stealing a forbidden grimoire, or dissecting a magical beast).
- Create a Custom Spell (1 IP + SP cost): Inventing a brand new spell formula from scratch that doesn't exist in the Academy archives.
- Purchase a Trait / Merit (1 IP): Unlocking a new permanent character trait (like Mana Battery, Photographic Memory, or Inner Peace) or permanently removing Flaws (like Nightmares or Soul Tether).
- Break the Tier 5 Cap (1 IP + SP cost): To reach Tier 5 (Master/Mythic) in any Attribute or Magic School, grinding SP isn't enough. You must spend 1 IP to achieve the final paradigm shift required for true mastery.
- Soul-Bind an Item (2 IP): Spending IP to permanently bind a non-magical or minor magical item to the character's soul so it travels back in time with them during the Reset.