# Experience points

- Term: Tabletop term
- Date: 1974
- Canonical: https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/experience-points/

> Points awarded for defeating foes, finding treasure or achieving goals, which accumulate until a character gains a level and becomes more powerful. In original D&D much of a character's experience came from treasure recovered, rewarding cunning over combat; later games shifted rewards toward fights, quests and story milestones.

Points awarded for defeating foes, finding treasure or achieving goals, which accumulate until a character gains a level and becomes more powerful. In original D&D much of a character's experience came from treasure recovered, rewarding cunning over combat; later games shifted rewards toward fights, quests and story milestones.

**Origin:** Introduced by Gygax and Arneson in Dungeons & Dragons (1974), building on the level-up system Arneson used in his Chainmail-based games.

## Quick answers

**What does "Experience points" mean?**
Points awarded for defeating foes, finding treasure or achieving goals, which accumulate until a character gains a level and becomes more powerful. In original D&D much of a character's experience came from treasure recovered, rewarding cunning over combat; later games shifted rewards toward fights, quests and story milestones.

**Where does the term "Experience points" come from?**
Introduced by Gygax and Arneson in Dungeons & Dragons (1974), building on the level-up system Arneson used in his Chainmail-based games.

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From The Lantern Hall (https://www.lanternhall.org/), a museum of fantasy literature and roleplaying games.