Influence
From RPSWiki
Influence is a representation of the, well, level of influence an individual has acquired in an environment. For those familiar with other role playing games, it is almost synonymous with experience points. RPS uses the word Influence as the system focuses on the idea that a character gains fame and power over time, and that under certain situations they will also lose fame and power. We find that Influence is a more accurate term for a point-value measurement of this fame and power than experience would be, as RPS does not measure actual experiences had, but rather notoriety gained or lost through those experiences.
A character may gain Influence in a number of ways. The most common is to receive an Impression from another character during or after a role play encounter. Impressions are brief, three question surveys filled out by players that grant the character for whom they are completing the survey a certain amount of Influence (somewhere between 1 and 100 points, depending on how much time the receiving character has spent in the environment since receiving their last Impression). The Impression system is a unique, proprietary system held by RPS that greatly encourages character-to-character interaction and rewards role-play in a real and meaningful manner. Characters may also earn Influence through performing a number of interactions with the environment (such as selling items for RP$ through a role play vendor or picking the lock on a door) and through combat victory. Characters lose Influence whenever they experience a combat loss.
At certain points of Influence gain, a character will increase in level. This level increase occurs regardless of whether or not a character is in a level-based or point-based environment, but has very little impact on characters within a point-based environment. For more information on levels, see the level page here on the RPS Wiki. Conversely, if a character loses enough Influence to no longer qualify for their current level, they will lose a level.
