Don't Give Experience

I like to level my characters. I really do. Having the opportunity to transform your character in whatever direction you want them to go is fun. Concepting the most powerful incarnation of your character and knowing how much butt-kicking goodness they will have can be quite appealing. Yet some of the most fun (an sometimes infuriating) gaming experiences I've had focused on not awarding experience or leveling.

Awarding experience is typically used in games to measure the progress of your character as they hack and slash their way to the top. Ideally, experience should be awarded based on the actions taken by a character rather than how well they swing a sword. At the end of a game session when I hand out adventure experience, this becomes glaringly apparent. The typical response when I ask "what did you do that deserves xp?" is "I killed ", or "I landed the killing blow..." blah blah.

Any experience awards should be based on merit of role-play. Major character changes or attempts at overcoming a fear (or roleplaying that fear to its fullest potential without it coming across as cheesy) are instances where you should be awarding experience if at all. But how do you get to the point where you recognize role-play value over "I killed it!"?

Give NO experience. At all.

If the group kills a monster, they don't get XP. They don't get the chance to level or progress. Stats remain static (though you might allow them to change if the players use their skills actively - but that is aside from the point). This isn't something you try for a single session. Don't give experience for the duration of the adventure or campaign.

I've been on the player's side of this kind of treatment. You start playing for a while, and then you start longing for some kind of change to your character. It wont come though, because the GM isn't giving out experience. What do you do? Keep playing and learn how to better change your character from within the game rather than on paper. It takes time and patience on your part, and a rock steady belief that your players will figure it out when you are the GM.

No experience emphasize growth of the character purely through role-play. Sure, you'll want some new cool power, but you need to realize that you will not get it. Instead you need to be more creative with what resources are at your disposal. If you are given potions? use them. Magic goods? use them. Lotion? Rub it on your skin (Silence of the Lambs anyone?).

The point is to develop your character without the crutch of leveling up. Leveling introduces immediate forced change. No experience forces change as well, but the development has less to do with what is on paper, and more to do with what roleplay ability is in you.