OK, so I'm close to having a few specific examples ready for peer review, but first...
Not sure what I was thinking with the name 'Heroic Exploits'. It doesn't really fit the TFT lexicon so I decided to go with a much simpler descriptor... Powers.
TFT Powers
Beyond Spells and Talents lie the realm of Powers; special abilities and feats that a character may unlock during their adventuring career by spending XP. They represent innate potential or untapped supernatural capacities that will enhance and expand the character's prowess. Unlike talents or spells, Powers do not typically require formal training or study although they will often have prerequisites or other qualifications that must be met before the chosen ability can be acquired (including story-driven criteria to be defined by the GM).
All Powers are grouped into distinct portfolios of five related and escalating abilities. The XP cost will also escalate starting at 500 XP for the first Power, 1000 XP for the second, 1500 XP for the third and so on. Each ability is given a ‘tier’ which should roughly correspond, power-wise, to spells or talents in the following IQ ranges.
- Tier 1 - IQ 9/10 (500 XP)
- Tier 2 - IQ 11/12 (1000 XP)
- Tier 3 - IQ 13/14 (1500 XP)
- Tier 4 - IQ 15/16 (2000 XP)
- Tier 5 - IQ 17+ (2500 XP)
A character may purchase Powers from multiple portfolios, but in order to select a higher tier ability, they must have the lower ones in the same portfolio first. The ‘Rule of Five’ also applies which means that no character may acquire more than five total Powers regardless of tier or portfolio. Additionally, individual Powers won't normally have per use ST cost like spells, but instead may be limited in other ways such as having a specific number of uses per day.
Powers can literally be game-changers and as such, GMs should carefully consider their impact on the game before adding them as a character option.