Hwaet has two forms of advances: Major and Minor advances.
When a character triggers an advance by creating changes in the world, they typically get a minor advance. At act thresholds and at highly critical moments, they may gain a major advance.
It's worth noting that an advance doesn't depend on success so much as change. A character who goes through a traumatic loss, for instance, may find that they suffer a major narrative (and Stress) setback but gain a major advance through a crisis.
Balancing Advances
One of the issues with advances is working with the level of power that is to be granted to the characters.
Generally, my rule is this:
Broad mastery; a particular skill, domain, or resistance; or a minor narrative effect can be had from a universal minor advance.
A skill, domain, or resistance plus either broad mastery or a minor narrative effect can be had from a from role-specific advance.
Multiple domains, skills, resistances, major narrative effects, or the like are suitable for a major advance. If these are not role-specific, there may be a required domain.
The end goal is just to make sure that people feel powerful, rather than restricted, so I'm not going to nit-pick balance in Hwaet, but I do want to try to get it as good as I can.
I've included a few example advances below. The final game should have many more.
Exile Advances
Wandersong [Minor]
Won't you follow me through hill and dale, sweetest song of the willows?
You sing a strain of a song you barely remember from a far away place, and it brings peace to you and those around you. Gain 1 Humanity resistance, and roll with mastery when trying to calm others or navigate the wild.
Sanctity [Major Wyrd]
The forces were arrayed against me, but I knew no fear as I knelt in prayer. In that moment, I rose outside the world.
Mark 3 Wyrd stress (and roll for Fallout, if necessary). Upon activating this ability, you are invulnerable to Blood, Ego, and Face stress and fallout, but you cannot apply your domain to rolls until you deactivate this ability.
Royal Advances
Fealty [Minor]
Do you swear loyalty to me? If so, then enjoy my protection.
When you roll Persuade against any regular person, you roll with mastery; and your followers gain mastery on any roll they make to follow your directions.
Divine Right [Major]
It is our right as king, I proclaimed, and as such we will have our way.
When you suffer Face or Gold fallout, you may roll a Resist (Divine) with a difficulty equal to the severity of the Fallout (0 for Minor, 1 for Moderate, 2 for Severe). If you succeed, reduce the severity of the Fallout by one level to determine its effects (or entirely ignore Minor fallout), but remove the appropriate amount of stress (e.g. Severe fallout downgraded to Moderate still removes 7 stress).
Mother Advances
Nurture [Minor]
When you refresh, reduce half as much Stress (rounding down) from the Blood or Ego stress suffered by a fellow PC, or the Resistance of an NPC.
Mother of Monsters [Major]
You have a bond with a great, terrible, creature, which was born from a part of you that will never return. Sacrifice an eye, a hand, or a foot to create (or tame) this creature; this wound will ache forever, but you will not suffer any penalties from it; the creature is there to help you compensate.
You may choose two of the following qualities for this monster, and improve it further with relevant advances.
Egress: When you move quickly, you roll with mastery.
Grotesqueness: You roll with mastery to intimidate others or force them away.
Shelter: You roll with mastery to Resist incoming Blood or Ego stress.
Oracle: When you roll for any sensory or intuitive perception, roll with mastery.
Universal Advances
Maturation [Minor]
Emerging into the light, I saw the joy of a well-earned sunrise breaking over the horizon.
The character gains a new Skill, Domain, or +1 to a Resistance of their choice. This is generally not a particularly potent advance, but it does allow for flexibility in a character's advances.
Heroic Icon [Minor Wyrd]
I strode into the horde, drawing my sword as it writhed around me. The monsters hissed, but I stood firm.
A Heroic Icon is an object, goal, or symbol that holds special power for a character. Whenever they would roll and the Heroic Icon could provide material or psychological aid, they roll with Mastery.
Any stress suffered from such a roll is allocated to the character's Wyrd.