Would you play a D&D campaign without leveling?

[Reynard]

Idle curiosity: if you were invited to play a 5e campaign that was expected be in similar size and scope to a Storm King's Thunder or Out of the Abyss, except that there would be no XP or leveling, would you be interested in such a game?

Presume that the FM and fellow players are people you like and trust, and that the level you will be st for the campaign is in your personal "sweet spot" as far as 5e characters are concerned.

Also note that no leveling does not mean no character development. Things like the gaining prestige, influence, land and titles are on the table, as well as the accumulation of wealth and some magic items.

Finally, assume this is a story based campaign, designed to have a beginning, middle and end with the promise of a personal character arc to whatever degree you prefer such things.

So, in short, would you play long form D&D without gaining levels?

 

[billd91]

Back in the days of 1e when the levels over 10th or so took a long (and I do mean long) time to gain the 100s of thousands of XPs to advance, we still played those characters... because they were fun to play and we were engaged in fun adventures. So... yeah, I'd consider playing in a campaign with no level-ups in sight.

 

[plisnithus8]

One of the most fun campaigns I have been a part of was started at zero-level so no classes.We played probably 6 sessions of that before the PCs found an academy that taught classes, and that came too soon because the zero level so much fun and led to so much creativity and role-play.

 

[Slit518]

Put me at level 5 and I don't need to level.

Like you said, and like I would of thought, my character would develop through story growth. So for example if I acquired a kingdom and became a king, I would gain considerable power there.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[GameOgre]

YES.

 

[jgsugden]

It isn't really D&D without leveling. Advancing through the levels is a core feature of the game.

I've played in other systems wth a lot flatter of a leveling mechanic - the equivalent of PCs going from 4th to 7th level over their entire 100 or so session campaign. GURPs is a great example of it. When the story is great, that works well. When the story lags, and there are no little perks for advancing your PC, it can be a pretty stagnant environment. Personally, I prefer this experience for non-fantasy settings such as scifi or westerns.

 

[guachi]

Probably not. I don't think I'd enjoy a game where my PC could never get better at anything.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Yes. In a heartbeat. Preferably in the 4 to 9 range.

 

[Greg Benage]

Sure. The campaigns you mention might feel a little lackluster. A focus on something other than classic "adventuring" would work better, in my experience (thieves' guild, pirates, soldiers during wartime, court intrigue, etc.).