TSR Level Titles

[Jack Daniel]

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[aco175]

I do not ever recall using these names other than for fun or for NPCs to give them titles. My thief was never known as Burglar Bob at 4th level and then Cutpurse Bob at 5th level. It was just 4th or 5th level Thief.

I do appreciate the work you put into this and my favorite list if your house rules one.

 

[Lanefan]

I always saw these level titles as pure flavour, to be used or not as the whim demanded. The only time they'd appear in-fiction would be in a heirarchical society such as a Lawful temple or Mages' guild. I'd also never use the "Evil" alternates; if you're a Vicar you're a Vicar regardless of alignment.

 

[Sword Devil]

Great work! I love level titles, however contrived they sometimes are. A long time ago I made my own level title lists with custom titles for entries I didn't like—iirc I changed second level MU to "Stregone" because I wanted seers to be soothsayer NPCs

 

[TwoSix]

Worldbuilding with the level titles as strictly diegetic entities would be really interesting. It would give a real LitRPG vibe.

 

[Hriston]

When I read Chainmail, from which many of the magic-user and some of the fighter level titles derive, I realized their significance is they denote a type of figure that encompasses certain fighting and or spellcasting capabilities on the battlefield. For instance, your 11th-level magic-user is represented on the battlefield by a "wizard" figure, and your 8th-level fighter is represented by a "superhero". It's like unlocking bonus characters in a video game.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I remember using the titles every so often in our games. Seemed less meta-gamey at the time to use "hero" instead of "4th level".

It's also interesting what those titles were originally by Dave, and what Gary scrawled out and wrote the new titles as.

For example, originally the cleric was:
1. acolyte
2. Something illegible that Gary scratched out and put Adept
3. Village priest
4. Priest (changed to vicar)
5. Vicar (changed to Curate)
6. Curd* (changed to Bishop)
7. Abbot (changed to Lama)
8. Patriarch

*I'm guessing this was supposed to be 'curate', but Dave's spelling was...not good.

 

[the Jester]

I think you're missing the level titles from Unearthed Arcana. I don't think there were any in OA, but I could be misremembering.

Also, in AD&D, a first level magic-user and illusionist both had the level title of prestidigitator, IIRC.

 

[Jack Daniel]

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[Joshua Randall]

Level 5 ranger = pathfinder! D&D predicted its own demise.