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lowkey13
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D&D 5E Do LEVELS Have Concrete Meaning In Your Game?
- Thread starter GX.Sigma
- Start date
Shendorion
First Post
Classes? No. Levels? No.
Some classes represent specific orders or organizations; others represent a fantasy archetype with a suite of abilities that aren't named powers in the game world (or even necessarily quantifiable there). Fighters aren't all "fighters," rogues aren't all "rogues." Some classes that do represent specific orders or organizations don't assign rank or status based on demonstrated abilities - the Archprelate of the Church of Annoia might be an administrator or a bureaucrat or a dignitary selected by acclaim by the oldest members of the church, rather than whoever could cast the highest level spells. Some groups, like a monastic order or a college of wizards might rank members based on the ability to perform specific, named techniques or spells, and might thus assign titles or levels accordingly, but those are the exceptions to the general rule, that your class and level aren't tattooed on your forehead.
Some classes represent specific orders or organizations; others represent a fantasy archetype with a suite of abilities that aren't named powers in the game world (or even necessarily quantifiable there). Fighters aren't all "fighters," rogues aren't all "rogues." Some classes that do represent specific orders or organizations don't assign rank or status based on demonstrated abilities - the Archprelate of the Church of Annoia might be an administrator or a bureaucrat or a dignitary selected by acclaim by the oldest members of the church, rather than whoever could cast the highest level spells. Some groups, like a monastic order or a college of wizards might rank members based on the ability to perform specific, named techniques or spells, and might thus assign titles or levels accordingly, but those are the exceptions to the general rule, that your class and level aren't tattooed on your forehead.
Yes Class and Level have meaning in my game. Heck, depending there are also ways to give hit points meaning in the game as well.
OK, I assumed that everyone had levels already before starting. Luke certainly had levels in piloting, Han in Smuggling and Chewie in Ass-Kicking.
OK, I assumed that everyone had levels already before starting. Luke certainly had levels in piloting, Han in Smuggling and Chewie in Ass-Kicking.
Levels... sorta.
A wizard isn't a real wizard until you can cast 3rd level spells. Same with bard, druids, clerics, sorcerers, etc. So until you hit level 5, you are an amateur.
Even the peasants assume "a wizard can shoot fireballs".
"Pfft. Some wizard. Can't even shoot lightning."
You can't call yourself an "Arch-Anything" until you can cast 6th level spells. The broken, kick-reality-in the-reproductive-organs ones.
"Archmage Dampoa? Can you turn me into stone? You are an Arch-phony."
A wizard isn't a real wizard until you can cast 3rd level spells. Same with bard, druids, clerics, sorcerers, etc. So until you hit level 5, you are an amateur.
Even the peasants assume "a wizard can shoot fireballs".
"Pfft. Some wizard. Can't even shoot lightning."
You can't call yourself an "Arch-Anything" until you can cast 6th level spells. The broken, kick-reality-in the-reproductive-organs ones.
"Archmage Dampoa? Can you turn me into stone? You are an Arch-phony."
Jeff Carlsen
Adventurer
Class Levels: No.
Spell Levels: Yes.
Sure, a higher level character would be recognized as more skilled or powerful than a lower level character, but the actual levels don't exist.
Spell levels, though, are something that spellcasters would come up with. We usually use the term "order", but it can vary.
Spell Levels: Yes.
Sure, a higher level character would be recognized as more skilled or powerful than a lower level character, but the actual levels don't exist.
Spell levels, though, are something that spellcasters would come up with. We usually use the term "order", but it can vary.
Arial Black
Adventurer
My Wiz 2/Ftr 6 is an 8th level character, and my Wiz 5 is a 5th level character, yet A can only cast 1st level spells while B can cast 3rd. How can people in-game know that A is higher level than B?
It is pretty easy to tell that your Wiz 5 is of higher level Wiz then your Wiz 2/Ftr 6.
Likewise it is easy to tell that your Wiz 2/Ftr 6 is of higher level Ftr then your Wiz 5.
Then it is just a mater of figuring out if your Wiz 2/Ftr 6 has an extra attack or not.
Lanefan
Victoria Rules
Levles within a class have some vague meaning for most classes - all casters measure each other by "what's the most powerful spell you can cast, and how often can you cast it?" while guild types like Thieves, Assassins and Monks have small graduation ceremonies every time someone trains to a new level. For the martial types it's nowhere near as clear-cut. Bards are a special case as I still use the old 1e "college" system - each college covers 3 levels after 1st (thus 2-4 is one, 5-7 the next, etc.); so what college you attend for training very much defines your level within a narrow range.
If you're 9th level by being 3rd level in three different classes nobody considers you as 9th level in anything (except maybe braggart); you're more like a jack-of-all-third-level-trades and any true (single-class) 9th-level in one of those same classes will simply sneer at you.
Lan-"not at all a fan of additive levels"-efan
If you're 9th level by being 3rd level in three different classes nobody considers you as 9th level in anything (except maybe braggart); you're more like a jack-of-all-third-level-trades and any true (single-class) 9th-level in one of those same classes will simply sneer at you.
Lan-"not at all a fan of additive levels"-efan
delericho
Legend
Not IMC. Obviously, that's not universal.
Han and Chewie are more like Strider in LotR - they're already adventurers and have already answered "the call". So they're higher level when we first meet them.
(Perhaps worth noting that Star Wars doesn't use an equal rate of level progression - Luke advances many levels in the trilogy, while Han starts at a higher level but only gains one or two more.)
Tia Nadiezja
First Post
The level of a spellcaster is obvious to other spellcasters the moment they cast their top-tier spells - spell levels are very much concrete things, and what each level of magic can do and how much skill it takes to get to them are things basically any trained spellcaster would know from learning, while sorcerers and warlocks would know it instinctively. So, in that way, level is a thing - certainly, wizard guilds could easily use the ability to cast specific, common spells from the guild's specialized school to determine one's rank within the guild.
Similarly, a warrior knows who their equals are, who they stand above, and who stands above them. It's in the walk, it's in the attitude, it's ridiculously obvious the moment weapons come out.
So... while discrete levels might not be a thing in-world, the concepts levels measure definitely are.
Similarly, a warrior knows who their equals are, who they stand above, and who stands above them. It's in the walk, it's in the attitude, it's ridiculously obvious the moment weapons come out.
So... while discrete levels might not be a thing in-world, the concepts levels measure definitely are.
