Level vs. level

[Mouseferatu]

Okay, this has come up a number of times in recent threads. Specifically, the notion that spell levels should be renamed to "orders" or "circles" or the like, to avoid confusion with class levels and dungeon levels. The Order of the Stick made fun of it a while back.

So I have to ask...

Does anyone really have trouble keeping the various "levels" separate?

I don't ask to be rude; I'm honestly surprised. I've been playing D&D since I was 9. I've never had trouble with it, and I've never met anyone--even rank beginners--who had trouble with after the first game or two, if that. So I guess I'm just startled to see that it's apparently a big deal in some circles.

So what's your experience? Have you found, like me, that it really isn't a problem? Or is my experience unusual, and it's a bigger issue than I knew?

 

[Crothian]

Nope, I've never seen any problem with it. The context of the conversation is always enough to determine if one it talking about spell levels, class levels, or dungeon levels. Order of the Stick did a good job of making it fuinny, but it was a lot like Who's on First. The specific situation had to be created for the funny to happen.

 

[Mordane76]

My wife, a rabid non-player, understood this concept with even the most basic of explanations. I can't remember ever being confused by this particular usage of the same word for differing, yet slightly related concepts.

That strip of OOTS was very funny, though...


I think this is just one of those bits of D&D that people find easy to exploit humorously.

 

[shilsen]

Never had a problem with it and never seen anyone do so either. In my game, different spellcasters and groups will refer to spell levels in different ways, e.g. valences (which I stole from Sepulchrave's story hour), but that's for flavor reasons, not because of clarity issues.

 

[Desdichado]

Nope, no problem here.

 

[ThoughtfulOwl]

No problem.
Of course, it would be nice if we had distinct words instead of level this and level that, but the supposed benefit isn't worth the trouble to learn a new nomenclature, at least for me and my friends.

 

[ErickArnell]

When my wife started playing she was a little upset that she was a second level wizard but couldn't cast second level spells. But that was just because she was brand new, and the problem has never come up since.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Haven't had a problem since I was nine and read the red box Basic Rulebook which had a short paragraph that explained "usage of the word level". Pretty clear, that.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Don't really have a problem either, but I wouldn't have minded if they HAD changed the phrase "spell level" to something a little more flavorful (circle, sphere, order, power, rank, tome, seal, etc.)

(not to hijack, but I'd love to hear your suggestions on what spell levels could be called...)

AR

 

[Jolly Giant]

When my wife started playing she was a little upset that she was a second level wizard but couldn't cast second level spells. But that was just because she was brand new, and the problem has never come up since.

A friend of mine had the very same problem. It came up twice when he was creating his very first character ever...