Leveling, how do you handle it

[MerakSpielman]

Ok, the paradigm for my current campaign is thus: The characters are all the elite, specially trained apprentices of their respective mentors. As such, they have seen everything their mentors are capable of, up to and including specific, high-level special abilities. (The mentors are 20th level versions of the PCs). Unfortunately, the PCs had to start adventuring after acquiring the raw knowledge of what their class is capable of, but without the extreme level of practice required to master the techniques. That's what they're doing when they're adventuring - perfecting the techniques. After a certain amount of practice (read: combat) they have a revelation - they finally understand a concept that they knew before only as rote, memorized words. They level up. They've all mapped out in advance the rough levels/PrCs they plan on taking, and will need a damn good role-playing reason to deviate.

 

[Silveras]

I use a different approach ...

I give out XP at the end of each session, and if the PCs have earned enough XP to advance, they immediately gain all such benefits.

BUT

I also require training, because I want the PCs to have mentor-figures (which I can threaten) and connections to the local organizations (so I can use them for plot hooks). However, since I noted that 3rd Edition really favors "immediate upgrades", I created this house rule:

Pre-Training
PCs may pay for and receive training for up to their next 3 levels. The Player decides which classes, skills, and feats s/he wishes to take for the next three levels. Having paid for and spent the downtime "training", as soon as the necessary XP are earned, this is considered to represent "mastering it", and the new abilities are fully usable.

 

[Laslo Tremaine]

I will state my biases up front. I am not a fan of either classes or levels.

In our campaign (I'm GMing a bunch of friends through Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil) we total up experience at the end of each session. If a character has enough exp to level, they will update their characters before the beginning of the next session and then they will get to use the leveled up character as soon as there is a bit of downtime (this usually means after the next night's rest).

We don't use training. Characters can take any feat, skill or class that is legally available to them at the time that they level (and we have no restrictions on multiclassing).

 

[Harlock]

I award XP at the end of every session. The players to choose any class they wish, but I do require some roleplaying if they choose a new class or a PrC. I also award Story XP and the like, so have my own XP per Level system which slows levelling down tremendously past level 5.

 

[Liolel]

Experince is by the book. But you can't level in a dungeon you have to be somewhere safer. But once you are its basicly instantanious to level.

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

If you have enough experience to level at the beginning of the session, then the next time your character gets a night of rest in the game then they level up.

I used to let people level any time, even in the middle of a session if they earned enough exp, but there was too much meta-gaming--"C'mon! One more encounter THEN let's sleep."