D&D 5E Leveling Up

[The_Gneech]

I generally have level-up happen between sessions, preferably with at least a long rest if not a break between adventures. Every once in a while I let it happen as a milestone event in a large adventure.

I am considering returning to training rules as a method of slowing things down, however. Leveling has way, way too fast in 5E.

-The Gneech

 

[rjfTrebor]

i think the concept of leveling up is gamey enough that i don't need to try to explain it in the narrative. i let the players level up on their next short or long rest, no training or reflection required.

 

[ZombieRoboNinja]

I think as DM I'd require a long rest, and then also do a time jump (anywhere from a week to ten years) between tiers to reflect a change in tempo.

 

[jrowland]

I've been doing episodic XP for years. An end of an "episode" is usually a minimum of a long rest, although often longer. I've often thought that someone adding a "new" class should take much longer. I've never done it but wizard to fighter and visa versa might be as long as a year, eldritch knight to wizard might be 6 mos, cleric to wizard might be 3 mos, and sorcerer to wizard might be 1 week, eg...probably too long for most games, but a long running home campaign might pull that off

 

[Mercule]

I don't want to stop the game to do math, so it's between sessions. I've also traditionally required the PCs to at least withdraw from imminent danger prior to "internalizing what they've learned". So, I guess that equates to a short rest, though I hadn't really thought about it in those terms.

 

[Nebulous]

Usually between a rest, short or long, i allow leveling up. But i don't calculate XP either, i kind of eyeball it and level them appropriately. Works for us.

 

[the Jester]

I allow leveling up as soon as the pc in question has the xps to do so.


They don't recover any of their expended resources, but they do get all their new stuff- their additional HD, new hps, spells, etc- immediately. Since I run an "everyone starts at 1st level" game, it seems like it would just plain be cruel not to let them have the level as soon as they've earned (and received) the xp (I don't always give xp out immediately when it's earned, sometimes it's after a few encounters, after a hard encounter or at the end of the session).

 

[Lord Vangarel]

Our standard houserule has always been you can level up after a long rest (i.e. a nights sleep), however in the opening episode of Hoard of the Dragon Queen and knowing what was coming at the end I allowed the players to level up after a short rest before the final encounter.

Even if they level up without a long rest I still hold the rule that you can't add new spells/abilities until after you've had a sleep on it.

Again this can be changed per campaign. We once ran a game back in 2nd edition where the PC's gained enough XP to level but didn't rest and gained enough XP to level again before they rested which wasn't ideal as they completely skipped a level!

 

[jimmifett]

Between sessions, with the option to either take default HP increase, or roll for them at beginning of next session.

 

[Joe Liker]

I don't impose any downtime requirements because no amount of downtime could ever realistically explain how a person could gain the ability to do the things most D&D characters can do.

I only award XP if I'm at a stopping point, but I usually have a pretty good idea if the level-up is going to happen. It's not completely unknown for this to occur mid-session, but usually we do it between sessions.

One of my players is notoriously lax about making his level-up choices, so I do tend to schedule some session time to make him do it.