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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 9553442" data-attributes="member: 467">Milestone Leveling System for D&D 5EThis is an attempt to create a codified milestone leveling system for 5E (2014 or 2024).BASICS: In order to gain the next level, a character must achieve a number of Milestones equal to their current level. So, a 1st level character reaches second level after achieving one milestone, and a 9th level character reaches 10th level after achieving nine milestones.TYPES OF MILESTONES: Milestones come in three types: Adventure, Campaign and Personal.    Adventure Milestones are major points in an adventure. For simple adventures, there is usually one milestone: whatever the “completion” conditions are. For example, if the adventure is based on a band of orcs raiding a frontier settlement, the Adventure Milestone is stopping those raids. Note that Adventure Milestones should not expressly determine HOW the PCs accomplish the milestone. Longer and more complex adventures may have more than one Milestone, and these may be “side events.” For example, if the above described adventure also included a group of captives taken by the orcs, there might be an Adventure Milestone for rescuing those captives and getting them home. Note that all PCs involved in reaching the Milestones earn them for the purposes of advancement.    Campaign Milestones are based on the broader scope of the campaign. They may be established by the GM, be the result of play, or be designated by the PCs. The important distinction between an Adventure Milestone and a Campaign milestone is that a Campaign Milestone is something with a lasting effect on the campaign as a whole. An example might be that in the campaign, the PCs work for the local Lord and the Lord has a corrupt advisor who is using their position for nefarious purposes. There is no particular, singular adventure associated with the advisor, but if the PCs are able to expose them or otherwise reveal or end their corruption, that is a Campaign milestone. As with Adventure Milestones, all characters involved earn the Milestone.    Personal Milestones, as the name implies, are specific to an individual character. The player should set a few achievable Personal Milestones at character creation, and more Personal milestones will naturally suggest themselves throughout play. Personal Milestones can be almost anything, but initially should emerge from the character’s background/backstory, and later from actual play. An example of a Personal milestone might be that a character started their adventuring career in order to earn enough money to pay for a curse to be removed from a loved one. When that happens, the PC earns a Personal Milestone toward advancing in level. Note, too, that the achieving of a Personal Milestone might suggest new ones.ADJUDICATING MILESTONES: Ultimately it is up to the GM to determine when the characters succeed in achieving their milestones, as a group and individually. The GM should be a fan of the PCs and want them to succeed in this, while at the same time not making the process too easy.Milestones should be clear. That is, the PCs should know what qualifies as a milestone and what it means to achieve it. Again, the GM should not prescribe exact “solutions” that achieve the milestones, only conditions that define the milestones as achieved. When milestones emerge in play, the GM should let the players know so they can take note of them and decide when and how to pursue achieving them. GMs are strongly encouraged NOT to use “secret milestones” since the point of the system is to have players choose to reach toward them of their own accord.NON-MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENTS: Not everything the PCs set out to do qualifies as a milestone. If the PCs want to go monster hunting for special crafting components, or delve into some old barrows for loose change, these do not necessarily qualify as adventures with Adventure Milestones. That is to say, not every activity the PCs engage in should explicitly lead toward leveling up.</blockquote>

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