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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kalendraf" data-source="post: 1594157" data-attributes="member: 3433">For a party, it works out to something like 13 encounters of your EL before you will probably gain a level.  I was using this in my assumption as you'll see...What I envisioned by training wasn't training against each other or even drills.  Instead, since the whole D&D fantasy-world way of improving is based on gaining EXP, I assumed that they might use other options to train.  These could include sending the recruits against actual foes (captured monsters, enemies, etc) in a controlled environment where they still face some risk of being injured and learn to fight against them.  It's also possible that animated constructs or summoned creatures could be used to train against.  My assumption was that within a full year of soldier duty, a typical 1st level recruit would overcome about 1 of these challenges per month (12 in a year) which combined with other spare exp should be enough for them to gain a level.  So that's where my 1 level per year of service number comes from.In actual battle situations, I expected a campaign could last anywhere from days to months.  A short fast-paced campaign (capture a small outpost) would likely involve rapid hit'n'run attacks with injured soldiers retreating to get healing.  A longer campaign could involve much overland movement with several smaller skirmishes along the way.  During each of those, I suspect that a soldier would likely be involved in a dozen or so individual combats in which they gain experience.  This is where my 1 level per campaign comes from.Related to all of this information is of course the casualty rate.  30% losses or more equates to being routed badly.  I was envisioning an maximum acceptable rate of losses to be around 4% per minor skirmish.  The odds of a level 1 recruit surviving 12 skirmishes during an entire campaign is .96 ^ 12 = 61%.  Anything much worse than that quickly leads to a badly demoralized army and population.  Higher level soldiers will have a better survival rate, but their numbers begin to become impacted by other factors such as retirement.In this case, the "new" peasants and farmers are 1st level experts, commoners and perhaps a few warriors, and any returning ones who have fought in prior battles will be levels 2+.  The standing army soldiers would be comprised mostly even higher level soldiers, though a few lower level ones may have recently joined to replace any retiring soldiers.  The overall ranks would still be somewhat similar to what I suggested above, unless there have never been any large battles in the last 30+ years, in which case all the peasants and farmers could be level 1.This goes back to my earlier reply - you can write the history to allow for a lot of level 1's in the army, but it requires a lengthy time of peace leading up it.  However, that doesn't seem to be the intention if you are looking for cookie cuttie soldiers that all have the same feats and so forth.  That type of soldier would exist in a world ravaged by continual war.  The peace-broken-by-war army of mostly level 1's is going to be a ragtag outfit which has lots of random and useless feats like Skill focus - Knowledge(Potatoes) & Craft(Wagon).</blockquote>

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