D&D 5E What homebrew rules are you using for level advancement?

[Blue]

Does anyone have some basic rules they're using that takes into account some sort of training and cost associated with level advancement that is reasonable, has flavor, and is still fun without being cumbersome and feeling like your PCs will be taking long sabbaticals every other game?

Absolutely! I *require* characters to level to go through a lengthy set of serious, hands-on training. And not in controlled circumstances with little repercussion, but rather under real-life (for them) situations with potentially deadly outcomes. No trainer or classroom can compare.

In return I grant them learning chits and they can not level up until they have accumulated a sufficient amount of them. I increase the amount needed every character level as well.

I call these learning chits: experience points.

 

[Cyrinishad]

Actually, I like a milestone system. And, I think that solves some of this feel of an arbitrary leveling up that I described above. However, every single player in my group didn't like it when we did that in our first campaign!

So, on to my second official campaign, and so trying something new!



I absolutely agree. Thus, so far, I've given XP for killing monsters (obviously), but also for turning monsters into allies (gave same XP as if they killed it), completing "quests", for solving puzzles or traps, and I gave XP for doing "good" things (they are primarily a "good" aligned party). In addition I've subtracted XP for doing "Evil" things and any NPCs in the group share the XP. If they do something really, really stupid, I'll probably subtract for that too!

Good to try something new... Consider taking a look at some of the Characer Class associated XP awards in the old AD&D DMG too for other XP award ideas.

 

[kbrakke]

I have done several different methods, currently I have an adapted pathfinder AP where I am running milestone leveling with no issues. With the conversion and and focus on plot I find it works perfectly, the players level when it makes sense for the narrative.

In my hexcrawling game I have XP given for killing monsters, discovering locations and plots and recovering treasure. They get half the xp in the book for killing monsters and any hirelings they have with them get a share of XP (They have thus far leveled a random guy they decided to befriend to level 5 and leveled two guides they hired from 3 to 4). They get 1gp = 1 xp and magic items give xp based on rarity and if it's consumable or not. Again, hirelings get that xp as well if they are given items or pay. And finally I give XP based on roughly the tier of their discovery. So easy to find places are worth less XP. I find they are ready and willing to do what I wanted them to do, which is explore, amass treasure and use it to make a lasting mark on the world.

In past games I have done pseudo milestone leveling where I keep track of it and if they are close after a significant quest I just bump it up to be enough to level. I find the party feels that they should level up after a significant plot point, and that typically lines up with a narrative break in the story while they plan their next move, so it works out in both ways. I have told the hexcrawl party that they will need to long rest to gain the effects of a level up if they get enough HP in the middle of a dungeon, we will see how that works out.

 

[Mercule]

Personally, I never liked the "find a trainer" approach because I don't like the level gains to be to pronounced in the game fiction. I want the mechanics to fade into the background.

What I've done, for a very long time, is to require the PCs to complete a long rest (or whatever the edition called it) outside of any significant danger. That means no Ding! without a chance to reflect. It also means that it doesn't happen in the middle of a dungeon or hostile wilderness. It just kinda fades into the background as the PCs are selling off loot, buying gear, checking their investments, carousing, etc. The few times I've done a mega-dungeon, I've relaxed this a bit so that the PCs still had to retreat to some sort of cleared area -- which they generally wanted to do every night, anyway.

Lately, I've been using goal-based leveling, which means no XP tracking and the PCs don't advance without having done something that feels noteworthy and accomplished.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Maybe I am weird I do not worry about it to much; but I reward xp for things other than always killing the monster; I give xp for talking yourself out of a fight or sneaking in and grabbing something and getting away and other scenarios. Why does xp only have to be about killing monsters and how much treasure you get ?

Experience Points represent what the character has learned over the course of an adventure, and are used to determine when the character gains a level. Levels primarily measure your ability to kill monsters and acquire treasure. It wouldn't make any sense to get better at those things by avoiding fights.

Moreover, if you don't care about fighting because you prefer to RP your way through encounters, then why would you even care what level you are?

 

[Ath'kethin]

Here's my rule: PCs gain a level whenever the Hell I say they do.

I'm in this boat. When I started my 5e campaign I tried to develop a system based on number of sessions or whatever, but that got derailed because some sessions were longer than others, busier than others, etc. So now I more or less do it by the adventure unless the adventure is really long and I know they will need abilities from their next level before the end of it.

 

[hejtmane]

Experience Points represent what the character has learned over the course of an adventure, and are used to determine when the character gains a level. Levels primarily measure your ability to kill monsters and acquire treasure. It wouldn't make any sense to get better at those things by avoiding fights.

Moreover, if you don't care about fighting because you prefer to RP your way through encounters, then why would you even care what level you are?

Yes and no Levels also help at skills like Persuaion oh wait that is right if you use persuaion you may not kill a monster so no level for you for using a skill instead of just mowing down everything in your path. I do not worry about it because I have progressed guys via XP which they can earn oh yea by using their skills like stealth and thiefing. I mean part of a rogue is stealing treasure from other people espically if they are the thief sub class. Then of course by killing monsters, by reaching mildstones or maybe bonus xp for completing a quest. Last I looked D&D had more than attacks that depend on stats and levels.

 

[aco175]

I remember having training back in 2e/3e days. The problem came when the PCs could advance, but you were in a dungeon or mid-quest and could not take the 2 weeks off to train. This led to some characters having enough XP to gain 2 levels before they actually advanced. This led to pre-training which was ok. This led to the fighter wanting to train the mage since his attack bonus was finally going up and "should't a fighter be able to teach a mage or cleric how to fight." Same with multi-classing where the mage is teaching the thief how to be a 1st level mage, or vice-versa. Some of it fell apart.

Another DM had us go to a castle to train and it ended up being attacked at night. The next morning it was a dream, but we ended up training overnight through the fight. That was cool I remember.

Now, I do not bother with training that much. I may have a knight of renown come to the town and the PCs meet him. He stays for a few nights and hangs out with the PCs, same for a thief or mage. They learn things from these people.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

The main benefit of training time is that it prevents anyone from going 1-20 in under a month, which is totally possible otherwise, and strains credibility as to why there are so many unaccomplished chumps sitting in the level 3-9 range.

 

[cbwjm]

I'm not sure I would call it a homebrew rule on levelling but we use the following:
You level up at the end of the adventure/quest not during. XP generally isn't even totalled until the end of the adventure.
We use a party XP total, that is each player has the same xp total rather than tracking separately. New characters joining in use the same XP total. If there are side quests then I often hand out a Party XP bonus on completion of 5% of the total needed to reach the next level. Normally I only have 1 or 2 of these per adventure.

No training or trainers are required to level, once you meet the required XP total and are in between quests, you can level.