D&D 5E What level did your MOST RECENT campaign get to?

[Reynard]

A lot of '13th level' finishes here.

Levels 14-20 go past in a flash. Around 2 sessions each. A particularly challenging session can get you an entire level, and a session with a lot of talking increases the number by 1.

If you've gone that high, literally 14 more sessions get you to 20th.

That sounds super frustrating to me. I feel like groups should be able to explore their new abilities for a while before leveling up again.

 

[hopeless]

At the risk of derailing: I don't quite understand what happened. Can you explain?

Sorry its been a few months and I really need to get over that idiocy I rewrote the post above multiple times to avoid the pitfalls.

Spoiler

Short version after asking me to change my character he then messed up the character's back story such that had I not altered that back story I wouldn't be able to continue running that character.
He then liked my game so much he decided to shift his over despite him already having a decent campaign setting inspired by Dragonlance.
I had noticed his obsession with Critical Role and really shouldn't have bothered, but I had been planning that scenario for months prior and it seemed to be going okay.
Had it been me I would have checked first which I did with the players making it clear to post me if they had any questions or problems with the game I was running.
And yes I made mistakes, but i tried to keep the story straight and used their information in an effort to get them invested.
Ultimately I should have instead used the hamlet he discarded and ran my game there and I would have been much happier!

 

[UngeheuerLich]

We are level 11 right now.

 

[Rhuarc]

Last completed campaign I ran ended at level 23 after close to 3 years of play. Two current campaigns at level 5 and level 11, both to be expected to go well beyond level 20 as well!

 

[Flamestrike]

That sounds super frustrating to me. I feel like groups should be able to explore their new abilities for a while before leveling up again.

You can slow it down if you want to, it's just the XP progression really speeds up post 13th or so. You go from needing well over 3 or even 4 full adventuring days for levels 5-11 before it suddenly drops to less than 2 (and close to 1 if you use solo encounters with high CR monsters).

I was shocked in my 20th level+ campaign where the PCs were leveling every 2 sessions or so in the 'teens' level, after it was taking them around 4 sessions to level prior.

 

[Reynard]

You can slow it down if you want to, it's just the XP progression really speeds up post 13th or so. You go from needing well over 3 or even 4 full adventuring days for levels 5-11 before it suddenly drops to less than 2 (and close to 1 if you use solo encounters with high CR monsters).

I was shocked in my 20th level+ campaign where the PCs were leveling every 2 sessions or so in the 'teens' level, after it was taking them around 4 sessions to level prior.

I guess it is designed to hang around in the sweet spot (5-10) longer? Maybe they figure anyone going past 12 REALLY wants to get to 20?

 

[Flamestrike]

I guess it is designed to hang around in the sweet spot (5-10) longer? Maybe they figure anyone going past 12 REALLY wants to get to 20?

Thats explicitly what they did.

Fast to 3rd, slow from 4th to 11th, then speeding up again to 20th.

We probably hit 3rd at the end off the 2nd session (1 session each) then a couple of sessions each for 4th and 5th, then 3-4 sessions each for levels 6-11, before it speeds up again to around 2 sessions per level again.

4-6 hour sessions mostly.

The speeding up in the teens is really noticeable (it goes fast), as is the slowing down in the late single digits.

 

[Cryptwright]

We were at 13 in one and I think 8 in another. Honestly the 13 one though felt rushed as if we leveled too quickly each level after 10 or so. In my mind they should be taking longer and longer for higher levels. It doesn't feel like you earned it if its too quick.

 

[S'mon]

We were at 13 in one and I think 8 in another. Honestly the 13 one though felt rushed as if we leveled too quickly each level after 10 or so. In my mind they should be taking longer and longer for higher levels. It doesn't feel like you earned it if its too quick.

My current campaign, if it goes beyond 10th level I'm planning to halve XP awards to keep the same progression rate as 5-10.

 

[GuyBoy]

Pre-Covid, I ran the Giants series from Yawning Portal in a homage to earlier experiences as player and DM in the old G series. They started at level 7 and I through in a brief castle siege as a warm-up. I actually used Rochester Castle as my model for this.
They completed he Steading and the Glacial Rift successfully, rising to le el 11 before lockdown came upon us.

Afterwards, we restarted with Saltmarsh as it just seemed better that way. So King Snurre got to live.