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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kobold Avenger" data-source="post: 8043060" data-attributes="member: 779">Alternity originally introduced the system of Progress Levels measuring how technologically advanced a world was. I seem to remember it also showing up in one of the final 2e books, as well as reappearing in D20 Modern's D20 Future book.  If I recall what they were.PL0: Stone AgePL1: Iron AgePL2: Medieval Age, which a lot of D&D is partially on.PL3: Age of Reason / Renaissance, which some D&D worlds is also partially on.  Also likely covers the "Enlightenment" and age of colonialism, and might have ended around or before the time of Napolean in Europe (early 1800s).PL4: Industrial Age, probably the limit one could have D&D without completely overhauling the system. Covers the Steampunk, Western and Gothic Victorian Horror genres (Masque of the Red Death). Started in the late 1700s and I'd say ended before World War I, some anthropologist claim it hasn't ended yet, but that applies to developing countries.PL5: Information/Nuclear Age: Refers to our modern world, though the concept of Progress Levels was first defined in the 1990s, I place 1900 as the start but some might argue it's World War II or 1950 that when it actually starts. And I'd say that some parts of our modern world might touch PL6.PL6: Fusion Age: generally the progress level for the cyberpunk and post-apocalypse genres, the Expanse is an example PL6 in space. Some modern settings could touch on this progress level, especially if it was a superhero, spy-fi or conspiracy genres.PL7: Gravity Age: a lot of things in the space opera genre, interstellar travel would be the main thing here. I'd put Star Wars in that level.PL8: Energy Age: a more fantastical and advanced sci-fi settings. Star Trek might go in this progress level.Anyways I'm only interested in Progress Levels 0 to 4 when it's on the subject of D&D. I'd say D&D is probably by default progress level 2.5 as there's plenty of Renaissance tech many take for granted in D&D like Plate Armor. In a planehopping campaign I'd say most worlds fall along the 2.5 Progress Level, with a rare few worlds reaching the PL4 Industrial age.  Many worlds will fully reach PL3 in about a century, some D&D worlds are already there in certain places (Savage Coast of Mystara and certain domains in Ravenloft).Any worlds beyond that progress level is probably hidden or in dead worlds, and things taken from such worlds to less advanced ones might be hit with a reality filter making them inoperable or unreliable. Though I'd toy with the idea of a PL5 world like our own, but a zombie apocalypse like the one in Walking Dead happened as a place travelers could visit.</blockquote>

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