TIL the whole “need a LR to level up” thing isn’t in 5e.
Firstly, WAT?!🤯
Second, whoops! I need to apologize to my players, because I didn’t see the point in giving XP in the middle of an “adventuring day” since they needed a LR to level up, and weren’t getting one. 😬😳 Thirdly, is this simply homebrew preference that was popularized, OR is this a holdover from a previous edition?!
— Alyssa Visscher (@alyssavisscher) November 1, 2021
Likely a holdover from earlier editions. In 1E, it didn't matter when xp was *awarded.* After you earned sufficient xp to lvl up, you spent *weeks* of game time and 1000s of gp "training" before you could assume the new level. (DMG, p86)
— WinningerR (@WinningerR) November 2, 2021
And then you got to add the fun “There can be only one” of higher levels for things like druids and monks. 😀 There are other interesting wrinkles. In OD&D (and the Basic line) you couldn't gain enough XP from an adventure to gain two levels at once – you stopped one XP short and gained no more.
— Merric Blackman (@MerricB) November 2, 2021
In AD&D 1e, the rule is instead once you gain enough XP to gain a level, you can’t gain any more until you trained. Which gives the possibility of gaining two levels from a windfall of treasure. I asked Gary Gygax once about whether he used the training rules (as they're one of those rules I rarely saw in use).
His answer below: pic.twitter.com/xg0K74xwGI
— Merric Blackman (@MerricB) November 2, 2021
2E kept this as an optional rule. In 3E, while you leveled immediately upon gaining the appropriate xp, arcane spellcasters didn’t acquire their new spells until they could spend a few days of uninterrupted time learning them. It's really fascinating to see this one thread weaving through, showing up in different ways. 5e Adventures's League rules (when I was just first playing/DMing) required a long rest to level; I wonder if that was harkening back to 1e/2e approach, or just a logistical decision.🤔
— Alyssa Visscher (@alyssavisscher) November 2, 2021
Like a lot of 1E, these rules were so impractical that (almost literally) no one used them as written. I was excited to play with Gygax for the first, thinking I’d finally see the various weird rules I didn’t understand in action. Turned out he ignored them like everyone else. Ha! Amazing! That makes me feel so much better about all the rules I ignore.
— Alyssa Visscher (@alyssavisscher) November 2, 2021
Was that the same system as “gold collected = XP”? Or did that come with 2e? Gold collected = xp was 1E. The formula to calculate the time and gold you needed to spend training before levelling up was oddly complex. GAINING EXPERIENCE LEVELS
Experience points are merely an indicator of the character’s progress towards greater proficiency in his or her chosen profession. UPWARD PROGRESS IS NEVER AUTOMATIC. Just because Nell Nimblefingers, Rogue of the Thieves’ Guild has managed to acquire 1,251 experience points does NOT mean that she suddenly becomes Nell Nimblefingers the Footpad. The gaining of sufficient experience points is necessary to indicate that a character is eligible to gain a level of experience, but the actual award is a matter for you, the DM, to decide.
Consider the natural functions of each class of character. Consider also the professed alignment of each character. Briefly assess the performance of each character after an adventure. Did he or she perform basically in the character of his or her class? Were his or her actions in keeping with his or her professed alignment? Mentally classify the overall performance as:
E — Excellent, few deviations from norm = 1 S — Superior, deviations minimal but noted = 2 F — Fair performance, more norm than deviations = 3 P — Poor showing with aberrant behavior = 4 Clerics who refuse to help and heal or do not remain faithful to their deity, fighters who hang back from combat or attempt to steal, or fail to boldly lead, magic-users who seek to engage in melee or ignore magic items they could employ in crucial situations, thieves who boldly engage in frontal attacks or refrain from acquisition of an extra bit of treasure when the opportunity presents itself, “cautious” characters who do not pull their own weight — these are all clear examples of a POOR rating.
Award experience points normally. When each character is given his or her total, also give them an alphabetic rating — E, S, F, or P. When a character’s total experience points indicate eligibility for an advancement in level, use the alphabetic assessment to assign equal weight to the behavior of the character during each separate adventure — regardless of how many or how few experience points were gained in each. The resulting total is then divided by the number of entries (adventures) to come up with some number from 1 to 4. This number indicates the number of WEEKS the character must spend in study and/ or training before he or she actually gains the benefits of the new level. Be certain that all decimals are retained, as each .145 equals a game day. Not only must game time be spent by the character desiring advancement, but treasure will have to be spent as well. The amount of gold pieces, or the equivalent in value in gems, jewelry, magic items, etc., is found by using the following simple formula:
LEVEL OF THE TRAINEE CHARACTER x 1,500 = WEEKLY COST DURING STUDY/TRAINING.
The level of the aspiring character should be computed at current (not to be gained) level.
pic.twitter.com/mM2MRGOdP1— WinningerR (@WinningerR) November 2, 2021
wowzas. I cannot imagine being accessed by my DMs on how well I played the class to it’s desired specifications, in order to level. 😳
(I shall never grip about anyone’s preference to level with long rests ever again!) Fun fact: It cost more treasure to go from 1st to 2nd than you'd gain in the adventure that allowed you to reach 2nd level! 😉
— Merric Blackman (@MerricB) November 2, 2021