I’d say that most people are familiar with the concept of levelling up in some form or another, whether it be in video games or roleplaying games. If you don’t, it’s fine; the basic premise is that our characters gain the ability to learn and grow as they achieve more in their stories. The term “levelling up” refers to a point in the game where your character gains new abilities and gains in strength.
How Do You Level Up in 5e?
In 5e, our level can be raised in a variety of ways. It all depends on how our DM runs our campaign and the type of campaign we’re playing in.As stated in the Basic Rules, experience-based progression can be achieved in a variety of ways. A milestone-based progression system is also common in published adventures. Combat in RAW (Rules as Written) is a common means of gaining experience. In order to gain experience, players must fight monsters with different challenge ratings. Characters who defeat a goblin, for example, will gain 50 XP because the goblin has a difficulty rating of 14. (experience points). Most of the time, the XP earned at the table is distributed among the players present. Our level rises when we gain a certain amount of experience points. We need 300 XP to progress to the second level. In order to progress through the levels, we must accumulate a certain amount of experience points (XP). In RAW, the amount of XP needed to level up is not cumulative, but rather absolute. To put it another way, we only need 600 XP to advance to the third level, for a grand total of 900 XP. The table also shows us how each class’s proficiency bonus progresses. For now, let’s talk about other ways to gain XP before we get into milestone progressions. While the DM has final say on XP, players should talk to a DM in session zero about their preferences. For some DMs, XP is awarded for successful ability checks, for others, the traps and puzzles they design have challenge ratings, and for still others, XP is awarded whenever a character does something new. Finally, we’ll talk about levelling up as a last resort. It’s common for published adventures to use milestone progression to raise characters’ levels after certain events.
The D&D Essentials Kit adventure, Dragon of Icespire Peak, employs this progression. In order to progress through the game, players are awarded a level for completing the first three quests.After that, they gain one level for completing every two additional quests. Finally, the characters gain a level after defeating the dragon that bears their name.A great way to include XP for roleplaying without introducing subjectivity is to establish clear milestone progressions at the outset of a campaign.
Hit Points at Higher Levels
Anyone who has looked at a class in the PHB before will recognise that heading. Gaining health is one of the most significant benefits of levelling. There is a Wizard build out there that could theoretically survive at 20th level with just 6 HP, but I don’t think any of us want to do it.As a result, each time we level up, we gain health. Hit dice are the means by which we accomplish this. To determine the health of each member of a class, a specific type of die is used. The cleric, for example, gets a d8. In order to level up, you roll the D8 and multiply it by your constitution modifier, then add that total to your maximum HP. When Crag, the warforged cleric, gains 300 XP, he gets to roll a new hit die or take the average rounded up of his initial 11 HP (8 + his constitution modifier of 3). (5). They can now have a maximum HP of 20 (previous HP plus Hit Die roll + CON modifier) if they roll a 6. To regain health after a short rest, use Hit Dice. To regain health, a player can use up to all of their Hit Dice. All of a character’s HP and Hit Dice are restored at the end of a long rest.
Choices at Higher Levels
The fun begins now! It’s time to get down to business! Not to worry; if you prepare well enough, making decisions will be easier. We also have a growing list of resources to assist you in making these selections. Here we go: Let’s do this!
Subclasses
One of the most rewarding aspects of levelling up is the opportunity to create a character that truly reflects your own personality. Subclass is one of the most important decisions we make after building our character, except for a few classes that choose their subclass at first level. There are a few subclasses for each class, and more are added to the rules each year in various campaign settings and supplement rule books. A list of distinguishing characteristics is provided for each of these subclasses. If an eldritch knight fighter gains access to spellcasting, no other warrior would be able to match it, and the Circle of Spores Druid gains access to lethal spores as well as some necromancy powers, no other bard could match it. We get a lot of cool abilities when we choose our subclass. We should become familiar with the levels at which new subclass features become available so that we can prepare accordingly.
Feats and ASIs
Characters gain access to higher ability scores after every few levels. Fighters and rogues each receive seven of these, while the majority of classes receive five. You can get a +2 bonus to one ability score, a +1 bonus to two ability scores, or a feat when you reach a level that grants an ASI. Growing stronger, wiser, and more dexterous are all benefits of training and experience, so it makes sense to increase your ability score over time. While this method does not allow you to raise your ability score above 20, other methods do. This is something to keep in mind. Strength and constitution are both increased by four for a total of 24 by the barbarian’s Primal Champion feature. Your modifier will rise in tandem with your ability score. There is a simple way to remember how modifiers work, even if you don’t have access to the PHB or the basic rules. Consider the fact that 10 is the middle number, and thus has the modifier of 0. Add one to the modifier for every even number greater than 10 and subtract one for every even number less than ten. The only difference between an odd and an even number is the modifier. So, +1 for 12 and 13 and -2 for 6 and 7. Make sure that your character sheet reflects any changes in your modifiers if they’ve been increased. Everything from passive perception and initiative bonus to hit points, attack bonus and spell save DC can be affected by an increase in the appropriate ability score modifier. Feats are an alternative to an ASI if you want to demonstrate your expertise in a different way. Typically, they have nothing to do with ability scores. Feats grant you access to a variety of unique abilities, ranging from enhanced spatial awareness to the ability to communicate with others via telepathy. If you don’t have access to spellcasting, you won’t be able to take advantage of a feat that requires a certain level of proficiency or a certain number of points in an ability.
Spellcasting
At least on television, the typical D&D player is a blue wizard hat with stars all over it and a cloak, with a big grey beard to match, sitting at a table. Even though I haven’t done it before, cough, I like what it says about our culture. It claims that we can immerse ourselves in a magical realm. What is it about our world that makes it so enchanting? That’s right, it’s all about the magic. This has always been true of D&D, even when the three classes were only clerics, warriors and magic users; two of the three had access to magic. A spellcasting ability is now available to eight of the 13 classes, even though the methods are different. It is possible to cast spells at ten different levels of difficulty. 1st through 9th level spells, which require you to extend a spell slot in order to use.
There are a few possibilities when spellcasters level up:
- Spell Slots – This is the amount of spells you can cast at any given time with your spell slots. As a result, spellcasters can expect to be able to cast more spells at each level.
- Access Higher Level Spells- It is possible to gain new Spell Slots in addition to increasing the number of Spell Slots you already have. You gain access to the spells of that level for your class when you gain a new spell slot level.
- Learn New Spells- In order to learn new spells, each class has a different method and set of rules for doing so. Spells can be added to your arsenal in a predetermined number of ways.