Gradual Leveling

[Dimirag]

This is a supplement I wanted to make a really long time ago but just got to do it.

Whats this Gradual Leveling thing? It changes how characters improve over time, compared to the core rules where every level benefit is earned at the same time, Gradual Leveling allows characters to earn such benefits separately.

It comes with 2 kind of leveling:
-The standard way let you "buy" levels in specific class features just as if the character earned a new level on that feature.
-The alternative way dispatch these above levels and simply use separate XP pools for each feature, with each feature earning its improvements at specific XP values.

Files are on the Showcase

[gg2]

hi,
Interesting.
Sometimes you forget the table headings... it's easy to find your way around, but hey...

With the Marks
It works well...
But... (
With the option to move the limit of filling all the marks before going up again the level of another area (area option)
I think this option is Direct Purchase, in my opinion if you keep Direct Purchase, there is no need to keep this option. Or vice versa.


With Direct Purchase
If I understand correctly, with Direct Purchase, the general level of the character is no longer taken into account (so to speak, because there is no longer any need to fill in the marks). I only bring up what interests me.
Given the cost of AB for a magician compared to Spellcasting... I will much prefer to raise my Spell Casting to level 19, rather than earning +7 in AB (both at 384000 xp), especially if there are already warriors in the team who will take care of slapping.
Certainly it's a choice... and it can be fun, but it hyper specializes the characters... and I find that the mage (or the cleric) is very very very much at an advantage in his speciality compared to a warrior who is very dependent on his 3 area (AB, hit die, and ST)
And I believe that there is no possible comparison of power between a level 19 magician in Spellcasting and 0 in AB and a magician who has +7 in AB and 0 in AB, yet they both have 384,000 xp. .

I took the extreme values for sure, but I think there needs to be a way to balance the Direct Purchase choices a bit more. All the strength of a magician is in his Spellcasting, which compensates for all his weaknesses. Same to a lesser extent with the Cleric.
I'm a bit afraid that the Direct Purchase is not balanced at all as it is.

Another example valid for both depending on the options, personally, I would almost never set up Spell Research if I didn't have to... there are enough spells already existing to do without... of course it depends on how people play, but in thirty years of playing, my magicians or priests have never bothered to create their own spells.
I think it would be more profitable to link Spell Research to the Spell Casting level. And eliminate the Spell Research area. Moreover, a magician will never create a spell that is higher than the level of his Spellcasting, how to create a spell you can't cast ? Spell Research is totally dependent on the level of Spellcasting.
and take the research xps and put them into spellcasting rebalances a bit with the other area (and Class), I think. And create the table for Spellcasting only

and... you will need a new character sheet that takes into account the different areas , each one having its own personal level.


Of course, my remarks are only valid if I have understood how it works... which is not a certainty...

[Dimirag]

Thanks for the long review

hi,
Interesting.
Sometimes you forget the table headings... it's easy to find your way around, but hey...

Fixed on r2, it seems my libre office crashed and did not save the file at some point, creating an incomplete pdf....

With the Marks
It works well...
But... (
With the option to move the limit of filling all the marks before going up again the level of another area (area option)
I think this option is Direct Purchase, in my opinion if you keep Direct Purchase, there is no need to keep this option. Or vice versa.

Level Marks are intended only for the standard Gradual Leveling, that is why it is not mentioned on the Direct Purchase part of the rules.

With Direct Purchase
If I understand correctly, with Direct Purchase, the general level of the character is no longer taken into account (so to speak, because there is no longer any need to fill in the marks). I only bring up what interests me.

It purchase is comparable to several purchases on the standard method (a fighter´s +3 AB cost the same as 4 levels of AB, same level at which the fighter earns this bonus on the core rules) using the Marks becomes extremely fiddly, I would have to give "Mark equivalent" values to each increment and with each increment having its own individual cost progression, I would en up losing my mind

Given the cost of AB for a magician compared to Spellcasting... I will much prefer to raise my Spell Casting to level 19, rather than earning +7 in AB (both at 384000 xp), especially if there are already warriors in the team who will take care of slapping.

The cost are based on the cost to reach 2nd level, divided by the amount of areas (I won't give each area a different cost), then the value for a specific benefit is based on the amount of xp that area needs to achieve the core class level that brings that benefit, that's why different areas have different cost, because they need different levels to reach that benefit from class to class.

Certainly it's a choice... and it can be fun, but it hyper specializes the characters... and I find that the mage (or the cleric) is very very very much at an advantage in his speciality compared to a warrior who is very dependent on his 3 area (AB, hit die, and ST)
And I believe that there is no possible comparison of power between a level 19 magician in Spellcasting and 0 in AB and a magician who has +7 in AB and 0 in AB, yet they both have 384,000 xp. .

This supplement is not meant to be used under power comparison or balance, yes, it gives characters the chance of focus on their main area, but doing so will make them weaker on other areas, not everything is solvable via magic, plus, the 384,000 xp character is the same as a level 9 character, probably in a party of roughly level 9 characters, with every other area as a 1st level character, that can't research high level spells and will require lots of gold to write those spells into his spellbook, so he probably should be doing high level adventures with utmost carefulness.
At that XP a fighter is at level 11 in every area, well rounded and balanced.

I took the extreme values for sure, but I think there needs to be a way to balance the Direct Purchase choices a bit more. All the strength of a magician is in his Spellcasting, which compensates for all his weaknesses. Same to a lesser extent with the Cleric.
I'm a bit afraid that the Direct Purchase is not balanced at all as it is.

Its not meant to be balanced, balance its a tricky and subjective little creature.
Remember that Magic Users are limited to the spells they find or are given, plus the gold to copy them.
Clerics are watched by their gods whom can denied spell access if the Cleric is not "worthy enough" yet.

Another example valid for both depending on the options, personally, I would almost never set up Spell Research if I didn't have to... there are enough spells already existing to do without... of course it depends on how people play, but in thirty years of playing, my magicians or priests have never bothered to create their own spells.
I think it would be more profitable to link Spell Research to the Spell Casting level. And eliminate the Spell Research area. Moreover, a magician will never create a spell that is higher than the level of his Spellcasting, how to create a spell you can't cast ? Spell Research is totally dependent on the level of Spellcasting.
and take the research xps and put them into spellcasting rebalances a bit with the other area (and Class), I think. And create the table for Spellcasting only
and...

Sorry, I don't take consideration for table experience, I try to do things as less biased as possible unless I want to cover a specific table topic.
Spell research means creating scrolls and other magical objects beyond spells, that alone deserves their own area.
Creating spells that one can not cast may represent a spell researcher that creates and sells spells, some kind of Theorytician

you will need a new character sheet that takes into account the different areas , each one having its own personal level.

Something easily doable

Sorry if I misread something, your format seems to have some broken paragraphs making a little hard to know where its a new topic or something that follows the previous text.

[gg2]

Level Marks are intended only for the standard Gradual Leveling, that is why it is not mentioned on the Direct Purchase part of the rules.

I understand that. What I meant was that the option with Marks without the obligation to fulfill all the Marks is pretty much the same as the Direct Purchase option.

after that it's more about Direct Purchase.
I understand your way of calculating, but it is based on the principle that all areas of a class have equal value in terms of use in game. If I agree with a Fighter, I'm much more skeptical about the wizard.
You won't give each area a different cost, ok... but I think Spellcasting should cost more... We are disagree
I'm not a big fan of the absolute search for balance in play, but here I really fear the possibility of a huge imbalance.

Concerning the Research and its importance in the game, I agree to disagree (never make a scroll, never make a magic object or a spell... but it's certainly due to my way of playing ).

[Dimirag]

I understand that. What I meant was that the option with Marks without the obligation to fulfill all the Marks is pretty much the same as the Direct Purchase option.

The option is not to fulfill every mark, you always do that, the options is to be able to purchase 2 times the same area before buying every other area, you still mark 2 marks if you buy 2 times the HP area.

I understand your way of calculating, but it is based on the principle that all areas of a class have equal value in terms of use in game. If I agree with a Fighter, I'm much more skeptical about the wizard.
You won't give each area a different cost, ok... but I think Spellcasting should cost more... We are disagree

Actually, I agree that some areas should have higher or lower cost compared to each other, but I wanted something simple and fast to make and keep track. Its totally possible to go the other route and start moving numbers from area to area, but both the non-area restrictive purchase and the Direct Purchase are a byproduct, a "what if", going to deep into that rule (or change the whole supplement using area-specific XP) will change the supplement beyond its intended idea.

[Dimirag]

r3 is up as part of the CC relicensing.