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Leveling system

It always bothered me personally that roleplaying games used video game leveling for their system, and there were no options for leveling by training (or at least none that used the concept with any amount of depth), so I created this to help give life to the power fantasy of training. 

Leveling and skill learning will be downtime and roleplaying activities using the rules as follows, with each having time increments for learning or leveling and benefits to roleplay

Leveling outline

Downtime training (leveling up)

Level 1-4: 2 weeks each

  • 2 months total

Level 5-8: 1 month each

  • 4 months total

Level 9-12: 3 months each

  • 1 year total

Level 13-16: 6 months

  • 2 years total

Level 17-20: 1 year each

  • 4 years total

(At least 4 hours up to level 10, 6 hours up to level 20, and 8 hours up to level 30 to count as a day’s worth of training)

One year of inactivity causes you to lose one level (mild training will cause it to go slower)

(Advantage on die rolls for hit points if a mentor is training them. Self taught option makes it so you get average dice each time instead but no advantage for training with mentors or training others.)

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Optional rule: Character age (for easier variant slide the effects of old age down by one or two)

  • Childhood: -2 to all ability scores (human >15)

  • Prime: no changes (human 16-39)

  • Middle aged: -1 to dex, con and str; +1 to int, wis, and charisma (human 40-59) 

  • Old age: -2 to dex, con and str; +2 to int, wis, and charisma; -5 feet of movement (human 60-79)

  • Venerable: -3 to dex, con and str; +3 to int, wis, and charisma; -10 to movement speed; needs 50% longer rest time (human < 80) 

Skills outline

Skill challenge of a number of skills equal to its rank

(Advantage if has had an intimate experience with the technique, or has a teacher. )

(No advantage by any other means. Anything that would provide advantage instead provides a +1 to the rolls individually, with only 1 point per method)

(Add inspiration die only if player role plays the training [alone or with a master]. Size is dependent on the quality of the role play. The DM can choose to pass the character if specific criteria are met[say if the character overcomes a fatal flaw during the training].) 

Ranks

S: 5 skill challenges with an average dc of 25

  • (Prerequisite usually lvl 18, is usually epic boons or transformations)

A: 4 skill challenges with an average dc of 21-24

  • (Prerequisite usually lvl 15, can be skills from other classes)

B: 3 skill challenges with an average dc of 18-20

  • (Prerequisite usually lvl 11)

C: 2 skill challenges with an average dc of 15-17

  • (Prerequisite usually lvl 6)

D: 1 skill challenge with an average dc of <15

  • (Usually temporary skills)

Examples:

Epic fortitude- 26 constitution saving throw, 29 athletics check, 24 wisdom saving throw, 25 acrobatics check, 21 nature check for endurance, workout, focus, toning and dieting respectively

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Increments 

Moves up one increment per skill challenge but cannot receive benefits of downtime training within that week and can’t train other skills. But it can however be done as downtime during adventure.

1 week for d skill check

2 weeks for c

3 weeks for b

4 weeks for a 

5 weeks for s

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Mastery (for every increment, the master of a skill moves up by one unless the character succeeds on their skill check, in which case the skill advances to master)

  1. Novice (roll a d6 and it works on a 6) (feats that modify base stats are rolled at beginning of each day) 

  2. Intermediate (roll a d6 and it works on a 5-6)

  3. Expert (roll a d6 and it works on a 4-6)

  4. Master (no roll necessary)

Hysterical strength outline

Hysterical strength

(2 max, gain 1 per level)(Costs 1 exhaustion per rank achieved) The player uses a hysterical point to an effect which exclusively the dm decides [EX: uses an unknown skill on instinct, automatically success on a difficult str check, etc.]

(Can only use at will if you are at less than a third of your hit points and/or in an emotionally compromised state)

(Other potential triggers: 1 lvl of exhaustion, friendly creature is reduced to 0 hit points, hostile creature reduced to 0 hit points, user is surprised, )

Potential scenarios of use

  • Reduced to half their hit points

  • Gains 1 lvl of exhaustion

  • Sees friendly creature reduced to 0 hit points

  • Sees hostile creature reduced to 0 hit points

  • Are surprised

(Left entirely to DM discretion, however, that can be relative to the situation. For example: if the character is in a heightened state of emotion then explains how they calm themselves down in a believable way the dm may be inclined to grant them hysterical strength for what they are performing, or work with them to see how the strength is expended to their benefit.) 

(Hysterical points can also be used to automatically succeed training checks if the role play is right?) 

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