Valinard's Tower

#RedHack uses discrete descriptive experiences rather than points. To level up you must checkmark a number of Experiences equal to 2 plus the level you’re advancing to:

Level	Experiences	Total
1	-	-
2	4	4
3	5	9
4	6	15
5	7	22
6	8	30
7	9	39
8	10	49
9	11	60
10	12	72
11	13	85
12	14	99

All four basic classes cap out at 12, at which point you can either just play the domain game or introduce Advanced classes for the next 12 levels, similar to the Paragon Paths of 4e or 3e Prestige classes.

In my original campaign the party chose:

Fighter –> Psionicist Bard –> (Advanced) Fighter Rogue –> Ranger Cleric –> Paladin Cleric –> Channeller Wizard –> Archwizard

Which I felt was a nice mix of doubling down on how they already defined themselves, taking radically new directions, and focusing in on one aspect of their existing role.

Each dungeon provided around 4-7 experiences using our list, which if we assume three weekly sessions per dungeon on average gives us 0.7-1.2 years to reach level 12 – which feels about right, and there’s a nice, almost fairytale quality to having to have exactly 99 daring experiences before you become a legend.

Training Systems

In the original campaign I ruled that levelling could be combined with any downtime action appropriate to your class, and would enhance the result of that action – so the level-up action became a resource players could choose where to spend. I liked this but it's not very diagetic – reminiscent of characters in MMOs fully healing and becoming buffed and healed when they hit a new level mid-combat.

Later I toyed with the idea of requiring training with a teacher, in order to encourage relationships with NPCs, but when I ran the Undying Sands – with the PCs as wanderers lost an otherworldly, shifting desert – the lack of a home base became a problem.

So instead of making training mandatory, I introduced a rule that once per level you could get a bonus Experience by training with a mentor – the Experience gained would have to be used to level up before you could benefit from training again.

There are a few options I’ve been looking at:-

1. Training happens in combination with any downtime action, and improves that action.

2. Training happens in combination with an appropriate downtime action – such as magical research for a wizard, or martial training for a fighter.

3. Require training with a master to level up. Once the PC reaches name level, the master has nothing left to teach them. But if an 8th level fighter is a superhero, should they still be in training? Possibly, if we’re talking Batman-style obsessive training where you seek out the greatest masters in the world to learn from.

4. Training as a bonus experience, once per level.

5. ‘Campfire’ training providing only some of the benefits (attribute points and HP, but not spells or new techniques) until supplemented with training back in town.

6. Prerequisite actions. You can level up overnight, or within the space of a downtime, as long as you have done one of the following things since you last gained a level:

Fighter

• Spar with a fighter of higher level; it would be gauche for him to charge you for the privilege, but he may ask a favour.
• Face a superior foe in single combat.

Cleric

• Visit a temple, regional locus of church power, or site of pilgrimage. You may be charged with some holy duty. Ignoring it won't stop you meeting the requirement to level, but may affect your standing with the faith.
• Form a new bond.

Thief

• Introduce yourself to the local thief guildmaster, underworld boss, crimelord etc. It will all be very polite but they may demand a service of you.
• Steal a unique treasure of at least local renown and keep/sell it. (Retreiving it for the king doesn't count.)
• Carry out a daring act of thievery and brag about it, gaining a local reputation.

Wizard

• Submit research on an obscure point of arcane or scholarly lore to a learned wizard or college of same. They may ask that you prove your worth before reviewing it.
• Research a new spell.
• Create a potion or scroll you have not made before.

I’m not precisely sure about the list, and I must be certain that it includes things that it’s fun or possible to do every level, but I like the idea of Fighters being on the lookout for worthy foes, Thieves being embroiled in the murky underworld, Wizards being catty academics if they aren’t entirely solitary, and Clerics wanting to detour to visit a pilgrimage site.

Each class has something to encourage interaction with NPCs, but also a less sociable option. I feel like the list could use a few more.