Gaining Levels

People have asked about what happens if their character gets enough XP during an adventure to gain a level. Is advancement automatic? At the time your character gets enough XP for a level, you immediately roll d4 for hit points and modify by your present Constitution, if any. These HP are yours to keep. But otherwise, your character remains unmodified. The character continues to accrue XP for the rest of the game as usual.

When your character comes to a suitable hiatus, either between adventures or during a time when he is not vigilant and can instead be reflective, you get to choose what character class your character will take.

If you take a level in a character class your character already has, then in many cases the level advancement is automatic. Skills and abilities are improved at this time. For HP, you roll the die appropriate to your character class, and keep the result from the previous d4 or the present roll, whichever is higher, then take your new Constitution adjustment, if any. This method reduces the chances of the character only getting 1 or 2 HP per level.

However, for some characters, advancement will not be automatic. For some classes, this is due to the nature of the field. Also, this will depend upon the character background you have written and the campaign as it has advanced. Here are some cases when special training or a quest is required before a level advancement is complete:

1. New character class: If you choose a character class the character does not already have, your character may need to do a solo adventure to find a mentor. The character may have to be initiated, baptized or trained in some fashion. Some transitions may not be immediate and the character may instead take a level in their current class, then begin a long initiation procedure, which will end with advancement in the new character class at the next level. This is especially true if a player wants the character to advance in a field opposite the character's current occupation, such as a Rogue taking a level as a Cleric in a Lawful order, or a Barbarian becoming a disciplined Monk. This delay can be circumvented if the character begins training in the middle of a level with the hopes of taking on the new class at advancement time.
2. Lawful orders: Certain Lawful orders with strong hierarchical systems may require a character to test before fully advancing in level. Monks, for example, might have to compete in a martial arts tournament, and only the top tier advance in level. A Paladin may require the sponsorship of a champion to whom he must prove his worthiness to advance in level.
3. Mysterious fields: Your character may take a spell caster level, but not receive his bonus spells. Perhaps the character has exhausted his limited spell book, or has meditated for new spells and received none. In these cases, a quest or purification may be required to round out the level advancement. For example, a Sorcerer may discover he needs to visit the Fields of Zorlon and meditate for a month to open his mind to the new spells. A Wizard may have to join the Secret Society of Coo and pay a hefty membership fee to be awarded a copy of the Fireball spell.
4. Specific Skills and Feats: Your character may not completely fill out his skills and feats slots when he gains a level without the appropriate training. The character may have to spend game time attending school with a master, at the end of which the skills/feats slots will be used. Further, some feats require prerequisites that necessitate meeting with an instructor periodically to guide the improvement. For example, if a Fighter wants to take the Whirlwind Attack feat, he needs to find an instructor capable of doing this feat, then learn each prerequisite feat in succession until training is complete.

But the point of the game is to make level advancement exciting. Sooner or later each character's level advancement may be complicated by these details. But these details will make the character a more interesting literary figure. Further, for no player will this occur at every level.

Have fun advancing.
Jeem