Leveling Rituals
Leveling up is one of the most important milestones in a character’s journey, but it is often reduced to a quick character sheet update between sessions. If we want leveling to feel meaningful in the fiction of the game, then we need to slow it down and surround it with ritual.
In real life, growth is marked by rituals: graduations, promotions, birthdays, and rites of passage. These help us process change and give it emotional weight. In the same way, characters should earn their new level through in-world actions that reflect development and transition. Here’s some ways to build that structure.
1. Return to Home Base
Leveling can only occur at a designated home base—a village, town, or city where the character has lodging, contacts, and resources. This home base isn’t just a backdrop. It’s where the character has a life between adventures: mentors, rivals, repairers, and trainers. This requirement reinforces the idea that characters aren’t lone wanderers. They belong to a living world and must occasionally return to rest, recover, and reorient.
It also creates continuity. When the party returns to the same location again and again, relationships evolve. The locals take notice. Allies emerge. Enemies plot. A town that began as a waypoint becomes something closer to a second party member.
2. Participate in a Social Event
Characters must mark the end of one level and the beginning of the next through a meaningful event. A good option is a carousing session at the local tavern (see rules here). Another option is attendance at a seasonal festival - I plan to create festival rules in the future.
Not every social event needs to be dramatic. One excellent ritual is to have each player choose one item of equipment they used during the last level and narrate a moment where it saved their life or helped turn the tide. In the in-game fiction, this represents the character cleaning and storing their gear—taking the time to sharpen a blade, polish armor, or coil a rope—while reflecting on their recent adventures.
If you're using official downtime rules, this event could take the form of a downtime activity, such as research, crafting, or running a small business. The key is that the character reenters society, pauses to reflect, and marks the change.
3. Undergo Training
Characters must spend 10 days training to unlock the benefits of the new level. This includes sparring, study, meditation, or even mystical communion—whatever suits their class. They must also pay a training fee, representing the cost of instruction, materials, repairs, and time. Suggested rates:
Tier 1 (Levels 1–4): 50 gp
Tier 2 (Levels 5–10): 250 gp
Tier 3 (Levels 11–16): 500 gp
Tier 4 (Levels 17–20): 1000 gp
To make training more engaging, have each player write their own “training montage” and share it with the group. This short narrative should describe how their character spent those 10 days—where they trained, who (or what) helped them, and what new skills they’ve acquired. A fighter might describe early morning drills with a grizzled veteran, mastering a new combat maneuver. A wizard could spend long hours poring over scrolls and experimenting with unstable incantations. A rogue might refine their sleight of hand while running scams in the local marketplace. This not only marks the level-up in a vivid and memorable way, it gives everyone at the table a glimpse into how each character is growing.
All these rituals make leveling something characters do, not just something they get. They turn a mechanical moment into a narrative one—and that’s what great gaming is all about.