I do the "poof" method but handle the actual leveling paperwork between sessions. I like to disconnect the PCs' awareness of themselves as game characters from the players' awareness of such, so I discourage things that might undermine that disconnect. The PCs are not aware they have levels, therefore they're not aware that they gained a level. From a PC's perspective, any new features gained from leveling have occurred organically. Before my Chain Warlock player got find familiar, she had childhood stuffed animal that only she could talk to (Calvin & Hobbes style). I treated it like an actual entity, like a regular pet. Then one day it "came alive" for her. My Artificer player likewise kept tinkering with a automaton project that he could never get to work right, until he hit 3rd level and became a Battle Smith. His "eureka" moment was when his "pet project" became his Steel Defender.
Remember that PCs can do all sorts of things that aren't mechanically significant. A fighter gains Extra Attack at 5th level, but that doesn't mean they aren't swinging their sword a few times in fights at levels below that. It just means that, mechanically-speaking, only one of those swings really counts as the "attack." The transition from 1 attack to 2 attacks might be a bit ambiguous from their perspective.
I do also milestone "poof" leveling, because from my perspective, the gain of experience being out adventuring, is the training. My timing for leveling up is also always to the end of a session, so the players can roll their HP and then level up off the table.
Key features, are telegraphed by me during the sessions before a level, and, for the subclasses, I actually made short RP sessions for the decision.
1) If the players are a mid adventure, (ie stuck in a forest and dungeon) and not near a town then they need a long rest to Trigger the "poof" level-up mechanic.
2) If the player is in downtime then I make sure they spend some of that time 'leveling up' to give it more of a narrative element to the game.
3) If the player is a mid adventure but in a town or city where they can step away for a day or long rest time then I let them level up again adding narrative element.
I like both I think every 3 levels or so when the storyline allows I'm going to make my players explain to me what they are doing to lvl. Up like an 80s action movie training montaj(?)
I do the "poof" method but handle the actual leveling paperwork between sessions. I like to disconnect the PCs' awareness of themselves as game characters from the players' awareness of such, so I discourage things that might undermine that disconnect. The PCs are not aware they have levels, therefore they're not aware that they gained a level. From a PC's perspective, any new features gained from leveling have occurred organically. Before my Chain Warlock player got find familiar, she had childhood stuffed animal that only she could talk to (Calvin & Hobbes style). I treated it like an actual entity, like a regular pet. Then one day it "came alive" for her. My Artificer player likewise kept tinkering with a automaton project that he could never get to work right, until he hit 3rd level and became a Battle Smith. His "eureka" moment was when his "pet project" became his Steel Defender.
Remember that PCs can do all sorts of things that aren't mechanically significant. A fighter gains Extra Attack at 5th level, but that doesn't mean they aren't swinging their sword a few times in fights at levels below that. It just means that, mechanically-speaking, only one of those swings really counts as the "attack." The transition from 1 attack to 2 attacks might be a bit ambiguous from their perspective.
I do also milestone "poof" leveling, because from my perspective, the gain of experience being out adventuring, is the training. My timing for leveling up is also always to the end of a session, so the players can roll their HP and then level up off the table.
Key features, are telegraphed by me during the sessions before a level, and, for the subclasses, I actually made short RP sessions for the decision.
I asked the same question https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/dungeon-masters-only/68177-youve-leveled-up-opinions-of-when-it-is-allowed and came up with the following
Level Up When
1) If the players are a mid adventure, (ie stuck in a forest and dungeon) and not near a town then they need a long rest to Trigger the "poof" level-up mechanic.
2) If the player is in downtime then I make sure they spend some of that time 'leveling up' to give it more of a narrative element to the game.
3) If the player is a mid adventure but in a town or city where they can step away for a day or long rest time then I let them level up again adding narrative element.
I like both I think every 3 levels or so when the storyline allows I'm going to make my players explain to me what they are doing to lvl. Up like an 80s action movie training montaj(?)
I plan to use a similar mechanic, it seems best