just wondering if there really is as big on a difference as some people say.
Are you talking about between character level 1 and 2, or between Tier 1 and 2?
Not much of a difference between levels 1 and 2, but between levels 4 and 5 (tiers 1 and 2) martial characters gain Extra Attack, spellcasters gain 3rd level spells (like Fireball) and your proficiency bonus increases from 2 to 3. It’s a big step up in power, and probably the biggest proportionally in your character’s career.
Pretty much that death becomes very unlikely unless the DM is really turning the screws or the players really wanted to ‘find out’. At level 1, most things can kill a PC if they aren’t careful.
I think the most obvious answer is HP... when you're level one, although it's possible to get up to 17+ HP, for most people they're going to have 10 or less. When you're a wizard, starting the game with 8 HP, getting an extra 6 HP is practically doubling your survivability. On top of that, most classes are pretty.. meh, at first level. Rangers and Paladins can't even cast spells yet. Warlocks have a single spell slot. Rogues don't yet have their cunning action... even fighters are only marginally more adept at martial combat than a bard would be.
Yeah, between getting a comparatively significant boost in H, and starting to get key features at 2nd level, it’s a big boost. Look at it this way, Wizards & Druids get their subclasses at 2nd level, Rangers & Paladins get Spellcasting (among other things), Fighters get Action Surge, Barbarians get Reckless, Bards get Jack of all Trades, Clerics get Channel Divinity, Monks get Ki, Sorcerers get Font of Magic, Warlocks get Invocations, and Artificers get Infusions. That’s a whole list of features that go i to defining each of those classes. 2nd level is a big boost over 1st.
Many main class features are given at level 2, the most powerful of these in my opinion is the moon druid wild shape.
you also gain nearly double your hit points, which is extremely useful to have.
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Hollow unbreakable arrows are the most OP common magic item, and my current method of coming up with insane combat shenanigans.
if you make a steel pipe with one end closed and a nozzle on the other, you can enlarge it, fill with any liquid, and then drop concentration, creating a high pressure squirt gun. (or a pipe bomb, depending if it holds)
One really good hit can take out a level 1 characte, and one normalish hot knocks you down to 1-3hp, and you start to panic as a player . By level 2, it takes about 3 normalish hits to knock you out and 2 hits to get you to that desperation stage.
It's the biggest jump because 1-2 is when every resource feels like it's been doubled (and even if it's the same numerical amount every level after, doubling something feels BIG).
Hit points is the main thing. Consider a rogue with 10 HP (14 Con) vs 17 at level 2. It's pretty easy for that level 1 rogue to get one shot. An orc (CR 1/2) that crits could one shot that rogue, killing it instantly. Not even a death saving throw.
Also, a lot of classes get a lot of stuff at level 2. Wizards and druids get a subclass, rogues get cunning action, fighters get action surge, barbarians get reckless attack, rangers and paladins get a fighting style and spells, warlocks get invocations, all full casters get a spell slot, and probably more stuff in not thinking of. Honestly level 1 is pretty insignificant. In a lot of ways, characters get much more interesting at level 2, and even more so at 3.
just wondering if there really is as big on a difference as some people say.
Are you talking about between character level 1 and 2, or between Tier 1 and 2?
Not much of a difference between levels 1 and 2, but between levels 4 and 5 (tiers 1 and 2) martial characters gain Extra Attack, spellcasters gain 3rd level spells (like Fireball) and your proficiency bonus increases from 2 to 3. It’s a big step up in power, and probably the biggest proportionally in your character’s career.
Pretty much that death becomes very unlikely unless the DM is really turning the screws or the players really wanted to ‘find out’. At level 1, most things can kill a PC if they aren’t careful.
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I think the most obvious answer is HP... when you're level one, although it's possible to get up to 17+ HP, for most people they're going to have 10 or less. When you're a wizard, starting the game with 8 HP, getting an extra 6 HP is practically doubling your survivability. On top of that, most classes are pretty.. meh, at first level. Rangers and Paladins can't even cast spells yet. Warlocks have a single spell slot. Rogues don't yet have their cunning action... even fighters are only marginally more adept at martial combat than a bard would be.
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Yeah, between getting a comparatively significant boost in H, and starting to get key features at 2nd level, it’s a big boost. Look at it this way, Wizards & Druids get their subclasses at 2nd level, Rangers & Paladins get Spellcasting (among other things), Fighters get Action Surge, Barbarians get Reckless, Bards get Jack of all Trades, Clerics get Channel Divinity, Monks get Ki, Sorcerers get Font of Magic, Warlocks get Invocations, and Artificers get Infusions. That’s a whole list of features that go i to defining each of those classes. 2nd level is a big boost over 1st.
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Many main class features are given at level 2, the most powerful of these in my opinion is the moon druid wild shape.
you also gain nearly double your hit points, which is extremely useful to have.
Hollow unbreakable arrows are the most OP common magic item, and my current method of coming up with insane combat shenanigans.
if you make a steel pipe with one end closed and a nozzle on the other, you can enlarge it, fill with any liquid, and then drop concentration, creating a high pressure squirt gun. (or a pipe bomb, depending if it holds)
It's hp
One really good hit can take out a level 1 characte, and one normalish hot knocks you down to 1-3hp, and you start to panic as a player . By level 2, it takes about 3 normalish hits to knock you out and 2 hits to get you to that desperation stage.
It's the biggest jump because 1-2 is when every resource feels like it's been doubled (and even if it's the same numerical amount every level after, doubling something feels BIG).
Hit points is the main thing. Consider a rogue with 10 HP (14 Con) vs 17 at level 2. It's pretty easy for that level 1 rogue to get one shot. An orc (CR 1/2) that crits could one shot that rogue, killing it instantly. Not even a death saving throw.
Also, a lot of classes get a lot of stuff at level 2. Wizards and druids get a subclass, rogues get cunning action, fighters get action surge, barbarians get reckless attack, rangers and paladins get a fighting style and spells, warlocks get invocations, all full casters get a spell slot, and probably more stuff in not thinking of. Honestly level 1 is pretty insignificant. In a lot of ways, characters get much more interesting at level 2, and even more so at 3.