I like playing D&D more realistically. To me it makes the game more fun and interesting. Currently I see leveling up kinda like the scene in princess bride  were they go “I am not left handed “then proceed to be a better fighter. Personally I think this is whack. You don’t just learn new skills out of the blue. Why would my D&D character do the same. I have been thinking about this a little and I have come with maybe two ways to explain leveling. First is the character carries around a manual of shorts of their class to study from and learn to be better at their chosen class. Second after gaining the required experience points the character would then go to a master or something and learn the new skills to level up. Just my thoughts. Wanting to know what would make the most sense  

The concept of going to a master and learning new tricks is the way it was described in AD&D days in the early 1980s.  I can see some skills transitioning up without the benefit of a master but other skills, especially the dramatic things that happen through level 5, needing some instruction and then practice.  For example, I could see a Wizard being able to have more spells through the daily practice of his craft, but unable to learn higher level spells until he has studied with a mentor.  That is my best example of how some skills could climb up slowly but others would need some help.  Good luck and have fun.

I would say, for realism, that leveling up should take place during downtime after an adventure. You may even want to include a time lapse of like, "you come back from the dungeon with several new theories about the art of swordplay that occurred to you during the last fight, while you're in town you trained hard to develope them into useful tactics..."

In that way, leveling up isn't just the blink! power up it is in video games, but rather the result of amassed experience and practice. 

I like that idea, too, but the only problem is that someone would have to then go through an entire adventure at level one, for example. That would be really difficult.

Quote from alexarthur94 >>

I like that idea, too, but the only problem is that someone would have to then go through an entire adventure at level one, for example. That would be really difficult.

This is one reason my friends and I never start there; we almost always start at level 3.  It provides more flexibility for the players and DM (so to not to TPK by bad luck).

But it also depends on the length of the campaign.  I was in one for almost 1.5 years, and the leveling there was fine.  But If I knew that we only had say 8 weekends, I might want a faster curve to have a feeling of progress.  So that would tend to throw realism out the door.

I think something interesting, that kind of falls on the responsibility of the DM... is to give the players hints of the abilities they're going to learn at their next level. Like... let's say you're playing as level 1 fighter and you're nearing a level gain, maybe the DM might describe a moment in combat thusly:

"You strike the zombie, knocking it back. It looks stunned, and you feel like if you could just push yourself a little further you could finish them off. But right now you don't have the strength and skill necessary... but you're starting to figure it out..."

Hinting at their Action Surge ability they'll acquire at the next level gain. This will be a little harder for other abilities. Like choosing your Martial Archetype... if the fighter already knows what they're going to go for and lets the DM know ahead of time, it makes it easier, but if they're still figuring it out as they play the character any hints the DM could give toward level up would be fairly vague.

Quote from Nthal >>

Quote from alexarthur94 >>

I like that idea, too, but the only problem is that someone would have to then go through an entire adventure at level one, for example. That would be really difficult.

 

This is one reason my friends and I never start there; we almost always start at level 3.  It provides more flexibility for the players and DM (so to not to TPK by bad luck).

But it also depends on the length of the campaign.  I was in one for almost 1.5 years, and the leveling there was fine.  But If I knew that we only had say 8 weekends, I might want a faster curve to have a feeling of progress.  So that would tend to throw realism out the door.

 That makes sense. Perhaps in a future campaign, I'll have the opportunity to make leveling up more realistic, because that would be really cool.  But it depends on the players, too. For the party I DM for, I don't think they'd enjoy that.

The way leveling up in DnD works is always gonna be video-gamey just because of how the system was built. If you want a more realistic character progression system, you may want to look into other systems that allow gradual, incremental character improvement; for example, in Legend of the Five Rings you can spend your experience points at any time to improve one skill here, another skill there - just like how in real life you'd gradually get better as you kept working at something. In DnD, the only way to mask that sudden power jump is to 1) level more slowly, and/or 2) mask it with a time skip, as previously suggested.

Quote from alexarthur94 >>

I like that idea, too, but the only problem is that someone would have to then go through an entire adventure at level one, for example. That would be really difficult.

Not as difficult as you’d think. I only ever give my players a level-up when they finish an adventure; we started at 1st level.

Leveling up for us always happens narratively in the downtime between adventures, usually a few weeks.

Quote from SagaTympana >>

Quote from alexarthur94 >>

I like that idea, too, but the only problem is that someone would have to then go through an entire adventure at level one, for example. That would be really difficult.

 

Not as difficult as you’d think. I only ever give my players a level-up when they finish an adventure; we started at 1st level.

Leveling up for us always happens narratively in the downtime between adventures, usually a few weeks.

They're still on their first adventure in this campaign, and the next session will be Session 11. It might have worked if I'd started them at level three, though.

I see something curious (on Critical Role for example) specifically during travelling.

The party will wake up in the morning - travel for 8 hours and stop because if they go on for longer they go into exhaustion roll territory. Then they long rest for 8 hours for the night. Then they wake up in the morning and travel for 8 hours..... and the whole time I'm wondering what happened to the other 8 hours of the day they completely skipped over.

I always assume that's just inferred downtime that the group can be using to practice. Wizards can be planning their new spells for their upcoming level - Fighter's can be learning new techniques - etc..

I guess it depends how loosey goosey you get with the passing of time in your games.

Quote from Emmber >>

I see something curious (on Critical Role for example) specifically during travelling.

The party will wake up in the morning - travel for 8 hours and stop because if they go on for longer they go into exhaustion roll territory. Then they long rest for 8 hours for the night. Then they wake up in the morning and travel for 8 hours..... and the whole time I'm wondering what happened to the other 8 hours of the day they completely skipped over.

I always assume that's just inferred downtime that the group can be using to practice. Wizards can be planning their new spells for their upcoming level - Fighter's can be learning new techniques - etc..

I guess it depends how loosey goosey you get with the passing of time in your games.

Well, if you add watches to the night your long rest should be 8 hours for an individual, but it could be 10+ in actual time.  Add a hour to rest for breakfast/lunch/dinner and the occasional fight it you loose the extra 8 easily.  Example below;  with four watches of 3 hours each, a person gets 9 hours of sleep. (its close enough for government work.)

Now you could eat as you walk, and have shorter meals.  But we do ignore the bit about finding a safe place to camp, setup camp, find wood for fire, bio breaks etc.  So the abstraction is close enough.

On that list you have 13 hours of watches. If some of the group remain on watch while the group isn't sleeping and just chilling then that makes sense - otherwise I feel it's too much. A long rest if the party isn't in a rush can be 10+ hours but if they are in a rush they can sleep for 6 hours and watch each for 2 for a total 8 hour long rest.

But either way there's still quite a bit of time (that adds up over many days) where the party is sat around not doing much of anything - so they could be practising for their next level abilities. It's how I've always rationalised levelups mid adventure anyway.

Quote from Emmber >>

On that list you have 13 hours of watches. If some of the group remain on watch while the group isn't sleeping and just chilling then that makes sense - otherwise I feel it's too much. A long rest if the party isn't in a rush can be 10+ hours but if they are in a rush they can sleep for 6 hours and watch each for 2 for a total 8 hour long rest.

But either way there's still quite a bit of time (that adds up over many days) where the party is sat around not doing much of anything - so they could be practising for their next level abilities. It's how I've always rationalised levelups mid adventure anyway.

Its as you thought, to have an 8 hr rest requiring extra time for a person to do a watch and perhaps allowing for combat.

Personally, i think the 8 hr travel time could be stretched, especially if you are riding or using a wagon.  Walking with gear...that may require extra rest.

What i wouldnt want is someone on the road doing downtime, (research, crafting a magic item etc)  with the other 8 hours.

So yep, imperfect.  No arguments there.

Quote from Emmber >>

I see something curious (on Critical Role for example) specifically during travelling.

The party will wake up in the morning - travel for 8 hours and stop because if they go on for longer they go into exhaustion roll territory. Then they long rest for 8 hours for the night. Then they wake up in the morning and travel for 8 hours..... and the whole time I'm wondering what happened to the other 8 hours of the day they completely skipped over.

I always assume that's just inferred downtime that the group can be using to practice. Wizards can be planning their new spells for their upcoming level - Fighter's can be learning new techniques - etc..

I guess it depends how loosey goosey you get with the passing of time in your games.

 Who’s to say the world operates on a 24 hour day?

Maybe it doesn’t in every campaign - but the PHB and DMG basically assume it is for travel times and rest lengths etc.. And we know for a fact that CR uses 24h days.

i think its useful to imagine you as your character for example you don't jus level up to forth level and take the sharp shutter feet, you wold of practiced and chosen the feet before you level up. And one other thing i don't imagine characters knowing they leveled up, for theme  they just gain practice and skill. The level system is only for DM and players to keep track of things more easily

A wizard could have in their personal possessions a book on magical theory that they study while traveling (if in a wagon or other vehicle) or a bit before bed each night (even while adventuring) and in any down time. Leveling is the mechanical representation of a breakthrough in understanding magical theory or finishing the next chapter/concept. The new spells they learn are either in the book or spells about which they already knew, but which they only now understand enough to transcribe into their own spellbooks and prepare and cast. The ability to cast more owerful spells is also a result of better understanding magical theory, in addition to the practice that comes of using magic while adventuring.

For a sorcerer, their innate magic is like a muscle: the more they exercise it, the stronger it gets. Additionally, using the more they use their power the better they understand it, and the more different and difficult things they can do with it.

A warlock is granted additional power by their patron either as they prove their loyalty and/or usefulness, or as their patron, who has plans for them, sees they'll need more power to survive long enough to play their part in those plans without getting themselves killed first, which would render the patron's attention and efforts wasted.

Clerics and paladins are granted more divine power (spells) and attention (channel divinity) by their deity as they prove faithful and do works in the deity's name that serve the deity's values and/or goals.

Anyone with martial skills (fighters, monks, paladins, barbarians, rangers, rogues, etc) all improve their fighting skills through a combination of regular exercise, practice and combat( including with ranged weapons), and observing opponents and allies and teaching themselves their moves/techniques.

Rogue skills, like all skills, are improved through practice, and like with martial skill, observing and teaching onself the techniques of opponents and allies.

Monks meditate or study during the same times wizards study.

I don't know enough about the other classes to come up with anything, but I imagine the same sort of thinking would apply to their abilities as well. If nothing else, everyone could be said to be improving simply by practicing and using their skills during an adventure.

I like that. Building up to leveling in story makes sense. It would add a little more work to the DM but if the players and DM are having open conversations about the game on a regular basis it should be to hard to add that it.