Progression

Gear, Skill Gem and Level Progression
Gear and level progression are a very important aspect of the system. They allow players to go from weaklings to individuals with the power and strength to shape the story or create their own. Wraeclast is a scary and desperate place, and it’s important that players feel they have the tools to be heroes (or villains!).

Level progression is intended to be fast and furious. The minimum amount of levels the group should gain should be once to twice per session. This is a much faster pace than your standard pen and paper RPG. The levelling process itself is quick and painless if done correctly. Remember, for many players improving their character is a very enjoyable and important part of the story. It’s quite fun to give a to level starting characters, who are level 0, after their first or second combat. This tends to surprise your average pen and paper player, who might expect it to take several sessions for just one level.

At each new level, a player picks the stat they wish to improve,, or. They then pick a keystone relating to the stat they just improved. Once they have picked either 2 keystones from a particular stat, they can pick a Notable from a pool that is much better than a normal keystone. Bang. You’re done. Let them adjust their stats while you help the next player pick what they want. Experienced players will often be able to level without any help. As a GM, don’t forget to help or recommend options for a player. New players might not realise that things like Life or Reduction are important aspects for character survivability, and any character can benefit from the odd keystone for more Life. In addition, remember that starting characters are very fragile and that until they accumulate a full set of gear, will often have gaps and holes in survivability.

As a basic guide, here’s a rough summary of gear acquisition during a tier.

1-5: Acquiring gear of that tier. By halfway through the tier, players should have a full set of magic gear, and some might have one or two rares.

6-10: Players now have the freedom to tweak and compare gear they find, they’re swapping in gear that rolls better or has mods they prefer. By level 10 they have a more optimised, decently rolled set of gear that suits their preferences.

Remember that if you pit the players against enemies that use specific Skill Gems, they will be able to absorb them if they defeat the monster. This is actually a great way to introduce them to the way a skill works...by using it against them!

Here is a recommended progression on a per-level basis, it’s your game, so do what you think is fun, but I have found this pace to work well in play testing:

Level 0
Monsters are slow, dim-witted and easy to run away from. Let players find weapons fairly quickly, even if it is a rusty axe or weathered bow. Let them find one Skill Gem that is a low mana cost and generally useful. Examples are Cleave, Fireball, Freezing Pulse, Spark, Lightning Strike, Lightning Arrow, Elemental Hit, Heavy Strike, Double Strike, Glacial Hammer, Ground Slam, Shield Charge and Dual Strike. This is a good level to introduce new players to the basic mechanics of the system, and allows them to experiment with using their first Skill Gem.

Level 1
Monsters are now in larger groups, and may contain one or two noticeable threats, such as a spellcaster or fast-moving attacker. Allow players access to basic flasks, either through finding them or the people of Lioneye’s watch giving it to them for their help. Let players find their first magic items, and let them get familiar with the concept of rolling their own item stats. Don’t necessarily explain every mechanic until they need to know. New players tend to be more interested in killing monsters or talking to new NPCS than worrying about exactly how Threshold works. If it comes up, explain it but otherwise don’t worry them. Allow them to find or be rewarded a new Skill Gem. Besides the usual basic attack choices, allow more build-defining ones such as Raise Zombie, Flicker Strike, Phase Run, Leap Slam and Firestorm.

Level 2
Monsters are no longer slow and dim-witted. At this point they tend to be aggressive and try very hard to kill the players...which is pretty much how its going to be for the rest of the time they are on Wraeclast. However, they should tend to be not too tough, and very susceptible to Zone area attacks. This is a good time for them to face their first Possessed enemy, or even something nasty like Zombie Hillock. They should be finding a healthy dose of magic items, and nearly have filled all their slots with at least normal non magical armour and gear. Throwing in a rare item can be fun, particularly a weapon, to a brand-new player.

Level 3
Some Monsters may try sneak up and/or surprise the players. They’re getting tougher, but be very careful, at this stage in the game one or two players might be missing one or two critical items, and have much lower Life than you expect. Keep an eye on player Reduction and Life and make sure you’re not one-shotting anyone. Players should have around half of their items as magical at this point. Players are starting to get more familiar with the mechanics of the game, and are starting to think ahead. You may seem them discussing what kind of keystones or items they want. You might want to start opening up their options here in terms of what equipment they can find, either by finding them or trading for them. This is a good point to let them obtain another Skill Gem. These can be like the previous ones, and you might want to allow some of the wackier skills like damage auras (particularly for a zombie summoner!) or fun skills like Flame Dash.

Level 4
Monsters are now appearing in more synergistic combinations, such as Necromancers cursing players and letting Zombies overwhelm them. Using the power of large groups of enemies combined with a Possessed aura can be a difficult but entertaining fight. At this point, players should only be missing two or three magical items at most. Builds and keystones are coming together and the holes in player defence should be less glaring and obvious. Keep an eye on anyone you think might have too little health, and gently recommend taking a life keystone, or allowing a few more +life items to drop. Mana leech is also a fun mod, and can make the lives of physical characters much easier. Let them get magical flasks of their choice, to help them to escape difficult situations where they would otherwise die.

Level 5
At this point, its time to take the kids gloves off. Characters should have a full set of magical gear, and even a rare item or two. If they do have defensive holes, now is the time to remind them...by dragging them into the mud and having 10 fire enchanted zombies gnaw on them. Players at this point have the tools to survive, escape and destroy many threats. Up the ante, but don’t overdo it. Its time to get another Skill Gem, and you can pretty much provide any of the ones in the rulebook at this point. Skill Gems at this point can before very plentiful, with the main limitation not being supply, but absorption limit.

Level 6
Players are now veterans. They’ve become suspicious and wary of the dangers of Wraeclast, and possess a host of gear and Skill Gems to deal with dangers. They’re starting to properly understand the balance of survivability and damage they need, and are making more informed gear and Skill Gem choices. They may also ask to change some aspects of their character choices, I think its fair to allow them to swap around a keystone, or stat choice as long as the change is not too major, but that's ultimately up to you. You might even throw in some difficult monsters that use Masteries.

Sharing what you’ve learned, or any potential concerns, will really help us all refine the system and make it a great experience for everyone.

I hope you and your group have fun!