Character Advancement

Player Characters (PCs) go up in levels as the game progresses. The following is helpful information.

When to Advance

Player Characters in Aenea will find that working for experience points (XP) is not a thing. Instead, the DM determines when they have reached milestones or have experienced enough of the world and its challenges to warrant an increase in level.

There is no need to track XP, no worry about falling behind in XP due to a missed session or character death, no uneven leveling within the party of adventurers, no begging for "just 73 more XP from that fight", and no farming XP to level up.

PCs are free to follow what interests them, be it saving a town, wandering to the far corners of the lands just to see what's there, or even just talking with various people of the world while dining on wine and cheese. It's up to the players.

Leveling up typically happens during a long rest.

Getting the New Stuff

Most new levels come with some benefit. Additional hit points, maybe an increase in your Proficiency Bonus, possibly a class feature or new spells. You might choose to multiclass, expanding your potential by sacrificing some of the things you may have gained by staying with a single class.

While not required, players are encouraged to roleplay things like practicing their swordwork or researching magical information before getting or using new abilities. You may contact the DM outside of the game if you want something included in the game to make it part of the story.

Additional Hit Points

When you gain a level in your existing or new class after 1st level, you may either take the average roll for the die (rounded up) or roll the die. If you choose to roll and get a 1 on the die, it becomes a 2.

New Spells

If you gain new spells known (cantrips are spells) or add new ones to your spellbook, the assumption is that you have been working on figuring them out during rests and downtime. You've just recently had a breakthrough and got them to work as intended.

New Class Features

Just like spells, gaining a class or subclass feature is assumed to be the culmination of earlier practice, the result of divine guidance or otherworldly knowledge, or some sort of epiphany.

Ability Score Increases

The result of regular practice and exercise (physical or mental), you realize your work has paid off when you feel stronger, more agile, healither, mentally acute, centered, or even much more confident in your own abilities.

Feats

The use of optional feats is something a player in my games may choose. When you would gain an Ability Score Increase (ASI) from your class, you may give that up to take a feat instead.

You may choose from the following feats, if you meet any prerequisites. If not found in the Player's Handbook or if altered from what is published, that information will be noted below.

Feats Available

Actor
Alert
Aquatic (Aenea)
Athlete
Battle Ready (Aenea)
Charger
Chef (TCoE)
Crossbow Expert
Crusher (TCoE)
Cryokinetic (Aenea)
Defensive Dualist (Prerequisite: Dexterity 13 or higher)
Dual Wielder
Dungeon Delver
Durable
Eldritch Adept (Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature - TCoE)
     - Aenea note: You can't change the invocation granted by this feat at a later time.
Elemental Adept (Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell)
Escapist (Aenea)
Fearless (Aenea)
Fey Touched (Prerequisite: Prolonged contact with fey creatures - TCoE)
     - Aenea notes: There is no Feywild, and this feat now has a story-based prerequisite.
Fighting Initiate (Prerequisite: Proficiency with a martial weapon - TCoE)
     - Aenea note: You can't change the fighting style granted by this feat at a later time.
Focused Dreamer (Aenea)
Fulmekinetic (Aenea)
Furred (Aenea)
Grappler (Prerequisite: Strength 13 or higher)
Great Weapon Master
Healer
Heavily Armored (Prerequisite: Proficiency with medium armor)
Heavy Armor Master (Prerequisite: Proficiency with heavy armor)
Inspiring Leader (Prerequisite: Charisma 13 or higher)
Intuitive Problem Solver (Aenea) (Prerequisite: Intelligence 11 or lower)
Keen Mind
Lightly Armored
Linguist
Lucky
Mage Slayer
Magic Initiate
Martial Adept
Medium Armor Master (Prerequisite: Proficiency with medium armor)
Metamagic Adept (Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature - TCoE)
Milk the Magic (Aenea) (Prerequisite: Spellcasting class or subclass feature)
Mobile
Moderately Armored (Prerequisite: Proficiency with light armor)
Mounted Combatant
Observant
Otherworldly Marked (Aenea)
Piercer (TCoE)
Poisoner (TCoE)
Polearm Master
Pyrokinetic (Aenea)
Resilient
Ritual Caster (Prerequisite: Intelligence or Wisdom 13 or higher)
Savage Attacker
Sentinel
Sharpshooter
Shield Master
Skill Expert (TCoE)
Skilled
Skulker (Prerequisite: Dexterity 13 or higher)
Slasher (TCoE)
Spell Sniper (Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell)
Stone Headed (Aenea) (Prerequisite: Intelligence 7 or lower)
Tavern Brawler
Telekinetic (TCoE)
Telepathic (TCoE)
Tough
War Caster (Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell)
Weapon Master