As player characters overcome challenges, they gain experience points. As these points accumulate, PCs advance in level and power. The rate of this advancement depends on the type of game that your group wants to play. Some prefer a fast-paced game, where characters gain levels every few sessions, while others prefer a game where advancement occurs less frequently. In the end, it is up to your group to decide what rate fits you best. Characters advance in level according to Table: Character Advancement and Level-Dependent Bonuses.
Advancing Your Character
A character advances in level as soon as he earns enough experience points to do so—typically, this occurs at the end of a game session, when your GM hands out that session’s experience point awards.
The process of advancing a character works in much the same way as creating a character, except that your ability scores, race, and previous choices concerning class, skills, and feats cannot be changed. Adding a level generally gives you new abilities, additional skill points to spend, more hit points, and possibly an ability score increase or additional feat (see Table: Character Advancement and Level-Dependent Bonuses). Over time, as your character rises to higher levels, he becomes a truly powerful force in the game world, capable of ruling nations or bringing them to their knees.
When adding new levels of an existing class or adding levels of a new class (see Multiclass Characters, below), make sure to take the following steps in order. First, select your new class level. You must be able to qualify for this level before any of the following adjustments are made. Second, apply any ability score increases due to gaining a level. Third, integrate all of the level’s class abilities and then roll for additional hit points. Finally, add new skills and feats. For more information on when you gain new feats and ability score increases, see Table: Character Advancement and Level-Dependent Bonuses.
| Character Level | Experience Points Needed | Total | Feats | Ability Score | Wealth | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slow | Medium | Fast | PC | NPC (Basic) | NPC (Heroic) | ||||||
| 1st | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1st | — | By Class | 260 gp | 390 gp |
| 2nd | 3,000 | 3,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 1,300 | 1,300 | — | — | 1,000 gp | 390 gp | 780 gp |
| 3rd | 4,500 | 7,500 | 3,000 | 5,000 | 2,000 | 3,300 | 2nd | — | 3,000 gp | 780 gp | 1,650 gp |
| 4th | 6,500 | 14,000 | 4,000 | 9,000 | 2,700 | 6,000 | — | 1st | 6,000 gp | 1,650 gp | 2,400 gp |
| 5th | 9,000 | 23,000 | 6,000 | 15,000 | 4,000 | 10,000 | 3rd | — | 10,500 gp | 2,400 gp | 3,450 gp |
| 6th | 12,000 | 35,000 | 8,000 | 23,000 | 5,000 | 15,000 | — | — | 16,000 gp | 3,450 gp | 4,650 gp |
| 7th | 18,000 | 53,000 | 12,000 | 35,000 | 8,000 | 23,000 | 4th | — | 23,500 gp | 4,650 gp | 6,000 gp |
| 8th | 24,000 | 77,000 | 16,000 | 51,000 | 11,000 | 34,000 | — | 2nd | 33,000 gp | 6,000 gp | 7,800 gp |
| 9th | 38,000 | 115,000 | 24,000 | 75,000 | 16,000 | 50,000 | 5th | — | 46,000 gp | 7,800 gp | 10,050 gp |
| 10th | 45,000 | 160,000 | 30,000 | 105,000 | 21,000 | 71,000 | — | — | 62,000 gp | 10,050 gp | 12,750 gp |
| 11th | 75,000 | 235,000 | 50,000 | 155,000 | 34,000 | 105,000 | 6th | — | 82,000 gp | 12,750 gp | 16,350 gp |
| 12th | 95,000 | 330,000 | 65,000 | 220,000 | 40,000 | 145,000 | — | 3rd | 108,000 gp | 16,350 gp | 21,000 gp |
| 13th | 145,000 | 475,000 | 95,000 | 315,000 | 65,000 | 210,000 | 7th | — | 140,000 gp | 21,000 gp | 27,000 gp |
| 14th | 190,000 | 665,000 | 130,000 | 445,000 | 85,000 | 295,000 | — | — | 185,000 gp | 27,000 gp | 34,800 gp |
| 15th | 290,000 | 955,000 | 190,000 | 635,000 | 130,000 | 425,000 | 8th | — | 240,000 gp | 34,800 gp | 45,000 gp |
| 16th | 395,000 | 1,350,000 | 255,000 | 890,000 | 175,000 | 600,000 | — | 4th | 315,000 gp | 45,000 gp | 58,500 gp |
| 17th | 550,000 | 1,900,000 | 410,000 | 1,300,000 | 250,000 | 850,000 | 9th | — | 410,000 gp | 58,500 gp | 75,000 gp |
| 18th | 800,000 | 2,700,000 | 500,000 | 1,800,000 | 350,000 | 1,200,000 | — | — | 530,000 gp | 75,000 gp | 96,000 gp |
| 19th | 1,150,000 | 3,850,000 | 750,000 | 2,550,000 | 500,000 | 1,700,000 | 10th | — | 685,000 gp | 96,000 gp | 123,000 gp |
| 20th | 1,500,000 | 5,350,000 | 1,050,000 | 3,600,000 | 700,000 | 2,400,000 | — | 5th | 880,000 gp | 123,000 gp | 159,000 gp |
Multiclass Characters
Instead of gaining the abilities granted by the next level in your character’s current class, he can instead gain the 1st-level abilities of a new class, adding all of those abilities to his existing ones. This is known as “multiclassing.” The class abilities from a character’s different classes combine to determine a multiclass character’s overall abilities. Multiclassing improves a character’s versatility at the expense of focus.
Class And Level Features
As a general rule, the abilities of a multiclass character are the sum of the abilities of each of the character’s classes.
Level
“Character level” is a character’s total number of levels and Hit Dice. It is used to determine when feats and ability score boosts are gained, as shown above on Table: Character Advancement and Level-Dependent Bonuses.
“Class level” is a character’s level in a particular class. For a character whose levels are all in the same class, character level and class level are the same.
Hit Points
A character gains hit points from each class as his or her class level increases, adding the new hit points to the previous total.
Base Attack Bonus
Add the base attack bonuses acquired for each class to get the character’s base attack bonus. A resulting value of +6 or higher provides the character with multiple attacks as normal.
Saving Throws
Add the base save bonuses for each class together.
Skills
If a skill is a class skill for any of a multiclass character’s classes, then character level determines a skill’s maximum rank. (The maximum rank for a class skill is equal to character level.)
If a skill is not a class skill for any of a multiclass character’s classes, the maximum rank for that skill is one-half the maximum for a class skill.
When spending skill points, only the class skills of the newest class level are considered class skills. Spending a skill point on a cross-class skill of the new class level grants ½ rank per skill point, even if that skill is a class skill for one of your other classes.
Class Features
A multiclass character gets all the class features of all his or her classes but must also suffer the consequences of the special restrictions of all his or her classes.
Special Cases
In the special case of channel divinity, both clerics and experienced paladins have the same ability. If the gain channel divinity from multiple different classes, her effective turning level is the sum of her effective level in all such classes. A cleric/paladin would add her cleric level plus her paladin level minus 3.
In the special case of uncanny dodge, when a character would gain uncanny dodge a second time (for her second class), she instead gains improved uncanny dodge, if she does not already have it. Her class levels that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the rogue level an attacker needs to flank her.
Levels in classes which grant wild empathy stack to determine the bonus to the roll.
Feats
A multiclass character gains feats based on character levels, regardless of individual class level. Classes which grant bonus feats still grant them based on class level as normal.
Ability Increases
A multiclass character gains ability score increases based on character level, regardless of individual class level.
Spells and Other Esoteric Abilities
The character gains spells from all of his or her spellcasting classes and keeps a separate spell list for each class. If a spell’s effect is based on the class level of the caster, the player must keep track of which class’s spell list the character is casting the spell from.
Advancing Esoteric Abilities
Some classes, usually Prestige Classes, advance an existing esoteric ability rather than granting a new one. Such classes state at which levels an esoteric ability is progressed. Advancing an esoteric ability follows these rules. You gain only what is listed here (and any abilities of the new class level) and do not gain any other feature or ability of the progressed class.
Spellcasting (Arcane and Divine)
When you progress spellcasting, you gain the following as if you had gained a level in the spellcasting class: new spells per day, new spells known (including bonus spells added to a spellbook), new spells accessed, and increased caster level.
Manifesting (Psionics)
When you progress psionic manifesting, you gain the following as if you had gained a level in the psionic class: increased power points per day, new powers known, and increased manifester level.
Veilweaving (Akashic magic)
When you progress veilweaving, you gain the following as if you had gained a level in the akashic class: new veils per day, increased essence, and increased veilweaver level.
Hexcraft
When you progress hexcraft, you gain the following as if you had gained a level in the hexcraft class: new hexes known, access to higher tier of hexes (if applicable), and increased hexcraft caster level.
Invoking (Invocation user)
When you progress invoking, you gain the following as if you had gained a level in the invoking class: new invocations known and increased invocation caster level.
Ki Cultivation
When you progress your ki cultivation, you add a level to your cultivator level to determine the following: the maximum size of your ki pool, the tier of your ki strikes, ki stances, and ki formations (Student, Adept, Master, or Grandmaster), which ki talents you can select (but not how many ki talents you possess), and the effects of any ki strike, stance, talent, or formation that are based on your cultivator level.
Martial Arts
When you progress martial arts, you gain the following as if you had gained a level in the martial disciple class: new techniques known (maneuvers and stances), increased maneuvers readied, and increased initiator level. (Martial Arts is not technically an esoteric ability but is included here for ease of reference.)