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Leveling up is a core part of a character’s career inDungeons & Dragons, having most players constantly asking their Dungeon Masters if a level was gained at the end of each session. However, the act of gaining a level itself can be cumbersome, particularly when dealing with first-time players or veterans dealing with a new class.
The 2024 Player’s Handbook makes the whole process fairly streamlined, and various aspects detailed within the book still ring true in the older versions of the game. In this guide, we will cover the basics of what leveling up entails, making this a resource that is relevant for all tiers of play.
Gaining A Level
No matter if you justgained the first levelof your career or if you made it tothe fabled level 20, you will generally be usingthe same resourceswhen leveling up:your character sheet, thesourcebook for your species,and thesourcebook for your class; you might need more booksdepending on spells picked or subclass chosen.
With the source books handy, you now need to decide if you want todevelop your current classormulticlass into something different. It is best to stay in a single classthroughout your careerwhen you just start playing Dungeons & Dragons since all classes areperfectly functionalfor all tiers of play.
Health And Class Features
As you level up,you gain more hit points, but how manydepends on your class.Each class has its hit die, and you need toroll it and add your Constitution modifierto the roll: the total iswhat you add to your hit point maximum.
There are many house rules about gaining health, so ask your Dungeon Master how that aspect works in their campaign.
You should now look if you gainedany new class featuresfrom the sourcebook of your class. You may also gainnew features from your subclassif you already have one, so you should check the sourcebook for it as well, or the section of itif it is the same bookas your base class.
Spells
Among the new features, some classes also have the opportunitytolearnnew spells.While spells are class-dependent, several source books containspells for the playable classes, so consult with your Dungeon Master aboutwhich books are availablefor the campaign before picking spells from them.
Some spells have complicated descriptions and clauses for how they work, so consider only adding the spells’ name and source book to your sheet, so you can reference it later.
Several damaging cantrips gainadditional benefits at certain levels, particularlyat levels five, 11, and 17.This allows casters to keep up with the multiple attacks martial classes make, so keep a close look at any of your cantripsthat get upgraded, if any.
Feats And Ability Score Increase
Every four levels, you’ll be given the choice betweenincreasing your ability scores(either one by two points or two by one point each) orgaining a feat. Several featsalso increase one of your ability scoresby one point, so keep that in mind.
Fighters gain the ability score/feat option more frequently than other classes.
Your ability scores canonly go up to 20using this method, hence why feats are enticing for characters thatfocus on only one or two abilities.The 2024 Player’s Handbook makes feats even more enticing sinceall of them increase one abilityby one point.
If you raise your Constitution to the point wherethe modifier changes, said changeis retroactive. Your hit point maximum rises byone point for each level you have, so if you reach level eight and raise your Constitution, your hit point maximum rises by eight points accordingly.
Species Features
While the majority of species give all their benefitsat character creation, some of them haveadditional featuresunlocked at certain levels. Most of these benefits areunlocked at level three, while the most advanced featuresare unlocked at level five.
Check your species’ sourcebook tosee what you unlock, andcheck for any spellsthe species might be made available to you. Depending on your chosen class, this might changewhich spells you wish to take, so keep a close look at what you gain and how to use it.
Proficiency Bonus And Character Sheet
At levels five, nine, 13, and 17,your proficiency bonus increases.While this doesn’t happen often, it is important to keep track of this number sinceit is key to keeping your character relevant, both during combat and in general roleplay scenarios.
This is also a great time to make sureall numbers on your character sheet are up-to-date, particularly your attack rolls and skill checks. Damage rolls don’t increase with proficiency, but if youraise any ability scorerelated to damage, your damage roll calculations might change.
