There are two ways to gain levels in Dragon Age. First, the GM may simply elect to inform players when their characters advance a level. This usually occurs after a major milestone or campaign event is reached, such as the end of an adventure or plot arc. However, sometimes advancement can occur during a session, especially if there is a lot of in game downtime.
The other way to advance is through experience points. If the GM prefers, they can award experience points at the end of every adventure or session. When a character has enough experience, they advance to the next level. GMs can award more or less experience if they want to slow or increase advancement during play. The rules and guidelines for awarding experience points are in the Game Master’s Guide.
The experience points required to attain each level are summarized on the accompanying table. When your experience point total is high enough, your character gains a level. When this occurs, four things happen immediately:
- Your character’s Health increases by 1d6+Constitution at levels 1–10. From levels 11-20, your Health increases just by your Constitution ability. Gaining Health at higher levels is not as easy.)
- You get one advancement to spend on one ability. When you gain an even-numbered level, you must spend it on a primary ability. When you gain an odd-numbered level, you must spend it on a secondary ability.
- You can pick one new ability focus. When you gain an even-numbered level, you must choose a focus from one of your primary abilities. When you gain an odd-numbered level, you must choose a focus from one of your secondary abilities. Starting at level 11, you can select a focus you already have to increase your bonus with that focus from +2 to +3; see Chapter 3 for details.
- You gain the class powers for your new level. You can find them in the class descriptions.
When you go up a level, you may also want to review your goals. Have any of them been achieved? Based on the events of the campaign, do you have any new goals? You can do this any time, of course, but leveling up is a convenient time to check in and reassess.
Example
At the end of her most recent adventure, Kate’s character receives enough experience points to make it to level 2. First, she rolls to add to her Health. She gets a 4, subtracts 1 for her poor Constitution, and ends up gaining 3 Health. Second, she adds 1 to her Dexterity, making it 5. She had her choice of Communication, Dexterity, or Perception (the rogue’s primary abilities) and decided pumping her Dexterity was the best option at this level. Third, she takes Communication (Investigation) as a new ability focus. She could have chosen any focus from Communication, Dexterity, or Perception. Lastly, she gains a stunt bonus as her class power for becoming a level 2 rogue.