Add Training Downtime to your Leveling Up Process

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Going from Level 1 to Level 10 in a Few Months of Game time is Weird

Has it ever bothered you how characters in D&D can suddenly go from humble beginnings to legendary heroes in what feels like no time at all? One moment, they’re level 1 and struggling to fend off a few goblins without dying, and then—poof—they’re taking down ancient dragons and saving kingdoms.

It’s exciting, sure, but also a little… unrealistic.

Now, I now it’s a game. It’s not supposed to be super realistic. They are throwing fireballs and riding dragons. But today, let’s talk about a different approach: incorporating training as part of leveling up, a method that brings depth and realism to your game.

Now I Stretch my Timelines with Training Downtimes

I made the “mistake” of not stretching out my timelines with the Calling campaign so those characters went from level 5 to level 14 in roughly 4 months of game time. Now that process took us 7 years in real world time, but once I looked back over the timeline, it bothered me how unrealistic that felt. So for the Ugly Inc campaign I’ve instituted a minimum of 1 month training times to gain a new level.

1979 AD&D Had it Right

Let’s start by looking back at the early days of D&D. In 1979, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (or AD&D) had a much more structured approach to leveling up. According to the Dungeon Master’s Guide, characters didn’t automatically gain new abilities when they hit a certain amount of experience points. Instead, they needed to find a trainer and spend time and money honing their skills.

The cost and duration of training depended on your character’s level and class. For instance, higher-level characters needed more advanced training, which naturally took longer and cost more gold. This mechanic wasn’t just about bookkeeping—it added a sense of progression and effort to becoming more powerful.

Now, fast forward to modern editions like D&D 5th Edition. Things have definitely simplified. Leveling up happens automatically once you’ve earned enough experience points. While that keeps the game fast-paced, it can sometimes feel… well, a bit like instant gratification.

In my group, we like to slow things down and take a more immersive approach. Rather than letting our characters jump from level 1 to 20 in what feels like a few months of game time, we introduce training periods to stretch out the timeline and make character growth feel earned.

Benefits of Downtime Training for Leveling Up

This approach has a lot of benefits.

First, it makes the campaign timeline feel more realistic. You’re not going from a novice adventurer to a world-saving legend in record time.

Second, it creates natural opportunities for downtime activities – things like crafting magic items, running businesses, or developing relationships with NPCs.

This is where the Ptolus campaign setting really shines for me and why I’ve been playing in this ONE CITY since 2017. There are so many locations, so many NPCs, and so much to do you can really dive deep during this extra time.

Downtime is just as Exciting as Adventuring!

For us, this downtime is just as exciting as the adventuring itself. It’s when our characters evolve not just in power but also in personality and story. Maybe your fighter learns a new technique from a retired mercenary, or your wizard finally cracks the code on an ancient spell. It’s all part of the journey.

I’m going to plug Play by Post here and also cross-promote my video talking about doing a Hybrid Game (Hybrid D&D = Live Action + Play by Post) because these downtime training activities are PERFECT for PBP writing rather than doing things around the table.

In my Calling Campaign, Vogh and Talin built a physical building and started a busienss. Belie, my DMPC, started a Magical Toy Store and using Matt Colville’s Stronholds and Followers book mechanics also started an information network. Bharash took over the Pythoness House and is renovating it.

In the Ugly Inc Campaign, Crow & Kray bought a warehouse and are developing their “completely legal business” while Cruch, Jinx and Ash are dealing with their tavern business, The Captian’s Den. Temple is doing a bunch of research and other “totally legal” activities while Buto is exploring a romance.

If you want to try this in your game, here are a few tips:

Talk to Your Group: Make sure everyone is on board with the idea of slowing down the timeline and incorporating training. This should not slow down the actual game, especially if you use my suggested Hybrid Approach and do downtime and training activities through email, text, discord, etc.

Set Clear Rules: Decide how much time and resources training will take. Will it be a week of in-game time? A month? What happens during the time? You don’t necessarily want things to wind up in combat, but it’s not forbidden. We decided that we would do a month of training for these current levels. We might make that more as they get more powerful. But the idea here is to determine what is possible during the downtime and training. You could make it as simple as one sentence, “You take 1 month to train, now you’re level x.” But I think it’s a lot more fun to engage in activities.

Reward Creativity: Let players come up with unique ways to train their characters. Maybe your rogue practices by pulling off a heist, or your cleric spends time meditating at a sacred site. Perhaps they have some control and input over the NPCs that train them. One trainer likely cannot take them from 1st to 20th level. Maybe the player writes the NPCs back story and weaves in some extra threads.

Embrace Downtime: Use this as a chance to explore subplots and character development. There are a ton of rules out there for Downtime. I hope to do a full video on Downtime at some point. But think about all the stuff that would be fun to do with the character. As I mentioned, we have character’s building homes, running businesses, pursuing love interests, and forging relationships with NPCs.

By bringing training into your D&D games, you’re not just leveling up your characters—you’re leveling up your storytelling. So give it a shot, and let me know how it works for you! If you’re doing this or have done it, let me know in the comments. If you want to try it, tell me what your concerns are.

Until next time, stay out of the shadow of the spire.

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