Gear-Based Leveling and the Allure of Extrinsic Rewards

A thought-provoking post on the Kill It With Fire! blog presents a method for leveling up spells through frequent use. I like this idea across several dimensions. I enjoy that it combines similar spells from the same “family” of effects into one idea. This approach cuts through the built-up layers of spells in modern D&D and similar games, where too many similar effects work in slightly different ways rather than hewing to a coherent, simple framework.

But more importantly, leveling up things that the PCs can acquire focuses the game on extrinsic gains rather than intrinsic ones. Many RPGs (especially fantasy games) have some sense of gear progression. Getting better armor or a magic weapon is a standard feature of the genre. But modern D&D focuses on intrinsic gains (principally class progression) over extrinsic ones (better gear or other “things” acquired in the game world).

The advantages of extrinsic gains are clear.

Creating Verisimilitude. It’s a common complaint in RPGs. “Why did the thief’s Pick Pockets skill improve when they didn’t use that ability a single time in between character creation and reaching level 2?” That’s not necessarily a problem that needs to be solved. It’s OK for mechanics to imply off-screen events, and working too hard to “fix” those “problems” fetishizes realism over verisimilitude. But upgrading gear neatly avoids this issue, by tying advancement to the character’s actual choices and actions in session. You only get better with the tools you actually use.

Justifying Adventure. If leveling up is about unlocking intrinsic abilities, many players will seek the path of least resistance. They’ll stay in town as much as possible. At dungeons or adventuring sites, they’ll avoid risky gambles and pick conservative approaches. Who cares if they don’t find all of the treasure? As long as they are leveling up, they know they’ll get stronger. Equipment-focused extrinsic advancement avoids this problem. The PCs must go to dangerous places to get the really good stuff.

Going Places. Kill It With Fire uses dungeons visited as the metric for advancement. I think that’s right for a sandbox campaign. In a megadungeon campaign, it could be rooms explored, or dungeon levels visited. A more crunchy, tactical game could count combat encounters. A game about outdoor survival, exploration, and travel could use cities visited. The important thing is that advancement is tied to things or events out there in the world, not something within the characters.

In my next post, I'll go through this approach using Knave as a baseline. I think a classless game like Knave is particularly well-suited to this form of leveling, because the equipment a PC carries basically defines their “class,” with the option to “respec” whenever needed. But it could be applied to a class system as well, as long as it was sufficiently rules-light to accommodate the additional mechanical layer.

Next week: Four Examples of Extrinsic Leveling