The Hero Within RPG 12: How Should Progression and Leveling Work?
How should heroes grow? Through experience points, milestone achievements, or something entirely different?
In The Hero Within, character progression isn’t just about numbers—it’s about growth, evolution, and the journey of becoming a legend.
Whether through combat, skillful problem-solving, or pivotal story moments, characters should develop in ways that feel rewarding and meaningful.
But here’s the big question: How should leveling up work? Should XP be the main driver, or should milestones dictate progression? What should leveling up actually give players?
Before making final decisions, we want to hear from you! Let’s dive into the discussion of progression and leveling in The Hero Within.
🔹 XP vs. Milestones – Which Works Best?
Most RPGs handle character growth through Experience Points (XP) or Milestone Progression—but which is the better system for The Hero Within?
XP-Based Leveling: Players earn XP through combat, skill use, and roleplaying. Once they accumulate enough, they level up.
Milestone-Based Leveling: Characters advance when they complete significant story moments, challenges, or personal achievements.
Hybrid System: A blend of both—XP for smaller improvements, milestones for major growth.
Community Question:
Should leveling be based on XP, milestones, or a hybrid system?
What types of achievements should trigger milestone progression?
🌟 What Should Players Gain When They Level Up?
Leveling up should feel rewarding and impactful. In The Hero Within, leveling could grant:
Attribute Increases – Strengthen core stats like Might, Coordination, and Reason.
Skill Unlocks & Upgrades – Improve or gain new abilities tied to class and background.
Class Progression – Unlock new combat techniques, spells, or unique talents.
Special Abilities – Gained through heroic feats, giving characters a personal touch.
Story-Based Rewards – Instead of just stat boosts, leveling could unlock new reputations, access to secret factions, or personal story developments.
Community Question:
What should be the most exciting part of leveling up?
Should leveling provide purely mechanical benefits, or should it also influence story and roleplay options?
⚔️ Class Trials & Special Leveling Moments
Beyond basic progression, The Hero Within could feature special trials or challenges that grant significant rewards, such as:
Class Trials: Warriors mastering a legendary combat technique, Mägo unlocking deeper magical secrets, Tinkerers crafting a revolutionary invention.
Epic Feats: Overcoming a legendary challenge—slaying a dragon, brokering peace between warring factions, or surviving an impossible battle.
Unique Story Moments: Gaining a powerful artifact, receiving a title, or permanently changing the game world through a heroic act.
Community Question:
Should leveling sometimes require a special challenge or trial?
What types of “epic moments” should provide special progression rewards?
⚖️ Balancing Progression – How Fast Should Heroes Grow?
Progression needs to feel earned but not frustrating. Too fast, and challenges feel meaningless. Too slow, and players may feel stuck.
Some options for balance include:
Pacing Systems: Ensuring that XP/Milestones progress at a steady, rewarding rate.
Team Progression: Allowing the entire group to advance together instead of individually.
Level Caps & Soft Resets: Preventing players from outpacing the game’s difficulty too quickly.
Community Question:
Should all players level up at the same pace, or should progression be individual?
How do we ensure that growth feels both rewarding and balanced?
🏆 Help Us Shape the Leveling System!
This is your chance to define how progression and character growth will work in The Hero Within!
What’s your preferred way to level up—XP, milestones, or a hybrid system?
What kinds of rewards should leveling grant?
Should special challenges or trials be required for major advancements?
Drop your thoughts in the comments at LifeOfFiction.com and let us know what you think! Together, let’s build a progression system that truly reflects the hero’s journey! 🔥📖✨
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Would you like to participate in the live discussions?
We are developing a growing section of the The Fiction HUB for the TTRPG part of Life of Fiction. A place where we can meet in real time, via video and chat, and discuss these aspects together.
This is available to supporters of Life of Fiction.
If you’d like to be included, please send me a private message and I’ll keep you in the loop. We don’t have an established time yet and have to play it by ear…for now.
Thank you for your time and insights—your feedback is what helps bring The Hero Within to life!
Ok just an idea
Use both xp and milestone (which is really just GM’s choice)
Anyway if you have a skill tree with abilities
Let them get xp to unlock different abilities on this sheet. Let it be a currency or resource.
Then leveling can affect base stats and possibly something else
if your going to input individual character moments directly into the rules
Like a fighter learning something from a master
A wizard discovering something etc etc…
That’s hard to balance because the payoff should match the challenge.
But they don’t take place at the same time.
The. Master the warriors learning from isn’t in the same place the wizards discovery is.
And are they supposed to just put the main story on hold while they go do stuff to level up?
I think it’s should be group achievements like killing the dragon etc. but that might just be me.