Here’s one most of you don’t see as a problem, but some of the overthinkers will.

The idea of levelling up has many problems in it. One of them is this:

Say you’re a 70-year old wizard. You’ve studied all your life, training under the best and honing your skills enough to become a Level 1 PC.

You can hurl a mote of flame and move a rock with your mind.

Then you go on a two-month campaign, reach Level 20 and you can alter reality itself with your formidable magic.

Isn’t that weird? To go from nothing to Level 1 over a lifetime, then blitz your way to having the power to rival the gods themselves?

Yes, yes it is.

And no, no it isn’t.

Most masters of their field develop their mastery steadily over time. It’s not a linear process, though. The right circumstances can catapult your abilities to superhuman levels.

After decades of studying, you find the right problem for you – a practical problem, not an abstract, theoretical one. One that matters to you. It forces you to dig deep and use your powers to the fullest, testing you as you’ve never been tested.

Also, most adventuring parties form in Session 0 or the start of Session 1, so you’re surrounded by new heroes to inspire you.

Having something to fight for, with new friends, in a challenge beyond anything you’ve faced before?

Yeah, seeing sudden and drastic increases in your power isn’t surprising.

So, there you have it. This was only a problem if you overthought how the game and your story interact, solved by thinking about it some more.

In other words, it’s my favourite type of problem.