Well in real life, we talk about expertise in the mental fields and if there is someone with martial abilities, to can often tell or judge if you know something about it. Bodylanguage, bodycomposure, movement, muscles, that tells a lot.
Ingame metatalk about levels, that you need to sleep exactly 8 hours for spells or talking about spell slots is kind of awkward in my eyes.
Use your fantasy and circumscribe it.
we play once a week for 4-7 hours a session. depending on whether you count RP and preparation.
we do typically start first level, but we do milestone/chapter leveling.
XP total isn't what matters, it's how many milestones you accomplished in game.
some characters start higher, some start lower. mostly a matter of whether the character is a wisened military vetaran like Jagen or a young and inexperienced prince like Marth.
while you can find a 10th level character who still bears the title of apprentice due to their young age and lack of maturity.
that 10th level character is more likely to be a seasoned veteran with at least half a decade of constant adventuring experience or constant career military service under his belt. not counting time spent resting, crafting or engaging in menial activity. a decade or more such constant high risk experience is most likely and most of the 15+ NPCs tend to be of long lived races such as dwarves, planetouched, or elves.
a 20th level child prodigy is occasionally included as a joke. but it is usually handwaved with an immortal species or extraplanar assistance.
sometimes, we can reach a milestone in 2-3 sessions, or we can reach 2 milestones in one session, or not reach one for 8 weeks.
while planning for 4th level or 8th level is fine, we typically don't worry about 13th through 15th except in an AP adaption.
the issue isn't planning for 4th-8th. and surviving isn't the issue either. it is more like can you find a way to compensate for all the penalties that are hindering your ability?
there are 2 means to fix a permanent penalty
whine and find a means to get it fixed early, reduced penalty or net equivalancy. depending on solution
or deal with the penalty for 2-4, maybe more milestones and earn a boon that gives you a bonus your normally wouldn't recieve.
for example, a perma blinded character who opts to suck up the blindness for 4 levels or more, without excessive complaining, who respects the almighty jerk DM, earns full blindsight when the DM feels it appropriate.
but we cannot really tell levels apart without some kind of mechanic for sizing up a foe with sense motive.
UGG! Me like Ugg, him teach Krom how Fist Gods. Gods not like it, because Krom not buy into objective alignment paradigm. Also gods not much like fist.
UGG! Me like Ugg, him teach Krom how Fist Gods.
I bet Calistria really likes you guys.
edit3-There is literally no fitting response to that that's appropriate for these forums. ;)
Krom not understand what problem?
Krom barbarian of action and not words. Is paradigm dirty word in common?
Based on my experience in real life, having been in the military and having trained with Rangers and Special Forces (though I was neither), one thing that seems to be almost universally true: the more of a badass someone is, the less he talks about what a badass he is.
I expect the same would be true on Golarion and similar worlds. For mages, I might use expressions like, "Apprentice," "Journeyman," "Wizard," "Master Mage" and "Arch-Mage," but that's about as specific as I'd get.
I doubt that Barbarians think of themselves as Barbarians. They probably just think of themselves as "The People of _______." Or perhaps, "A Warrior of the _____ tribe."
But the really powerful people, the ones of whom you should be leary, are the ones who make no effort to impress you. Because they're the ones who will destroy you before you even know the fight has started.
In other news. . .clowns.
UGG AM CLARIFY
UGG GOD LIVE IN FIST NOT OTHER WAY AROUND
Krom understand! Fist am NOUN!
If I were to play in a game where something like this mattered, I would TOTALLY downplay my abilities.
Old crone: "If you must know, my name is Hama, and I am but a humble pilgrim."
(Hama is a venerable 10th-level sorcerer who has brought whole nations under her control through deception and guile--all the while concealing the fact that she is anything more than a well spoken old commoner.)