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If you earned the xp level up during combat, can you level up during combat? Furthermore, how do HP gained through leveling up or additional spells spell per day get applied during combat?
For sake of arguement, assume the PC has already built their next level character, so this isn't going to slow the game down. Does the PC *suddenly* remember that they have more health and that they can cast a few more spells today?
Or rather, when does leveling up happen and how does it manifest in-game?
Generally xp is awarded at the end of each session so no levelling up midcombat for the most part.
If I end a session mid combat I'll tell everyone to have all the numbers ready to level up after the combat ends next session.
EDIT: As an aside, the only thing in my games not available immediately after levelling up is new spell slots - you will need to rest up overnight to get those. HP, feats etc are available immediately.
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I will level-up characters mid-game, but not mid-combat. If the PCs are in the middle of an adventuring day, they gain new maximums to their active abilities and new passives, but no additional resources. That means no new spells, hit points, or per-day abilities, but applicable DCs, ability modifiers, saves, etc do increase. Characters can heal up to their new maximum hit points if they desire.
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I don't think there are set rules on when to level up. In the games I have played in it is generally done between sessions or after a combat if we have been told to prepare our next level sheets. I've never played in a game where you level mid combat (or heard of one).
Most video games do it this way, so I was just wondering if that could be translated to pen and paper RPGs.
A lot of video games, specifically real time combat games, level mid combat, or at least award new skill points. Assigning those skill points mid combat, well, that is a choice on the player's part.
Encounter based RPGs award xp after the encounter, so if we are looking at which games are closest to Pathfinder, that is a vote towards not doing mid-encounter level ups.
As others have said, there is no recommendation in the books, so by the RAW interpretation, when you get enough XP, you level up, and that is that. Which then shifts the focus to how XP is awarded. Is it awarded after the fight? After the session? After each enemy is defeated? Or is it awarded in lump sums at story points, as many DMs tend to do with the Adventure Paths.
To level mid fight, XP would need to be awarded instantly on enemy defeat. But this is problematic as it creates meta-gaming.
"I killed the big monster, and I only needed 30xp to level, DING!"
"Nope, you haven't gotten XP yet."
"What? Its not dead guys, it must have regeneration, get the alchemist fire and acid!"
And this isn't even getting into the many subjective arguments people have about what counts as "defeating" an encounter. Personally, mid-fight level ups strike me as not worth the trouble involved on several levels.
In my own games, I require a state of rest to pass to level up, like sleeping. If a situation is dire, I allow one element of a level up (one spell slot, one use of lay on hands, hp, base attack increase, etc) to be gained with either a DC 10 wisdom check as a full round action or, if that fails, a 10 minute rest.
We level up in-game, but not in combat. I do it when the party sleeps overnight so that you don't have to figure out what to do when use per day abilities change.
We level after a session, especially since we play online. Generally this is after a fight if it happens, to give us time to dither over options. We normally report what we want to the GM, who only needs to be around for those hit die rolls (he's tired of us rolling 1s).
Our current GM requires the PCs to train with higher level NPCs. Once we have enough XP, we travel to the nearest appropriate settlement and spend the next few days to weeks leveling up.
It could be worse. We could also have to pay gold or barter for training (glad that hasn't occurred to him).
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Our current GM requires the PCs to train with higher level NPCs. Once we have enough XP, we travel to the nearest appropriate settlement and spend the next few days to weeks leveling up.
It could be worse. We could also have to pay gold or barter for training (glad that hasn't occurred to him).
Charging for leveling up is kinda a hassle for the GM, since the game assumes a certain wealth at each level. So anything non-material you charge the PCs for is money they have to make back while adventuring to keep the game balanced. Charging for leveling up means having to grant that much extra gold in loot (or potential loot) to keep the party where it should be.
Mind you, this wealth level is per party, not per character, and includes the full value of their gear (which may include unidentified items or other gear the party isn't aware they possess).
Most of the groups I've been with level between sessions. One of my current groups meets less often but for long-ish sessions (6-8 hours), so we might level mid-session if we hit a break in the action.
Video and computer games have the advantage that there's no real break in the action for leveling up, so they can level right after (or even during) a challenge. Tabletop Pathfinder doesn't have that luxury--by design, it tries to make each level interesting, and one of the ways to do so is to insert a decision point (e.g., pick a feat, pick new spells, decide whether to dip into another class). Decision points take time, particularly if you tend to grow your PC organically instead of adhering to a rigid 1-20 projection made at the beginning of the campaign.