.. -*- mode: rst; coding: utf-8 -*-

.. Origin: SRD p56 "Beyond 1st Level"
.. Origin: BR p12 "Beyond 1st Level"

.. index:: ! leveling, ! gaining a level
   double: level; gain

.. _`Beyond 1st Level`:

================
Beyond 1st Level
================

.. index:: ! XP, ! experience points

As your character goes on adventures and overcomes challenges, he or she
gains experience, represented by experience points. A character who
reaches a specified experience point total advances in capability. This
advancement is called **gaining a level**.

.. index::
   triple: level; gain; ability score increase
   see: ASI; ability score increase
   triple: level; gain; proficiency bonus increase

When your character gains a level, his or her class often grants
additional features, as detailed in the class description. Some of these
features allow you to increase your ability scores, either increasing
two scores by 1 each or increasing one score by 2. You can't increase an
ability score above 20. In addition, every character's proficiency bonus
increases at certain levels.

.. index:: ! hit dice
   triple: level; gain; hit dice
   triple: level; gain; hit points
   see: HD; hit dice

Each time you gain a level, you gain 1 additional Hit Die. Roll that Hit
Die, add your Constitution modifier to the roll, and add the total
(minimum of 1). to your hit point maximum. Alternatively, you can use
the fixed value shown in your class entry, which is the average result
of the die roll (rounded up).

.. index::
   triple: level; gain; constitution

When your Constitution modifier increases by 1, your hit point maximum
increases by 1 for each level you have attained. For example, if your
7th-level fighter has a Constitution score of 18, when he reaches 8th
level, he increases his Constitution score from 17 to 18, thus
increasing his Constitution modifier from +3 to +4. His hit point
maximum then increases by 8.

.. index:: ! character advancement
   double: character; advancement

The Character Advancement table summarizes the XP you need to advance in
levels from level 1 through level 20, and the proficiency bonus for a
character of that level. Consult the information in your character's
class description to see what other improvements you gain at each level.

.. _Character Advancement:

.. table:: Character Advancement

   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | Experience Points       | Level       | Proficiency Bonus       |
   +=========================+=============+=========================+
   | 0                       | 1           | +2                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 300                     | 2           | +2                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 900                     | 3           | +2                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 2,700                   | 4           | +2                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 6,500                   | 5           | +3                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 14,000                  | 6           | +3                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 23,000                  | 7           | +3                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 34,000                  | 8           | +3                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 48,000                  | 9           | +4                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 64,000                  | 10          | +4                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 85,000                  | 11          | +4                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 100,000                 | 12          | +4                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 120,000                 | 13          | +5                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 140,000                 | 14          | +5                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 165,000                 | 15          | +5                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 195,000                 | 16          | +5                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 225,000                 | 17          | +6                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 265,000                 | 18          | +6                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 305,000                 | 19          | +6                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+
   | 355,000                 | 20          | +6                      |
   +-------------------------+-------------+-------------------------+