alternatives to leveling up / slow level advancement

[rel]

I want to try running a game with slow level advancement.
REALLY slow level advancement.
10 sessions in and the PC's hit level 2. That kind of slow advancement.

Lets leave the discussion of my reasons and whether or not this is a good idea aside for now.
I Request Aid:

I want ideas for non level-up advances I can give the players to keep the game interesting for the long stretches of time between level ups.

Boosts to competency I can dole out to give a feeling of growth without moving the game out of the level 1 zone where the aristocrat pulling a hand crossbow out of his desk is a source of concern not mirth.

To facilitate this I want to keep HP, BAB and skill caps the same so + numbers boosts of this sort are not ideal.

Flavorful tricks that help define an archetype or broaden a characters competency are good.

Here are some sample ideas to get people started:

- max ranks in a skill you were not previously trained in
- a skill becomes a class skill and your existing ranks in it a recalculated to reflect this
- access to a skill trick from a restricted list ignoring the normal restrictions and costs of purchasing one
- a pool of eberron style action points with a periodic refresh mechanic other than leveling up
- some sort of costly cheat death mechanic e.g. ignore death by taking a crippling injury
- limited access to a cantrip or level 1 spell from a restricted list of options
- a free luck feat or feats from a limited list
- training with a new type of weapon and maybe a helpful feat for that style of fighting

So, go forth! Give me any ideas you may have, suggest house rules and generally offer advice (as long as it isn't use 5e or e6).

I look forward to hearing from everyone

[Eldariel]

Learning more spells or maneuvers would obviously be good. Perhaps early á la Precocious Apprentice even, at a risk. With restrictions on the list, it could be a great source of extra ability or power without changing the character's survivability. Skill tricks (early, without prerequisites) would also fall under this header.

Social rewards: contacts to call upon, position or rank in the society, debts or services owed, etc.

Items and wealth: Magic items are obvious but even various mundane items (think adamantine arrowheads or some such) can both, feel and be huge. Again, with control, none of the problems are like to occur.

[Selion]

In "numenera" there is a smooth transition in 4 steps in leveling up, you basically choose every step a single bonus and after 4 steps you gain one effective level.
For example , going from fighter 1 to fighter 2 you gain
+ d10 hp
+1 TS fortitude
bonus feat
+1 BAB
skill points

You could give a price in experience points for each one of these bonuses, effectively splitting the 2000 xp progression in several sub-levels, the downside is that it has to be done manually every level for each class

[Zombulian]

So you mentioned e5 and e6... why exactly aren’t you interested in them? From the description you give of being concerned about someone drawing a hand crossbow, it doesn’t sound like you want slow progression, it sounds like you want a game where the players are low level forever. Why not then have them cap out at level 3 or something and from there give them feats or other sorts of bonuses as they continue to accrue xp?

[Mike Miller]

If you do much combat, I recommend starting at least level 2, probably level 3. When you stay at one level for a long time, it can be fun. However, very low levels are too random and have too few options to live and be fun.

I do like the options you have listed. I think this is a good scenario for consumable rewards. You don't want to give them substantial permanent rewards frequently because they will become too powerful for their level. Consumables will be good for low level, because they can do things the PCs may be incapable of otherwise.

As for specific leveling additions, I second the luck feats. Also look into tactical feats that enable a few maneuvers. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but they give PCs different options without a significant increase in power.

[rel]

Items and wealth: Magic items are obvious but even various mundane items (think adamantine arrowheads or some such) can both, feel and be huge. Again, with control, none of the problems are like to occur.

Good call. Wealth is a good option for improvement. The fighter goind from chain to plate or the wizard getting a magic wand are good power boosts.



Also look into tactical feats that enable a few maneuvers. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but they give PCs different options without a significant increase in power.

Thanks I will look into tactical feats. They might mesh well with my weapon proficiencies idea.


A few more things I thought of are:
- Incantations. I always liked the incantation sub system and this might be a good chance to use it.
- Stat boosts. No increasing beyond racial maximums but a few points to boost lower stats give a power boost across the board.

Are there any other suggestions?