Training in AD&D

 The concept of leveling the player character has changed somewhat from the early incarnations of the game. Originally, the character simply advanced a level, gaining all the benefits thereof immediately. This was fine when it came to things like game mechanics (hit points, spells per day, etc.), but made little sense for things that need to be learned or acquired over time (new spells, weapon proficiencies, completely new powers, etc.). So, Gygax added in Training in ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. It wasn't terribly well-executed, but it was a step in the right direction for giving the players a sense of advancement without breaking the verisimilitude of the campaign world. Later editions would return to the original form of skipping training by saying "don't worry, it's only a game." Let's take a look at how it all worked:

The rules for training in AD&D were appropriately listed in the DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE after the section on EXPERIENCE (p. 86). The rules were tied to Experience Points in that every time the DM gave out XP, he also graded the characters based on their performance. It is also stated that "UPWARD PROGRESS IS NEVER AUTOMATIC." The gaining of experience points is merely an indicator that show eligibility for level progression. Whether or not an actual level is gained is up to the DM to decide. Now, I don't know about you, but withholding a level would have been grounds for a lynching back when I was learning to DM!

The DM's grading basis was given as a letter grade: Excellent (E) for few deviation from the norm; Superior (S) for minimal but noted deviations; Fair (F) for more deviations noted but not more than normal behavior; and Poor (P) for aberrant behavior not normally evidenced by the class or alignment in question. When XP was granted, the number was to be noted with the letter grade. For example, if a character earned 155 XP for killing monsters and gathering treasure during an expedition into the dungeon, and participated well but did not work to the best of his abilities or deviated from his alignment, he would receive an S grade, and asked to note his XP for that session as 155(S). The grades also had a numeric value, with E = 1, S = 2, F = 3, and P = 4. When a character achieved enough XP to go up a level, all the grades from his or her previous levels adventures were averaged. This gave the number of WEEKS that must be spent in training to make the new level. For example, if a character received five XP awards between his 2nd and 3rd levels, and achieved scores of E, S, E, F, S during those sessions, he would have to train for (1+2+1+3+2 / 5 =) 1.8 weeks. Since each 0.145 equals a game day, this equates to 13.5 days of training, during which the character is out of action.

Not only did a character have to spend time training, they also had to pay for this training. The amount to train was equal to the current level of the character x 1,500 gp per week. Therefore, in the example above, the 2nd level character training for 3rd level, taking 1.8 weeks, would cost (2 x 1,500 x 1.8 = ) 5,400 gp. As you can see, if the character had acquired that much gold, he or she could have already BEEN 3rd level by the amount of gold alone! Few low level characters have enough money to train when they become eligible, and thus they must adventure to gain MORE money.

Next, one must consider the trainer. In order to train, one must be tutored by someone of the same class. Now this trainer might accept some service in lieu of partial payment for their services (DM's option) and this may lead to further adventures as well (not to mention the role-playing opportunities of having a well-known NPC trainer in a town or city). A trainer is not required for any character with an average performance score under 2, however, the training time is doubled (and therefore, the cost is also doubled). If a character has a performance score of 2 or greater, they MUST have a trainer or remain at their current level until they are able to find one. Training under a tutor only applies to those characters below "Name level." Once you reach that high of a level, you merely spend money and time to train (and the money required becomes a function of class).

All training is conducted in game time, and the period must be continuous and uninterrupted. Any interruption requires the process to begin again from the start, with any money spent thus far being lost. As an added "gotcha" to the process, Gygax states the following: "Under no circumstances can a character gain additional experience points by any means until he or she actually acquires the higher level through  the required training/study course." What this does is prevent characters from  achieving multiple levels from a single adventure. Once the total crosses the threshold of the new level, no new XP is gained until the level is gained through training. If a character who is 4th level finds and slays a dragon and collects its entire hoard of precious gems with enough XP to now be 7th level, he will only gain enough experience to be 5th level and 1 point away from 6th level until he has enough time to train for 5th level. All the excess experience points are thus lost! Now, this applies to any circumstance, even if the character can't afford to pay, is stuck in the wilderness away from a trainer, or has to journey to find a trainer of the appropriate skill and class. The amount of XP over the level threshold does not matter, so long as the amount does not exceed the new level's cap. Thus, if the 4th level character just made 5th level by 1 point or 1,200 points, his new total is capped until training occurs.

This strange experience system results in some interesting considerations:

• If your character is the ONLY one to make a level during the adventure, you might find that your party members have left you behind in town while they return to the dungeon. It may be several days before they return, but your character is out of action for at least a week in any case, and maybe more! Unless there is another character to play (henchman or other NPC), you're done for the evening and will probably retire to another room to play video games or watch a movie (this prevents you from knowing things that you shouldn't know due to inactivity).
  
• Note that a Thief only requires 1,250 XP to acquire 2nd level, but how much of that XP is gold? A 1st level thief may have to steal quite a bit more gold on the streets of the local town before they can achieve the next level (especially if they require additional weeks of training)! The poor 1st-level magic-user who has to earn 2,500 XP, however, is more likely to be able to afford his next level when it comes time to train.
• What this system really does is promote role-playing and using one's class abilities to the best of their ability each and every session. Now, not everyone is going to be at the top of their game each session, but by putting forth the extra effort you can save a lot of time and money in the long run!
• The other consideration is the level spread of characters in the party. There is already disparity between characters of different classes. Clerics, druids, and thieves tend to level up very quickly, while magic-users, paladins, and rangers suffer from higher XP requirements. And don't get me started on how much XP a barbarian requires! Perhaps this is why most published modules have a level range listed...
  
• A lack of money at the lower levels (let's face it, copper and silver are more common and not worth much XP) promotes a longer time in the lower levels adventuring with fewer hit points and a greater chance of not surviving beyond 2nd level. A magic-user with 1-4 hit points is not likely to survive to see that 2nd level, and requires exposing themselves to multiple dangerous expeditions for little gain (monsters of lower level have less treasure unless encountered in larger numbers in a lair, which drastically cuts survivability).
• Increasing the number of adventurers in a party actually hurts XP gain and gold acquisition, unless those added are hirelings who are paid a standard wage for their services. Still, XP is split among all participants - regardless of whether they can actually gain XP or not. A party of 3 characters and 5 armed footmen hirelings are still splitting XP 8 ways (depending on the participation level) but survival of the PCs is thus at greater chances.
• There is no discussion in the rules as to how a multi-class character trains. Should the character train for each class separately at full price when enough XP is achieved? Should the price be reduced based on the number of classes (halved or thirded) so that they are not penalized in that regard? On the other hand, the multi-classed character is already penalized by slower advancement in each class, and thus reduced survivability at lower levels, so would it be fair to also charge them the same rates as single class characters? Also, they would have to spend more time in training as it would be unlikely for them to achieve their levels simultaneously. On the other hand, they are gaining all the benefits of each class with few restrictions. The greatest problem with being multi-classed is averaging hit points. Perhaps costs should be reduced to keep them in line with single-classed characters.

Once training is concluded (i.e. all expenses have been paid and time required is completed), the character gains all benefits of the new level. Hit points are rolled, new abilities are added to the character sheet, and magic-users get to add a new spell (of any level they can know) to their spellbooks (usually of the highest level they can cast, but not necessarily). This spell is assumed to come from the trainer, so it helps if the DM has the trainer's spell selections available. At this point, experience may once more be gained and the performance rating is reset until the character again is eligible to gain a new level. But what should this look like on a character sheet?

In the past we would keep track of XP in a small corner of the sheet and ERASE the previous total once we got the new total. For years we did this until we actually read the rules in the DMG. Now, we have elaborate spreadsheets on which to track our XP progression, noting each performance rating and the in-game date for when an XP amount was awarded. As the characters have gained (or lost levels), we try to keep the levels divided on the sheet by a thick line when a total crosses a level threshold. This means noting the XP NEEDED FOR NEXT LEVEL somewhere on the sheet. Since we're mostly old-school players, Experience Point entries are listed on a separate sheet of paper in ledger style. However, this system has kept us all in line and has allowed us to re-create XP sheets that are lost or damaged over time (my current campaign is 20 years old).

The higher in level the characters become, the longer the time between XP awards, and the larger the awards are based on the number of creatures killed and treasure amounts gained. Higher-level characters are no less susceptible to death, however. "No saving throw" spells or "Save or Die" traps or monster powers lead to an even higher chance of not walking away from the next combat. In 20 years our characters are just over Name Level and it doesn't look like the campaign will survive COVID-19 since social distancing keeps us old-schoolers from playing face to face. In fact, I haven't played in over a year now - so much wasted time and lost experience points!