Tier of Play

The West Marches is a continuous world with characters spanning from level 1 all the way to 20 and above. In order for storytellers to run well balanced and fun Expeditions it's necessary to restrict what characters can play together. A level 15 character in a session designed for level 3s is going to lead to a boring time for everyone involved. The four tiers are:

• Trainee for levels 1-4
• Expert for levels 5-9
• Master for levels 10-14
• Legend for levels 15-20

Playing in a lower tier

Occasionally a character from a higher tier of play may want to join an Expedition designed for those of a lower tier. This may be because the player cannot play frequently or the character they want to bring has special ties to the subject matter in the Expedition. When bringing a higher tier character into a lower tier game there are a few things to be mindful of:

• The character can only be 1 tier higher. A master tier character cannot play with trainees.
• The character earns only half the available EXP reward.
• The player must notify the storyteller in advance that they plan on bringing a higher tier character so that any re-balancing can be done to better incorporate the level disparity.

Playing in a higher tier

Likewise a character from a lower tier might want to play in a higher tier Expedition due to character motivations. It is important to remember that higher tier Expeditions are not balanced around the health or resources of lower tier characters and may be exceptionally difficult. Additionally, bringing a lower tier character weakens the party all-together. When bringing a lower tier character into a higher tier game there are a few things to be mindful of:

• The character can only be 1 tier lower. A trainee tier character cannot play with masters.
• The character earns the normal amount of EXP. They do not earn an extra reward for taking on the greater challenge.
• The character must be invited by the higher tier characters attending the Expedition. This could be either through roleplay or an out-of-character invite.
• The character may only earn rewards that are of a level they are able to use. (E.g. a Property Rune that requires level 11 to socket cannot be earned or rolled for by an expert tier character.)