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The System

Character Progression

Characters in Freegliders grow through experience, not through levelling a class. There are no caps - on level, on skill ranks, or on how powerful a character can become. The only limit is how much they have earned.

Gaining Levels

Characters advance in level by accumulating Experience Points (XP), which the GM awards at the end of sessions based on what the characters accomplished - completing objectives, overcoming meaningful challenges, and making significant decisions. The amount of XP required increases with each level, so advancement naturally slows as a character becomes more experienced.

There is no maximum level. A character who continues adventuring can continue growing indefinitely.

Growth Points

Every time a character gains a level, they receive Growth Points (GP). Growth Points are the currency of character development - spent to improve attributes or advance skill ranks.

Spending GP on an attribute increases it by one point. Spending GP on a skill advances it by one rank. Each successive rank in a skill costs more GP than the last, reflecting the diminishing marginal return of mastery. Attributes increase in cost at higher values as well, so the decision of where to invest becomes increasingly meaningful over time.

Skill Ranks and Skill Features

Each rank in a skill unlocks one or more skill features - specific abilities tied to that rank. Some skill features are passive bonuses; others are active abilities usable in or out of combat. The feature list for a skill extends up to rank 10.

There is no cap on skill ranks. A character could theoretically reach rank 20 or higher in a skill they have devoted decades to - and traits that scale with rank continue to scale. A rank 15 Athletics skill grants a greater carry capacity than rank 10; a rank 15 Spellwork produces more potent spells than rank 10. Mastery is its own reward, and there is always further to go.

No Caps, No Ceilings

Freegliders is deliberately designed without hard ceilings on character power. There is no maximum level, no skill rank cap, and no attribute ceiling enforced by the rules. Characters who dedicate themselves to a path can reach heights of skill and power that genuinely reflect that dedication - a master alchemist who has spent a career refining their craft is meaningfully more capable than one who has spent a few years at it.

This design reflects the world: in a setting defined by airships, clockwork, and arcane ambition, why would the ceiling on human potential be anything other than limitless?