He who goes through life without learning is a life wasted. Knowledge is power, without it man kind is nothing more than just another animal…
In this section we will discuss how to level up your character and how to acquire new skills and abilities for your character.
Initial Nodes
When you first create your character, you get XP that you can use right away on your first nodes at Level 1. The amount of XP you start with is 1d%.
Leveling Up
Leveling up your character is done by gaining experience (XP) and spending that XP on the node chart.
Node Charts
Each profession has a node chart. You can only access the node chart that belongs to your character's profession. If you are using dual professions, you can access the node charts for both professions. The node chart is split up into 21 rows, each row being a level. Within each level there is a selection of different "nodes" that you can spend XP on to give to your character. The different node types are skill, ability, spell, trait, stat, and vitality.
Growth in Nor'Ova is two-fold: You gain Experience (XP) to unlock new Levels on your Profession's Node Chart, and you spend that XP to purchase Nodes that grant you specific Skills, Abilities, and Stat boosts.
The Node Chart
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Skill Nodes: These are nodes you purchase to acquire skills for your character. Skills that are in your character's profession costs 1 skill node. Skills that are outside of your character's profession cost 2 skill nodes. |
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Ability Nodes: These are nodes that you purchase to acquire abilities for your character. You can only get abilities that are within your character's profession. If you are using dual professions, you can get abilities from both. |
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Spell Nodes: These are nodes that you can purchase to acquire spells for your character. For more information about spells please see the page Magic. |
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Trait Nodes: These are nodes you can purchase to increase your character's traits. If the node simply says TRAIT P. like in the picture here, it can be for any traits. However If it says something like STR TRAIT P. then it can only be traits for that stat, strength in this example. |
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Stat Nodes: These are nodes that you can purchase to increase your character's stats. These are for the main stats, not the traits. Do note however that increasing stats can affect their traits. If it is simply STAT P. like in the picture here then it can be for any stat. However if it says something like STR STAT P. then it can only be for that stat, strength in this example. |
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Vitality Nodes: These are nodes that you can purchase to increase your vitality stats. Each node says what vitality stat it is for, be it Power, Vitality, or Soul. There is also a +1 V. Save, +1 P. Save, and +1 S. Save node. Those are for Vitality Save, Soul Save, or Power Save and they give a +1 to those save fields. Do note however you also get your Gen Dice Rolls when you level up. More on that later! |
How To Level Up In Node Chart
Leveling up in the Node Chart is simple. Each row is a level. Between each row there is a red line that you can't cross until you unlock that level. At the end of the row there is a light red field that says "To Increase Level". It then tells you what to do to increase your level.
- Each level has it's own requirements to meet and level cost.
- The requirements are a number of nodes that must be acquired, be it 4, 5, or 6.
- Once you meet the requirements, you can then pay the XP cost to unlock the next level.
- Each time you level up, you get to make your Gen Dice roll for Vitality, Soul, and Power. Remember, this is based on the secondary gen dice. The primary was only for character creation.
Gaining Experience
There are 2 ways to gain experience points (XP) in Legends of Nor'Ova: defeating foes and roleplay.
Defeating Foes
Defeating foes is likely where the most of your XP will come from. The experience is gained per enemy slain, with their XP worth depending upon the challenge they presented. For example, a level 1 warrior might only gain 1d12 XP for killing a rat, but could gain 2d20 XP for defeating a level 3 bandit, or even 1d100 XP for felling a level 10 creature. On the other hand a level 10 warrior would gain nothing killing 1 simple rat with it's XP worth now being 0.1 XP they would need to kill 10 just to get 1 XP. If that same level 10 warrior took on a level 3 bandit, they might only get 1 XP, but felling a level 10 creature would net then 1d12 XP. The GM is responsible for scaling the XP worth of each defeated creature appropriately. Unless the XP value is 2 or less, all XP gained for defeating foes should be in dice formulas, and everyone in the party gets the same amount.
Roleplay
Your GM can also reward XP for successfully roleplaying. This can be staying true to character despite the advantage of not doing so, clever skill use, and so forth.
Level Chart
| To Reach Level 2 | Need 4 nodes and 50 XP | To Reach Level 12 | Need 5 nodes and 3,300 XP |
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| To Reach Level 3 | Need 5 nodes and 100 XP | To Reach Level 13 | Need 5 nodes and 3,600 XP |
| To Reach Level 4 | Need 5 nodes and 200 XP | To Reach Level 14 | Need 5 nodes and 4,200 XP |
| To Reach Level 5 | Need 5 nodes and 350 XP | To Reach Level 15 | Need 5 nodes and 5,460 XP |
| To Reach Level 6 | Need 5 nodes and 500 XP | To Reach Level 16 | Need 6 nodes and 6,820 XP |
| To Reach Level 7 | Need 5 nodes and 700 XP | To Reach Level 17 | Need 6 nodes and 8,530 XP |
| To Reach Level 8 | Need 5 nodes and 900 XP | To Reach Level 18 | Need 6 nodes and 10,230 XP |
| To Reach Level 9 | Need 5 nodes and 1,300 XP | To Reach Level 19 | Need 6 nodes and 12,270 XP |
| To Reach Level 10 | Need 5 nodes and 1,800 XP | To Reach Level 20 | Need 6 nodes and 14,720 XP |
| To Reach Level 11 | Need 5 nodes and 2,500 XP | To Reach Epic Level 21 | Need 6 nodes and 18,400 XP |
Any level past Level 20 is an epic level. This is when your characters are nearing the status of demigod and are the most powerful people on all Nor'Ova. While the level chart and node charts stop at Level 21, you can continue to level up indefinetly. To do so you will need 6 nodes each level, and the XP cost will be 25% greater than the XP needed to reach that level. For example, to reach Level 22 you'll need 6 nodes from Level 21 and 23,000 XP. That number is obtained by multiplying 18,400 by 1.25.
Character Growth with Professions
Your character's profession greatly affects your character's growth. Through your character's profession your character can access skills and abilities. You can gain skills from within your profession and even from outside of your profession when you level up. You can however only gain abilities from within your profession. A warrior cannot learn a mages abilities after all.
The Importance of Acquiring Skills
While it is possible to go throughout the game without acquiring a single skill, skills are the best way to improve your character. Skills improve your attacks by increasing the damage you can do, causing status effects, and giving you more attacks. Skills improve your ability to survive attacks by increasing your defense, allowing you to wear armor your profession normally doesn't allow, and allowing you to better handle status effects. Skills improve your use of magic, and allow you to craft items and the like. While skills don't tell you how you can attack or what you can do they improve on your abilities.
Acquiring Skills, Abilities, and Spells
You acquire skills, abilities, and spells by purchasing the nodes in your professions node chart. For skills, you will want skill nodes. For abilities you will want ability nodes. For spells you will want spell nodes. Each node lets you acquire that thing. If you purchases a skill node, you can use it to get 1 skill in your profession. If you want to get a skill out of profession, you will need 2 skill nodes. Ability nodes can only be used on abilities in profession. Spell nodes can be used on spells, but be sure to check the page on Magic for more information.
Once you have acquired a skill, you will fill in skill's information on your character skill sheet for that skill.
Checks to use skills
In order to use a skill, you will need to make a successful check. This is listed as the skill's Check Roll. It may be listed as something like Normal Insight -2. This means you need to make an insight check, normal difficulty, with a 2 point penalty.
This is just a standard rule however. The situation and environment could cause for a different difficulty. For example, if you are trying to hide in a dark room this would be an easy check, meaning instead of needing to make a Normal Stealth check to use the skill you would need to make an Easy Stealth check. As always, check with your GM to make sure that the difficulty won't change for your skill use.
Using Skills & Spells
IIn order to use a skill, you must meet their required check roll. The check roll shows you what check is performed to perform that skill or spell. Check rolls are always listed as Difficulty, Check, and bonuses or penalties. For example, the skill Aiming has a check roll that is Easy Perceive. Easy is the difficulty showing you what you have to roll on the dice, and Perceive is the trait check. So in this case you will look at your character's Perceive, roll the d20 and add what ever is listed for Perceive to that d20 roll. If you beat the difficulty, you perform the skill. Otherwise you fail the skill. You will still spend any stat costs for doing so.
How to Use Abilities
Abilities are more akin to talents or feats than skills. You typically do not have to do anything to use them. Their effects simply apply to your character.
Dual Professions
You can have up to 2 professions at any time. To get the second profession, you simply must purchase 1 node in that profession. You cannot have more than 2 professions.
The Benefits of a 2nd Profession
Getting a second profession opens up that profession's abilities and growth to your character.
- You can use that profession's node chart as well as your own.
- You can have a wider set of weapons and armor you can use if the second profession has more freedom here than your main profession.
The Cost of Having A 2nd Profession
Gen Dice rolls for Creation, Leveling Up, and Resting only come from your first or main profession!
If you obtain a second profession, you have more nodes to spend XP on. Also you have to unlock the levels for that second profession as well. You only get gen dice rolls for leveling your main profession however.
How To Get A 2nd Profession
In order to get a 2nd profession you simply must purchase one node from that profession's node chart.
Once you have done those tasks, you now have that 2nd profession at level 1.
The 2nd profession levels when you unlock the next level on its node chart. However you do not gain gen dice rolls on your second profession.
How to Perform Checks
As noted in Using Skills & Spells, you have to perform the check roll to use them. You may also have to perform check rolls when roleplaying, for example making a perceive check to spot a trip wire. But how do you make these checks? It is simple, all checks are 1d20 rolls. YOu roll your 1d20 and add the number of the trait to what you rolled. That's it. So if you are making a perceive check and have a 2 perceive, and you rolled a 12 on the d20, your perceive check was 14. If you had nothing for perceive, the check would have been a 12. It is the difficulties that determine if a check is successful or not.
Check Difficulty
Difficulties show you how hard or easy it will be to successfully perform that check. Difficulties are Easy, Normal, Challenging, Hard, and Impossible. The difficulty shows you what you must beat on your check roll.
| Difficulty Level | Needed Dice Roll | Examples |
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| Easy | must roll 5 or greater | These are your eas challenges, such as hearing a sound in a quiet room or noticing something not really hidden. Tier 1 skills and spells also count here. |
| Normal | must roll 10 or greater | These are challenges that are doable for most people in a normal situation. These are most of your persuade checks for haggling and trading, for example. These are also your Tier 2 skills and spells. |
| Challenging | must roll 15 or greater | These are challenges and checks that are of a challenging nature, a little harder than what you would normally encounter but not so harf that they can't be done. A normal person with no training might find these hard, while a person with very little training will find them challenging. These are (for most people) your vitality saves and defense and spirit checks, your critical checks, and insight checks when things are not so clear. Evade checks are considered challenging checks for most, when everything is equal. These are also your Tier 3 to Tier 4 skills and spells. |
| Hard | must roll 20 or greater | These are challenges and checks that require skill to perform. A normal person with no training will find these almost impossible. These are challenges such as hearing a certain voice in a noisy room, finding something almost hidden, as well as your Tier 5 skills and spells. |
| Impossible | must roll 25 or greater | These are challenges and checks that only the skilled can perform. Someone with no training or skill will find these challenges impossible, hence the name. However with the right training and skills they are possible. Tier 6 skills and spells are here. |
What you roll plus any bonuses or penalties and what is in the trait you are checking give you your total. If the total beats the difficulty, you succeed. If the total is less than the difficulty, you fail. Any added penalties should not increase the check more than half way to the next difficulty level, if they do the difficulty level rises automatically.
Critical Success & Critical Fails
Critical Success is rolling a 20 on the 1d20. This is also called a natural 20. If you roll this without any modifier, bonuses, or penalties, you succeed automatically. A 20 on the dice is instant success. Depending upon what you are doing, the effects or damage may be doubled as well. If this is a check to use a healing spell, for example, the healing spell will do double what is listed.
Critical Fail, also known as crit fail, is rolling a 1 on the d20. If you roll this, if a 1 is on your d20, you fail instantly. Your GM may then add in other effects of your failure depending on what is going on. Your GM may also have you make a luck check to see if your failure will still benefit you.