Your character's level is a measure of their overall progression—the adventures they've completed, the obstacles they've overcome, and the improvements they've accomplished. Similar to most other role-playing games, your level is determined by the amount of Experience Points (XP) that your character has accumulated.

If you are coming to Legacy from another game system, the XP values might seem very odd. This is because they are balanced to allow you to progress through the earlier levels faster, but slow down once you reach mid-level.

Whenever you accumulate enough experience to advance to the next level, you gain several benefits:

• Distribute six points as you wish among your attributes' scores. You may not place more than three points in any single attribute.
• Gain one trait. This trait must be chosen from the Advancement Traits list.
• Choose one skill, and gain one level in that skill. You may not improve a skill past the Skill Cap for your new level.

Note that traits are divided into three tiers: Basic, Advanced and Elite. You may only select an Advanced trait if your level is 5 or higher, and may only select an Elite trait if your level is 9 or higher. Note also that a trait's tier is based on the list on which it is found, and is not inherent to the trait itself. Some lists may make some traits available at a lower level.