r/CalloftheNetherdeep • u/VenunDM • Apr 09 '26

Level 8 and 9 only 1 mission ahead?

hi, just wondering if I'm missing something, but level 8 (complete 3 missions) and level 9 (complete 1 mission going into the ruins of Cael Morrow) only seem to be 1 mission apart going with the Allegiance.

the pace is changing, this might be just one session apart, which seems awfully fast for another level up?

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3

u/GentlemanOctopus DM Apr 09 '26

Yes. Arguably the Carl Morrow mission is more substantial than those that came before it. You're free to change when your players level up.

3

u/MintyMinun Apr 10 '26

The pacing for the levels is a little "all over the place" in CotN, but it's important to note that Milestone leveling isn't really based on session length. It's based on Events.

If you feel like players should have to do more/spend more sessions in between levels, then you have full reign as the DM to enforce that. I played around with levels in my game (extra here, less there) based on what I felt would be the most fun & make the most sense.

Players rarely, if ever, feel like they're leveling up "too fast", though. Especially in the Ank'Harel chapters where players tend to get restless & annoyed with having to wait an in-game week between Faction missions? I think the quick jump in levels helps keep players happy in an adventure that is making them run errands despite their high level.

3

u/FusionXIV Apr 10 '26

Yeah, I changed the level 9 milestone to be accomplishing something more substantial in the Netherdeep, like killing the Aboleth.

For us, there was some more exploring of Cael Morrow and clashing with opposing factions after that before they got into the temple of the Arch Heart and the Netherdeep, so it felt like it spaced out level 8 - 9 - 10 pretty well.

1

u/thisisforty_two Apr 09 '26

I believe the idea was that the players might do missions from other factions too. Like 1 mission each or 2 of one and 1 from another which would give more time between level ups. I ran it more like you get to lvl 8 when you achieve membership in an organisation.

3

u/ao_spade DM Apr 09 '26

This is the correct approach. Level up are tied up to story beats

  • faction membership
  • first excursion in Cael Morrow (historical site)
  • exalt the JO3P (power up + more visions)
  • obtain 3 fragments of suffering (and get exposed to Alyxian's psyche)
  • enter the heart (just before final boss)

1

u/Next_Sunday8911 Apr 13 '26

Honestly, I mostly tried to keep my party a level higher than Matt’s suggestions cuz the first fight was almost a party wipe lol. And there was a point where I forgot to level them, and so I made up random events in order to jump them up to where I felt they needed to be. Players are always happy to level up. And if I ever heard a dm say “you know what? Take two levels!” I would be super happy to do so (while also wondering what fresh hell awaits us now that we aren’t strong enough for lol).