CHARACTERS & PROGRESSION

This section provides an overview of how characters grow and develop in Occult.

For a step-by-step guide to creating a starting character, see the Character Creation Guide.

Here we explain the philosophy and structure behind character progression, classes, and the design choices that shape them.

Like many tabletop RPGs, characters in Occult gain levels as they progress through the game.

Each level represents a character's growing competence, experience, power, and skill mastery.

As characters survive danger, overcome challenges, and continue their adventures, they become more capable in every respect.

A character's level represents the total experience they have accumulated throughout their life and adventures.

In Occult, player level and class level are closely related but conceptually distinct.

Whenever your character gains a level, their current class level also increases.

Classes represent what your character is currently studying, practicing, or dedicating themselves to.

Characters in Occult are divided into three tiers of play.

These tiers represent major shifts in power and capability.

Level 15 is not the absolute maximum, but it is the recommended endpoint for most campaigns.

Each tier dramatically changes the scale and tone of play.

Levels 1-5represent the earliest portion of a character's journey.

Characters are inexperienced and comparatively weak. The world is dangerous, and success is never guaranteed.

Surviving these early levels is an achievement in itself.

Characters who reach Level 6 enter Tier 2.

At this stage, characters have proven themselves capable and begin to specialize in meaningful ways.

Tier 2 represents a significant increase in power, largely through:

Characters become more defined in their role and abilities.

Characters reaching Tier 3 (Levels 11-15) represent masters of their craft.

Their abilities are powerful, specialized, and often dramatic.

At this stage, characters have fully developed identities and can shape the world around them in meaningful ways.

Talents are also divided by tier. Characters can only select talents from tiers they have reached.

This system provides a simple but effective form of power progression.

Because of these tier divisions, a full campaign of Occult naturally unfolds in three phases:

Groups may choose to focus on one particular tier depending on the type of story they wish to tell.

Classes in Occult are also divided into three tiers, mirroring the tier structure of characters.

Each class contains five levels.

A character progresses through three classes during their career:

A Starting Class is chosen at Level 1.

Starting classes provide:

They are intentionally broad and flexible, allowing characters to grow in many different directions.

At Level 6, your Starting Class is complete. You must now choose a Path Class (a Tier 2 class).

Path classes represent the direction your character has chosen to develop.

When they reach Level 6 they might become:

These choices represent a major increase in power and specialization.

Class design in Occult intentionally follows a pattern:

As characters grow stronger, their abilities become more refined and more intentional.

After completing their Path Class at Level 10, characters select their Tier 3 Final Class.

Just as Starting Classes determine which Path Classes are available, your Path Class determines which Final Classes you may choose.

This progression creates a clear lineage of development for every character.

Occult does not use traditional multiclassing.

Once you begin a class, you must complete it before progressing to the next.

However, this does not mean characters lack variety. The system is designed so that class identity emerges from the combination of multiple classes.

Many classes can be reached through different starting points.

For example, both a Novitiate and an Enforcer might become a Paladin.

The result is two characters with the same class fantasy but different strengths and playstyles.

Not all abilities are tied strictly to classes.

Some abilities, such as domain mastery, may come from classes, ancestry, or other character options.

This means the identity of certain archetypes (such as divine casters) is not confined to a single class.

Instead, identity emerges from the combination of choices a player makes.

A central design goal of Occult is build freedom. Even two characters with the same class should feel different.

The large number of talents, weapons, abilities, and progression paths means that players can shape their characters in many different ways.

Even a party composed entirely of the same starting class can still be diverse.

For example, four Enforcers might specialize in completely different combat styles:

Weapon choice alone significantly affects how a character approaches combat.

The system is designed to encourage experimentation. If you have an unusual idea for a character, you should try to build it.

Perhaps you want:

All of these ideas, and many more, are possible within the system.

Use your Starting Class to explore the possibilities available to you.

Experiment with talents, weapons, and abilities.

Let your imagination guide your choices.

Occult is designed to support creativity, experimentation, and the creation of characters that feel truly your own.