The way I look at it (regarding level as skill) is that I have more practice, and more tools at my disposal. For instance, let's pit two mages against each other.
Now, a fireball is a fireball. If someone flings fire into your face, it burns. Lets say the less experienced mage does this. If it his the other mage in the face, that fire will still burn, just like a sword will still cut, or an arrow will still pierce. However, this more practiced and learned mage has more tools at his disposal (levels/skills). He can, if he sees it coming, perform a counterspell, step aside, whatever.
This allows an even playing field, but also takes into account the progress a character has made in their studies (or respective class/classes). A spell is a spell, a blade is a blade, but the skill you hold with it and the abilities you have at your disposal are based purely on how much time you've put into honing them.
Now, for the grind-to-50 characters, I fully agree that no character actually makes this leap in a week. If I'm grinding it out, I never display my characters skill until they hit that level, and can live up to it. I'll never master thaumaturgy in a week, but if you didn't know my character was proficient in it to begin with, their skill might have been practiced for some length of time beyond my actual leveling.
Is it a little dance, and a delicate balance? Sure. But it allows for a character to grow and progress, and never hold power beyond the scope of others without good reasoning behind it. If my character is powerful, they should have to earn that power. And their awesome little black hat.
Now, a fireball is a fireball. If someone flings fire into your face, it burns. Lets say the less experienced mage does this. If it his the other mage in the face, that fire will still burn, just like a sword will still cut, or an arrow will still pierce. However, this more practiced and learned mage has more tools at his disposal (levels/skills). He can, if he sees it coming, perform a counterspell, step aside, whatever.
This allows an even playing field, but also takes into account the progress a character has made in their studies (or respective class/classes). A spell is a spell, a blade is a blade, but the skill you hold with it and the abilities you have at your disposal are based purely on how much time you've put into honing them.
Now, for the grind-to-50 characters, I fully agree that no character actually makes this leap in a week. If I'm grinding it out, I never display my characters skill until they hit that level, and can live up to it. I'll never master thaumaturgy in a week, but if you didn't know my character was proficient in it to begin with, their skill might have been practiced for some length of time beyond my actual leveling.
Is it a little dance, and a delicate balance? Sure. But it allows for a character to grow and progress, and never hold power beyond the scope of others without good reasoning behind it. If my character is powerful, they should have to earn that power. And their awesome little black hat.
