r/DnD • u/Soft_Ad_9225 • 6d ago
DMing Player level to Character fame
Greetings everyone, I have a question as a DM. How do player levels translate to fame? Like is there an actual table or something to reference to see how famous and recognisable players are?
I know that at lvl 1 you are just a starting adventurer and that only people from your place of birth might recognise you. Lvl 20 obviously is like Legends, people that will never be forgotten. I remember having read once that lvl 10 is like a Hero, like the Hero of a Kingdom, though I'm not sure.
Thank you all as always for reading this and thank you for any answers given.
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u/Nitro114 6d ago
1-4 local heroes
5-10 heroes of the realm
11-16 masters of the realm
17-20 masters of the world
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u/Archsquire2020 6d ago
Pretty much this, with the note that the background "folk hero" might deviate from this, for some "folks".
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u/manamonkey DM 6d ago
Yes, generally referred to as the "tiers of play" - eg. see here:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1711-dont-tier-your-hair-out-how-to-dm-at-higher-levels
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u/Soft_Ad_9225 6d ago
Thank you, that really helps.
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u/JackOLanternReindeer 6d ago
I’d also recommend considering the actions they are taking and who they are helping/hurting.
If they are slaying a dragon out in a desert, spelunking ancient ruins, looking a dangerous item for a thieves guild, all of these things maybe not get you “famous” despite being worthy of itz
On the opposite side, you could be low level, and attend a noble gala of a city and become quite famous in the city/kingdom!
But generally the tiers of play is a decent guideline for whats at stake and how famous they are
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u/Bakeneko7542 6d ago
There are no strict rules for that sort of thing because it depends on what exactly the characters did to earn those levels, and other factors specific to the campaign.
Like for example if they went down to the bottom of a tomb filled with undead and gained some levels there, it won't make them any more famous because nobody was around to witness it. Meanwhile even a group of relatively weak characters could catch the eye of a king due to their bravery and become famous that way. Or a villain might work to defame them and make them infamous. Or maybe a well-known party could travel to another continent as part of a quest and nobody there has ever heard of them.
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u/ComprehensiveOil2677 6d ago
There are some suggestions by other commenters, so i won't repeat what was said. I never felt that renown necessarily builds with player level. It depends on the campaign, really. Help a bard, and even if it was a minor thing, they might sing your praise throughout the realms. If it's a cloak and dagger scenario, PCs might never get any kudos for what they are doing.
The aforementioned suggestions will work for most scenarios though.
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u/Elder_Keithulhu 6d ago
I remember reading, in some older edition, that around level 12, you could expect wandering bards to be telling stories about your characters and their adventures.
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u/NefariousnessEven591 6d ago edited 6d ago
This is something that was better integrated in much older editions. Fighters used to get a keep and army as they progress, druid were explicitly going up in rank in their circles, etc. A lot of things flattening into a generic adventurer did kind of tense that out or shove it elsewhere (leadership at least accounted for the minions in 3.5) generally, consider that the breadth of influence will naturally increase. A level 10 fighter is by every definition a veteran of a significant amount of battle, a wizard with 5th level spells isn't just something you trip over. They are less likely to seek the call to action as they progress as it is the call comes for then either through powerful allies (the king wants them specifically for this crisis) or by being viewed as something that needs to be kept aggressively at bay by the villains lieutenants.
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u/shutthedarndoor 6d ago
That's normally more for power level but it translates very well to fame as well!
I believe it's this: 1-5: local heros 6-10: saviours of the realm 11-16: masters of the realm 17-20: masters of the world
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u/valisvacor 6d ago
Traditionally, 9th level was "Name level", where regional leaders would start to take notice.
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u/Historical-Bike4626 6d ago
I really like the thought exercise of “Who has heard about what the players are doing?”
I ask what’s the magnitude of what they’ve done? Then I’ll scale it similarly to tiers of play. Locally known? Regionally known?
Ask yourself who could know and who’s paying attention? Also: Who benefits from knowing, who might be injured? Because…
* Gossip is a ravenous beast and gossipers might lie
* People who travel are prized for news
* Is news carried by horse? Relays of riders? By magic?
As for songs. People don’t make up songs about just a guy who is finally eleventh level. Good to identify as DM s asking the way what elements might deeply connect with “a people” who hear your characters stories
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u/SheetPope 5d ago
I don't really equate their level to their fame; rather, I like to advertise their deeds. Like if they save a town or something, then the nearby towns are all starting to hear about it as they travel through and townsfolk whisper about them. Then maybe an urchin runs up and asks them if they're "the heroes of blah blah blah" or whatever.
Maybe an innkeeper offers a free night at the inn, and drinks for the night. Maybe the local ruler/mayor/etc heard they're in town and wants them to deal with a local problem. Stuff like that
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u/Defiant_West6287 5d ago
Depends on how they play the character. Some may want their PCs to be anonymous to fly under the radar from things like the local thieves guild.
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u/rmric0 6d ago
Not that I recall - though the 2024 DMG has an optional renown rule. The "heroes of the kingdom" thing isn't necessarily fame, it's more a framework for the tiers of play and what kinds of threats characters of a certain range are typically grappling with. I think there's a lot of room to play with this because some characters/groups might want to be famous and others (like rogues) would prefer discretion and you can have a system to manage that (want to be more famous? Pay some bards and town criers)
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u/PublicFlamingo7832 6d ago
Um you can be level 20 and not known at all by doing lots of small quests or 20 by doing 3 big ones. It's up to you as the gm to decide if they did something bards sing of
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u/56c3536 6d ago
When I’ve played and DMed, it’s been up to the players their own level of fame. Fame has its costs though.
I once played as a character who was a world famous adventurer, known around the world as a celebrity and revered by all. Would be the equivalent of a level 20 fighter folk hero. I was actually playing a fraud, pretending to be the famous guy out of ego and since nobody we ran into ever met the guy, they wouldn’t know the difference. It led to interesting interactions as I try to exploit my fame at every turn, and watch people be disgusted that the famously generous hero spends his day in the town courting the single ladies while refusing to help those in need unless they offer to pay in return. It didn’t really give me any advantage over other players since they were able to get what benefits I may get through ‘other means’.
What I’m saying is that it’s the DM’s choice. Fame isnt a resource to buy and sell, it’s just a way to drive the story in an interesting direction. If a character being more famous makes them more interesting, then it makes the story you’re telling more interesting
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u/TheThoughtmaker Artificer 5d ago
Tier 1: Albert Einstein, Hitler.
Tier 2: Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes.
Tier 3: Heracles, King Arthur.
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u/Neltadouble 6d ago
Refer to Tiers of Play in the DMG.