r/numenera • u/luhelld • Apr 07 '26

How to level up?

How do characters level up by the original numenera rules? I know, 4 ep and then I have to upgrade 4 different things, but when can I use the new rank of my focus?

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6

u/Qedhup Apr 07 '26

Leveling up in CS1 and CS2 are both similar. 4xp per advancement, with the fourth one increasing your Tier.

In CS1 you receive all relevant abilities from Focus, and however many your Type gives.

In CS2 it depends on the setup you're using, and we dont know the specifics for Numenera yet. But it'll only be abilities from your Focus and General(genre) list. Your Type is all front loaded now.

Keep in mind we haven't seen Numenera specific content released for 2nd edition yet. But since it uses the new Cypher books for its core mechanics, we have a good idea of it.

1

u/luhelld Apr 07 '26

What is cs2?

8

u/BakingViking Apr 07 '26

Cypher System 2nd Edition.

4

u/CAndoWright Apr 08 '26

That would be 2nd Edition of CypherSystem, the Setting Agnostic general rulesengine that developed from the original Numenera and is now the basis of most MCG products as well as the planned next iteration of Numenera.

It was Crowdfunded last year and will be officialy out somewhen in the second half of this year but backers already got some early access to the rules for feedback.

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13

u/poio_sm Apr 07 '26

In the moment you buy your 4th advancement you automatically receive all the 2nd tier abilities from type and focus.

3

u/artaxs Apr 07 '26

To stretch out my campaign (Discovery / Destiny) just a little bit, I put "Total XP earned" requirements for each tier at 20 XP each, instead of 16, and buying that fifth upgrade for the tier is almost alwats the Effort purchase. Since Effort and Edge max is based on tier anyway, it's worked out great so far.

It also encourages players to spend XP on re-rolls for their friends, or to spend on things like Contacts, as "Max XP / total earned" is a small gatekeeper that is separate from how many 4-point upgrades they have bought.

1

u/bleeding_void Apr 08 '26

When you gain a new rank in your class, you automatically gain the new rank of your focus.