Quartz 4

name-level

9 min read

Name Level

The name-level design for Guild — what happens when a member reaches level 9, and the ritual around it.

Forcing function

Two members are about to hit level 9: Kris (Mage) and Allan (Rogue). They are our top 2 lifetime spenders (1.4K). Whatever happens at name level needs to exist before they get there, or the moment is anti-climactic. This doc exists because we need to ship something for them, not because we’ve fully designed the system.

See canonical XP curve in rpg-loyalty-system-design — level 9 is name level in our BECMI Fighter-based progression.

Source material

Name level is a D&D concept from BECMI (Basic/Expert/Companion/Master/Immortal) and codified more cleanly in the Rules Cyclopedia. The core mechanics:

  • Level 9 is the threshold for all classes (Mage included per RC; Expert’s “11” was superseded).
  • Title change: the character earns a new title at name level (Mage → Wizard, Thief → Master Thief, etc.).
  • Stronghold: the character may build or claim a stronghold — a physical base with ongoing maintenance costs.
  • Settle vs. travel: the player chooses. Each path has a different name-level title and different benefits.
  • Apprentices: named characters attract 1d6–2d6 low-level followers who come to learn from the master.
  • Construction: strongholds cost tens to hundreds of thousands of gp; maintenance is ongoing. This is a major GP sink by design.
  • Class-specific payoffs: each class’s name-level reward is different. Fighter gets granted a Barony by the ruler; Mage builds a tower with ruler non-interference; Thief establishes an official Guild branch with apprentices; Cleric’s church pays up to 50% of construction.

Design principles we’re importing

  1. Name level is a threshold, not just a number. It marks entry into a different class of member.
  2. The player makes a choice at name level — settle or travel. The choice is part of the moment.
  3. Rewards are class-specific, not generic.
  4. Stronghold as persistent, named, maintenance-costed presence — the opposite of one-shot retail redemption.
  5. Apprenticeship is a relationship reward, not a labor obligation. Apprentices come by reputation; the master doesn’t sign up for a shift.

Design principles we’re not importing

  • Title ladders per level below 9. Our existing leveling is fine as-is; BECMI’s per-level titles (Medium/Seer/Conjurer/etc.) aren’t worth importing.
  • Gendered titles. The BECMI-canonical “Wizard/Maga” split collides with modern political connotations and is asymmetric with Thief (which has no gendered split). We use a single gender-neutral title per class.
  • Monster XP, treasure gp/XP ratios, and combat-adjacent mechanics.

Naming

  • Mage at name level: Wizard (single title for all genders).
  • Rogue at name level: Master Thief.
  • Avoid “Maga” — political acronym collision in modern English.
  • Travelling variants (BECMI terms): Mage travelling = Magus. Thief travelling = Rogue. Worth noting: our base class is already called “Rogue” (modern D&D convention), which overlaps with the BECMI travelling-thief term. Decision: keep “Rogue” as the base class. At name level, a Rogue who chooses to travel remains a Rogue; one who settles becomes a Guildmaster. Clean enough.

Title menu (at ceremony)

Offer the member a short menu at their in-person ceremony rather than a single fixed title:

ClassDefaultAlternatives
MageWizardSorcerer, Thaumaturge, Conjurer
RogueMaster ThiefMaster Rogue
FighterLord/LadyChampion, Knight
ClericPatriarch/MatriarchHigh Priest

Letting them choose the title is part of the ritual.

Settle vs. travel

At name level, each member chooses a path. Mechanical effects are class-specific:

Mage

  • Settle → Wizard (Independent): has a tower (stronghold), autonomy, curation authority on some section of the shop or portal. Echoes BECMI “ruler issues proclamation of non-interference” — the member’s domain is their own to curate.
  • Settle → Magist: attaches to the shop formally. In-shop presence, advisory role, acts as an expert on something. More integrated than Independent Wizard.
  • Travel → Magus: cross-shop-network privileges (when the network exists), treasure-map-equivalent bonuses (pre-access to new inventory drops, insider rumors channel).

Rogue

  • Settle → Guildmaster: establishes an official branch of the Thieves’ Guild in some sense — perhaps runs a recurring event, hosts an ongoing reading club, becomes a recognized node in the shop’s social graph. Attracts apprentices.
  • Travel → Rogue (remains): cross-guild visiting rights (canonical BECMI ability), access to any future partner shop in the cooperative network. This is lore-accurate cooperative-network integration — Rogues in RC literally have “may visit any branch of the Thieves’ Guild” as their canonical power.

Other classes to be designed when the first member of those classes approaches name level.

Class-specific strongholds (class-specific rewards)

Directly adapted from BECMI Expert + Rules Cyclopedia:

ClassBECMI name-level rewardShop-world translation
FighterRuler grants a BaronyShop formally grants a named domain (“Baron of the Fiction Section”)
MageRuler issues proclamation of non-interferenceMember gets editorial freedom — a curated corner/page entirely theirs
RogueOfficial Thieves’ Guild branch, apprenticesCross-shop recognition (travels with the member). Apprentices = lower-level members who mentor with them.
ClericChurch pays up to 50% of stronghold costShop subsidizes half — member commits X GP, shop matches
Demi-humanClan loans up to 50%, clan helps defendFriends/guild members can pool GP to help a member build; mutual aid

First name-level ritual (MVP)

For Kris and Allan specifically:

  1. Audit their lifetime spend vs. current XP. If the system under-credits long-time customers (pre-Guild purchases not counted), consider backfilling. They may already deserve to be past 9.
  2. 3D-print a small building for each — Kris gets a wizard tower, Allan gets a thieves’ hideout. Small scale (probably 28mm D&D standard so they’re collection-consistent). Carrie validated this idea and called it “so cute actually.”
  3. Present in person at their next shop visit. The ceremony:
    • Announce the level-up at the counter
    • Offer them the title menu (pick one)
    • Offer them the settle/travel choice
    • Hand over the 3D print (raw or painted — see below)
    • Take a photo for the shop’s name-level wall / activity feed
  4. Place a duplicate print on a “Guild” shelf in the shop, labeled with their name. The shelf accumulates over time as more members reach name level — becomes a miniature town built by your most engaged members.
  5. Post the moment to the activity feed (when the feed supports milestone events).

3D print details

  • Scale: lock to 28mm D&D standard so the shelf-collection looks coherent long-term. Do not mix scales.
  • STL sourcing: Thingiverse / Printables / MyMiniFactory have plenty of fantasy-building STLs. Check licensing (shop display is fine; resale would not be).
  • Painted vs. raw:
    • Raw prints look like props, not keepsakes.
    • Painted takes hours of labor.
    • Hybrid: give raw, offer painting as an in-shop activity with the member. This offloads labor, makes them co-creator, and matches the BECMI “you built it” ethos better than a polished gift.
  • Plaque/name: separate name plate in front, or STL with customizable sign slot. Needed either way.
  • Destination: both member keeps theirs AND shop keeps a duplicate for the shelf. More filament, but solves “member wants their thing” + “shop wants the collection” at once.

Timeline

Detailed building prints take 8–20 hours each. If members are “about to hit 9,” starting prints should happen within the next week. Decide whether to print in-house or commission.

Apprentices (V2, not MVP)

Both Mage and Rogue canonically attract apprentices at name level (1d6 and 2d6 respectively). This is a relationship reward, not a labor obligation — apprentices come by reputation.

Shop-world translation (deferred to V2):

  • Lower-level members can “apprentice” to a name-level master
  • Apprentice gets a small mentorship bonus (shared XP on co-attended events, class-appropriate perks)
  • Master gets visibility/status from their following
  • Apprentices are displayed on the master’s profile

Why this is deferred, not scrapped: it requires member UI changes (apprentice listing, apprentice request flow), a data model extension, and probably new admin tools. Too much for the first name-level moment. Capture the design here so it’s ready when we build V2.

Natural bridge to the GM role: apprentice → master → eventually master takes on apprentices themselves → pattern recursion. Some masters, over time, become the people who run things for others. The GM role could emerge from apprenticeship lineage rather than sign-up sheets. Worth considering when designing the staff/GM/member role model separately (see guild-roles — not yet written as of 2026-04-14).

Physical-print extension for apprentices

If we ever ship apprentices, each master’s 3D-printed stronghold could have small accompanying apprentice meeples around its base. When an apprentice reaches name level themselves, their own building goes on the shop’s Guild shelf — physically showing lineage in the shop over time.

Construction as GP sink (V3, design parking lot)

BECMI’s construction costs are a significant GP sink by design (tens to hundreds of thousands of gp per stronghold, ongoing maintenance). Our current GP sinks are all one-shot retail redemption (store credit, armor, perks). Missing: a durable, ongoing, named commitment category.

Candidate mechanics (not MVP):

  • Named fixtures in the shop — shelf, game table, reading corner, display case. Member sponsors it, ongoing GP spend keeps it theirs. Let lapse and it reverts. “Patrols keep the area clear” = maintenance tax.
  • Named sections of dungeon.club — curated shelf that’s theirs, bio/epithet attached.
  • Event sponsorship — member funds a recurring event series, name on it.
  • Curation authority — member picks a book/game per month featured with their name (Baron’s Pick).

Risks to address before implementing:

  • Physical fixtures are finite. Plan for scarcity once multiple members hit name level.
  • “Maintenance as tax” can feel extortive. Language needs care — “ongoing contribution” reads better than “pay or lose your plaque.”
  • Auto-renewal feels bad when members see monthly debits for fixtures they haven’t visited. Better: “if your balance is high enough when the month rolls over, your fixture auto-maintains.”

Open questions

  • Audit Kris and Allan’s lifetime spend vs. current XP — are they under-credited from pre-Guild purchases?
  • Decide: print in-house or commission? Timeline is tight.
  • Lock to 28mm scale for long-term shelf coherence
  • Source STLs for wizard tower (Kris) and thieves’ hideout (Allan) — check licensing
  • Decide 3D print distribution: shop shelf only, member only, or both
  • Decide: raw + in-shop painting activity, or pre-painted?
  • Design the in-person ceremony script so Carrie and other staff can run it when we’re not there
  • Settle vs. travel: are the specific perks listed above the right ones, or do we want different ones?
  • Decide: do Kris and Allan get to pick their stronghold building (from a menu of STLs), or is it surprise-delivered?
  • Document this as a shop ritual we’re committing to — once we do it for the first two, we commit to doing it for every future name-level member. Decide publicly whether this is a ritual or a one-time gesture.

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