A Fair Start For Posterity

"The kingdom flourishes! Piracy has been suppressed, bandits with few exception are dead or reformed, and the ancient evil has again been sealed. What is more, the treasury is at its capacity. Therefore, my subjects, your taxes for the next three years will be collected not in currency, but in items which future generations will find useful."
They say the king himself crossed the realm, placing potions in chests and lockpicks in barrels as he went. Smiths and magical artisans had leisure to develop their skills to perfection that they might fashion arms and amulets for which that halcyon period had no use, which is why they're all at full durability.
"But what about the chickens, fish, and things like that I find in ruins sometimes?"
Another age yet is the source. We will speak of it again when you have gained a little more experience.
Finis

Close and Constant Supervision's Cold and Cruel Impositions

The man lifted the vial as if to let the light expose concentrated specks of its lethality. "Finally I have required the perfect poison to do away with him. Swift, sure, and, because of my circumspection in acquiring it, incapable of giving me away. I would have preferred to have effected a false reconciliation in order to prevent suspicion at all, but were he at all capable of compromise, I wouldn't need to remove him in the first place."
The man was still admiring the devilish mixture when his butler eased open the study door and presented a salver on which rested a few sheets of paper. "The latest divine proclamations, sir."
"Hmph. I suppose one ought to keep abreast of such things. Let's see. 'In view of the recent battle at Iestol Fields . . . charge bonus reduced by 3 . . . axe wounds have increased chance of infection . . . crafting skills . . . recipes moved from haberdashery list to milliner list . . .' What! 'Poisons in their current state have limited counterplay?!' That's why I wanted to use it! 'The chance of death on the first application has been lowered across the board . . .' My efforts and expense have come to nothing!"
"Very good, sir. Shall I engage an ax instructor?"
"Yes. He can start by demonstrating on me. If I survive, find me priests willing to beg the gods not to update quite so often. How can we make plans as things stand?"
"Most inconvenient, sir."
Finis

Addendum

Similarly, while you could adjust the level or XP by the age of the candidate, why shouldn't age be an advantage? Unless there are age-based stat penalties, which there probably are. That means we have to consider stats etc. as well, making this an impossible calculation. Considering all this, it's no wonder everything in politics comes down to a fight in the end.

Power Scaling Question

Suppose you have a system in which different classes need different amounts of XP to level. In such a case, should the king's heir be determined by level or total XP? It's all well and good to say magic-users are stronger than fighters of the same level, but if they aren't the same level . . .

Addender

I was going to propose extractionlit, but, well, you know.

Addendum

They won't be noble at all, but let's throw our minor factions the bone of dignity, which costs nothing and can be chewed forever without being broken up.

The Next Subgenre

We've all been enjoying litRPG, but now it's time for sokolit. That's right, it's time to push blocks . . . in text! Different styles will emerge. Will pushing boxes be the inciting incident, a background feature, or will there be detailed descriptions of pushing techniques and thought processes? Purists, inevitably and sadly, can be nothing but a noble minority.

The Dynalian Tournament

The contest of warriors, when it was announced, fulfilled the people's expectations that the despot would take measures against the terrible Dynalian Gract which was doing such harm to his belongings, which were the entire country. Surely the strongest warrior could challenge the beast.
Willing to be relieved of their anxiety, crowds filled the stands to watch the many and doughty fighters compete against one another for the prize. Many were injured, some killed, but nothing daunted those men who had bravery as their first virtue, and often their last. Fame was on the auction block and blood was their bids.
On the final day, the despot himself attended, though he had been absent before. The champion, after his magnificent victory, strode to the spot under the great seat and shouted up, "Where now is the Dynalian Gract? I will slay it. It will be no harder I think than winning this contest!"
"It is here!" The despot leapt up and hurled down a sack he had next to him, and from the sack tumbled the monster's grim head. "You may have that as your trophy, since you are so eager to have it. Your second prize will be wealth, your third a weapon unsurpassed, and the fourth your liberty, for this exercise has given the results combats between men of unequal experience levels, a 14 versus a 17, a 21 versus a 33. I have reckoned from them how near someone may come to my level and go unexiled, and I tell you that none of you are close to it!" All trembled at the despot's mastery.

Finis

The Most Valuable Currency

The general had the chief men of the city assembled, the surviving ones, and proclaimed to them their fate.
"You must pay tribute henceforth. Choose whether it will be in money every year or in men when we should call for them."
The chief men consulted and made this reply. "We have expended both in our defense. There is no surplus left to us in anything but difficulties; suppose we pledge to maintain a neverending series of rather simple problems so that your people can come here to level up."
The general praised them for their wisdom and allowed the substitution, the benefits of which soon manifested.
Finis

For Latecomers

The latest four-book series has finished over on Royal Road for you alpha-omegaists who like to know there's an end before you embrace the beginning.

Fantasy Travel Question

Q. Can riding a dragon or pegasus cause jet lag?
A. No. Dragons and pegasoi never submit to being ridden by someone who might succumb to jet lag.
Q. Suppose however that a passenger is suffered to come along. A rescued princess, perchance.
A. In that case, yes, but the problem can be resolved by curative magic of Rank D or better.

The Curse of Traditional Knowledge

These days, if you ever say "larboard," people will presume you have a speech impediment. That can be handy sometimes, but be honest: You sometimes think those dullards need to be controlled by someone like you, don't you? Then, when you search for rebuttals, you realize there are none. Well, that's all true, but it's not as if you can do anything about it. Not till you level up a few times at least.

Addendum

And then it's back to the harem, but that goes without saying.

The Fate of an Inconvenient Premise

I Got Staked by a Texan and Sent to Another World Where I'm Still a Vampire but There's Garlic in the Air So I'm Weaker Than a Normal Human
Volume 2

"This quest reward magic item negates my vampiric weaknesses!"

Finis

On Scandal

Remember that the people in your world might have different ideas of what constitutes scandal. For instance, being level 3 when you told everybody you were level 5 already, or going on trips to the Regular Planet where there aren't any planet-wide casinos or megacults.

Don't Be Afraid of Good Ideas

Coming up with a damage formula may be a litRPG kind of thing, but that doesn't mean it won't do wonders for your space opera, alt history where the Nazis won, or cookbook. It's just a little writing aid. Plan out your battle sequences and ingredient proportions.

Visible Progress

"These things that aren't fish."
"Yeah?" Neither man halted for the conversation. They had hauling to do.
"How come some of them have eight leg-thingies and others have more?"
"You don't know?"
"Would I have asked if I had? Your voice isn't that lovely. There, you've had enough time to make up an answer."
He shook his head. "No, everybody knows this one. We're just finding out you aren't an everybody. Sort of an outsider, if you will. They've got more legs because they leveled up more."
"That makes sense." The man looked closer at the squids and octopodes caught in the nets. "Yeah, it's not impossible, but . . . Whoa!"
Strong as they were and used to the work, the next load demanded from them almost more than they could give. They braced and they heaved, braced and heaved, and after more time than was reasonable, they hauled up a creature of the deepest sea so thick with appendages that they could be counted only after death stilled their owner.
"Tell me if you were kidding before, because if you weren't, this guy must be . . ."
"The one who killed the Nightmare Emperor!"
The fishermen bowed to the slimy hero and released him.
Finis

Addendum

I won't insult your intelligence by reminding you to set a number of continues.

Important Worldbuilding Question

Before you start your first draft, ask yourself: Do people in this setting get hurt if they touch spikes on the side? How about water? Does it kill them instantly? Suppose someone runs into an enemy. Is that enough for damage, or is an attack required?

Everything I Learned in Magic School Was Wrong Begins Now on Royal Road!

The newest fantastical ultra-story has started, and you can read it for zero dollars American. As for other currencies, I can't make any promises. Head on over to the place.

Mastery over all physical reality through magical rituals seems like a sure route to power and prosperity until you end up working regular hours and performing nothing but company-approved rituals. Commercial Ritualist Dirant Rikelta, fresh out of school, has to wonder what that point of his education was. Until he meets a god who lets him know the true purpose of his class, that is.