History TookALevelInBadass / TabletopGames

* While no ''[[DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'' PrestigeClass is explicitly named "Badass", there are many, many candidates, such as:
** Heir of Siberys -- {{Eberron}} dragonmark, turned UpToEleven.

* If you're playing ''{{Deadlands}}'', ''death'' can be step one to taking that level. Just ask [[spoiler: Abe Lincoln]] who came back from the dead to run the Union's monster-hunting agency.

** In-universe, the Tau. When first found by the Imperium, they were plains-dwelling stone-age hunters. Imperial standard doctrine is to eliminate any native Xenos species to prepare the planet for human settlement, but a huge warp storm destroyed the fleet and cut off T'au from Imperial contact for 6000 years. When the warp storm cleared, the Tau were found to be a highly-advanced spacefaring species with a small empire. The Exterminatus order still stands, but as for actually ''doing it''...

** Increasing in level in ''any'' class arguably makes one more of a badass (that 1st level wizard having troubles fighting kobolds? He's having troubles fighting Pit Fiends now). It's just that the badassness is split out over twenty levels, which generally makes the shift somewhat gradual.

* 40K - the original Space Marines took a Level in Badass and Level in Kindness. When they started in Rogue Trader, the Space Marines were said to be the mightiest warriors in the Imperium and much feared throughout the galaxy as unstoppable psychopathic savages in graffiti-ridden armor with pointy noses. In reality, they had an underwhelming Toughness of 3! That meant they were no tougher than your average human or eldar or whatnot. Their "Beaky" power armour was also weaker, it was 4+ compared to the current 3+ (though you could buff it to a 3 if your Space Marine found some Flak armour to put under it back then). Also every character had to roll to see what equipment they received, if I remember correctly - your Space Marine could end up packing a measly lasgun or autopistol if he rolled low enough. Finally Space Marine stats topped out at 6 in everything, the same level of potential any ordinary human could achieve and would lose out in a fight with quite a lot of aliens. Now Warhammer 40k has made Space Marines distinctly superhuman in stats (especially in the rpg-oriented games) and gave better equipment all around to them

* The [[{{WarHammer40000}} Imperial Guard]] took a whole bunch of levels in bad ass this year after they got a new codex that's actually good. Also an example of ThrowTheDogABone since IG and IG players were Games Workshop's favorite ButtMonkey.

** The recent wave of updates to extremely old codexes (most notably the Dark Eldar, who have not received a new book in over a decade) resulted in many taking several levels in badass. Most notably the Grey Knights, going from an extremely small and elite group of special forces space marine taking massive death tolls to banish even the smallest of greater daemons to badass demonhunters whose very existence can make demons cower (and their leader carved his name into the chest of a daemon primarch). Some of these were considered well deserved and long overdue (notably the Dark Eldar, which was praised as being both flavorful and balanced) others were not.

** The recent wave of updates to extremely old codexes (most notably the Dark Eldar, who have not received a new book in over a decade) resulted in many taking several levels in badass. Most notably the Grey Knights, going from an extremely small and elite group of special forces space marine taking massive death tolls to banish even the smallest of greater daemons to badass demonhunters whose very existence can make demons cower (not to mention their leader carved his name into the chest of a daemon primarch). Some of these were considered well deserved and long overdue (notably the Dark Eldar, which was praised as being both flavorful and balanced) others were not.
* The Solars of {{Exalted}} took a collective level in Badass when the Jade Prison broke. For better than fifteen centuries, spanning the Shogunate, through the Scarlet Empress's reign, there were roughly twenty Solar Exaltations active in the world at any given time. Two years after the Scarlet Empress disappeared, that number shot up to one hundred and fifty. All of a sudden, the idea of a Solar Resurgence isn't that crazy, even in the face of the Wyld Hunt.
** Likewise considering that any kind of Exaltation is pretty much the epitome of taking a level in Badass. This troper is surprised the trope hasn't been renamed, or at least that Exalted didn't already have an entry.
** The [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Lunars]] combines TookALevelInBadass with TookALevelInKindness. By definition, a Lunar is a Steward, he or she lives to protect something as opposed to Solar Lawgivers who live to master something. Of course, in Creation, GoodIsNotNice...
** [[BackFromTheDead The Abyssals]] combines TookALevelInBadass with TookALevelInJerkass. Well, their job description basically can be summed to "go murder Creation".

** The recent wave of updates to extremely old codexes (most notably the Dark Eldar, who have not received a new book in over a decade) resulted in many taking several levels in badass. Most notably the Grey Knights, going from an extremely small and elite group of special forces space marine taking massive death tolls to banish even the smallest of greater daemons to badass demonhunters whose very existence can make demons cower (not to mention their leader carved his name into the chest of a daemon primarch). Some of these [[AndTheFandomRejoiced were considered well deserved and long overdue]] (notably the Dark Eldar, which was praised as being both flavorful and balanced) others were not.

** The recent wave of updates to extremely old codexes (most notably the Dark Eldar, who have not received a new book in over a decade) resulted in many taking several levels in badass. Most notably the Grey Knights, going from an extremely small and elite group of special forces space marine taking massive death tolls to banish even the smallest of greater daemons to badass demonhunters whose very existence can make demons cower (not to mention their leader carved his name into the chest of a daemon primarch). Some of these [[AndTheFandomRejoiced were considered well deserved and long overdue]] (notably the Dark Eldar, which was praised as being both flavorful and balanced) others [[YourMilageMayVary were not]].

** 4th edition D&D goes so far as to build this into the classes twice over. First, at level 11, you get a Paragon Path that lets you take a level in badass... then, at level 21, you get an Epic Destiny, which is a second level in even ''more'' badass. Epic Destinies include the likes of Master of Moments (you gain control over time), Undying Warrior (there is nothing in the '''multiverse''' that can kill you), Parable (you realise that all of reality is but a story... and you ascend to become its author), World Tree Guardian (you are responsible for protecting the spirit of the world itself from harm)... when the least powerful Epic Destiny is ''Demigod'', that's badass.
*** Actually, Demigod is generally considered one of the most powerful Epic Destinies, alongside it's cousin the Chosen (your god makes you it's avatar within the world).
* Any RPG character will level up through the course of the game. Unless they die, of course.
** Although, if you're playing ''{{Deadlands}}'', death can be step one to taking that level. Just ask [[spoiler: Abe Lincoln]] who came back from the dead to run the Union's monster-hunting agency.

* The Solars of Exalted took a collective level in Badass when the Jade Prison broke. For better than fifteen centuries, spanning the Shogunate, through the Scarlet Empress's reign, there were roughly twenty Solar Exaltations active in the world at any given time. Two years after the Scarlet Empress disappeared, that number shot up to one hundred and fifty. All of a sudden, the idea of a Solar Resurgence isn't that crazy, even in the face of the Wyld Hunt.

** [[DealWithTheDevil The Green Sun Princes]] is just like Abyssal, except it's "go make Creation a living hell". It's an even more ([[LightIsNotGood green-]])shining example of taking levels in badass compared to the Solars. While Solars exalted by proving their badassitude, the Infernals are exalted by ''failing to prove'' their badassitude. They sucked so much they had to make a DealWithTheDevil to take levels in badass.

* MagicTheGathering turns this into a game mechanic with [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3A%22flip%22+%28e%3Asok%2Fen+or+e%3Abok%2Fen+or+e%3Achk%2Fen%29&s=cname&v=card&p=1 Flip cards]], [[http://www.magiccards.info/query?q=!Figure+of+Destiny Figure of Destiny]], and [[http://www.magiccards.info/query?q=o%3A%22level+up%22&v=card&s=cname leveler creatures]].

** Likewise considering that any kind of Exaltation is pretty much the epitome of taking a level in Badass. This troper is surprised the trope hasn't been renamed, or at least that Exalted didn't already have an entry.

* The Solars of ''[[Exalted Exalted]]'' took a collective level in Badass when the Jade Prison broke. For better than fifteen centuries, spanning the Shogunate, through the Scarlet Empress's reign, there were roughly twenty Solar Exaltations active in the world at any given time. Two years after the Scarlet Empress disappeared, that number shot up to one hundred and fifty. All of a sudden, the idea of a Solar Resurgence isn't that crazy, even in the face of the Wyld Hunt.

* The Solars of ''[[Exalted]]'' took a collective level in Badass when the Jade Prison broke. For better than fifteen centuries, spanning the Shogunate, through the Scarlet Empress's reign, there were roughly twenty Solar Exaltations active in the world at any given time. Two years after the Scarlet Empress disappeared, that number shot up to one hundred and fifty. All of a sudden, the idea of a Solar Resurgence isn't that crazy, even in the face of the Wyld Hunt.

* The Solars of Exalted took a collective level in Badass when the Jade Prison broke. For better than fifteen centuries, spanning the Shogunate, through the Scarlet Empress's reign, there were roughly twenty Solar Exaltations active in the world at any given time. Two years after the Scarlet Empress disappeared, that number shot up to one hundred and fifty. All of a sudden, the idea of a Solar Resurgence isn't that crazy, even in the face of the Wyld Hunt.

* The Solars of ''[[Exalted]]'' took a collective level in Badass when the Jade Prison broke. For better than fifteen centuries, spanning the Shogunate, through the Scarlet Empress's reign, there were roughly twenty Solar Exaltations active in the world at any given time. Two years after the Scarlet Empress disappeared, that number shot up to one hundred and fifty. All of a sudden, the idea of a Solar Resurgence isn't that crazy, even in the face of the Wyld Hunt.

* The Solars of [[Exalted]] took a collective level in Badass when the Jade Prison broke. For better than fifteen centuries, spanning the Shogunate, through the Scarlet Empress's reign, there were roughly twenty Solar Exaltations active in the world at any given time. Two years after the Scarlet Empress disappeared, that number shot up to one hundred and fifty. All of a sudden, the idea of a Solar Resurgence isn't that crazy, even in the face of the Wyld Hunt.

* MagicTheGathering turns this into a game mechanic with [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3A%22flip%22+%28e%3Asok%2Fen+or+e%3Abok%2Fen+or+e%3Achk%2Fen%29&s=cname&v=card&p=1 Flip cards]], [[http://www.magiccards.info/query?q=!Figure+of+Destiny Figure of Destiny]], and [[http://www.magiccards.info/query?q=o%3A%22level+up%22&v=card&s=cname leveler creatures]].

** Heir of Siberiys -- {{Eberron}} dragonmark, turned UpToEleven.

*** 4th edition D&D goes so far as to build this into the classes twice over. First, at level 11, you get a Paragon Path that lets you take a level in badass... then, at level 21, you get an Epic Destiny, which is a second level in even ''more'' badass. Epic Destinies include the likes of Master of Moments (you gain control over time), Undying Warrior (there is nothing in the '''multiverse''' that can kill you), Parable (you realise that all of reality is but a story... and you ascend to become its author), World Tree Guardian (you are responsible for protecting the spirit of the world itself from harm)... when the least powerful Epic Destiny is ''Demigod'', that's badass.

** MagicTheGathering turns this into a game mechanic with [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3A%22flip%22+%28e%3Asok%2Fen+or+e%3Abok%2Fen+or+e%3Achk%2Fen%29&s=cname&v=card&p=1 Flip cards]], [[http://www.magiccards.info/query?q=!Figure+of+Destiny Figure of Destiny]], and [[http://www.magiccards.info/query?q=o%3A%22level+up%22&v=card&s=cname leveler creatures]].

** The Eldar got a significant boost with the rules changes in the Fifth Edition rulebook that combine with existing powers to make their [[GlassCannon Falcons]] tougher than [[MightyGlacier Land Raiders]].