PENALTIES FOR LEVELING UP

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It's pretty little compared to most RPGs in terms of the difference between level 1 and level 2, but if each level amounted to the same relative increase, that would mean exponential growth in power over time. You'd be about 2.5 times as powerful as you were at the start by level 10, but by level 40, you'd be about 45 times as powerful as you were at the start. Your power approximately doubles every seven levels. Most RPGs have something closer to a linear increase in power over time.
Assume each level increases you damage output and survivability with 10 percentage points instead of 10%, meaning level 3 lands you at 120%, not 121%.

Anyway, most JRPgs may increase stats somewhat linear over time, but in terms "what level range is an enemy neither unreasonable hard nor trivial" you can't count it that way. Typically, in JRPGs when you level up your damage output will increase, you take less damage due to increased defense and your hit-points has also increased. A linear increase in stats leads to a cubic increase in advantage. Actually, it's often worse than that since JRPGs tend to use a subtraction formula which makes each point of defense give more advantage the more of it you already have. Reducing your damage taken from 5 to 4 is a 20% reduction while reducing it from 4 to 3 is a 25% reduction.

If you want to make your game a bit more free roaming than in the average JRPG, you need to pay careful attention to what advantage a player gets from leveling up. I'd recommend a "low, but noticeable" approach.
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