You could try and use the search button, but since you\'re new I\'ll just explain once for you.
First of all, there are no levels. Everything in the game is based on skills, such as what you\'re capable of doing and how good you are at it. This is an ever-increasing thing, meaning there is no cap on the amount of things you can learn, however it is difficult and time-demanding to excel at just one thing, so if you plan on multi-tasking, we definitely wont see eachother in the top15 until in a decade or two.
The way to increase your skills is to do tasks related to the job or skill, such as a lumberjack would go out and chop down trees, a miner would mine ores and crystals, etc. To get a full description on what you have to do to get better, you would need to talk to someone from the rules team, but that\'s not possible since he is currently unavailable, and he wouldn\'t tell you anyway. The best way is just to wait and see like the rest of us.
As for fighting skills, it is the exact same thing. You get better short sword skill if you fight with short swords, and so on. However it\'s not simply about punching on mobs until you get 1337 skill, you have to figure out diffrent techniques and learn multiple things about fighting. PlaneShift is, and will remain an RPG, thus you will have to actually use your head to play.
And if you\'re wondering about stats, well they will increase as you use your skills as well. If you are a lumberjack, of course you will grow stronger over time. You\'ll start out as a gimp, barely able to lift an axe and in time you will be the big swedish Sven who can molest 50 trees per minute, and then molest the logs some more. So, I guess that kinda explains how you will be able to improve without levels.
Edit: Stop replying faster than me Elkindel... :\\
