Devil Fruit Levels
Your Devil Fruit Level determines your proficiency in using your devil fruit abilities. At level 1, you are considered a new user, with a basic understanding of how to utilize your powers. This goes up to level 5, where you are considered a master at your devil fruit powers to the point of awakening them, and unlocking some latent aspect within your abilities. However, to grow stronger in your fruit class, you must spend AP, similar to growing stronger in your class. The AP cost per DFL is as follows:
1 to 2: 15 AP | 5th Level
2 to 3: 35 AP | 10th Level
3 to 4: 50 AP | 15th Level
4 to 5: 60 AP | 20th Level
Zoans do not unlock their hybrid form and the Hybrid technique effect until Devil Fruit Level 2.
Devil Fruit Custom Techniques - Devil Charges
As you gain levels in your devil fruit, you will gain new abilities brought to you by the source material. However, devil fruits are a much more personal type of ability. When you first eat your devil fruit, you can make a Custom Technique as detailed in the "Custom Technique Creation" rules of the source book.
You gain a number of points called Devil Charges, which are considered a class feature that you may attach to the "Short Rest" and "Long Rest" keywords during Custom Technique creation. You gain two sets of charges for each effect. The amount of Devil Charges you have per set is detailed below.
Short Rest Devil Charges: Devil Fruit Level + your Proficiency Bonus.
Long Rest Devil Charges: (Devil Fruit Level + your Proficiency Bonus) / 2, rounded up.
With each additional Devil Fruit level, you can make one more additional custom technique. You learn these techniques as part of leveling up, and they do not count against the maximum number of techniques you can learn.
Clarification: Any feature which reduces the cost of a techniques keyword applies after totaling all investment within the keyword rather than before. For instance, if a technique effect requires 3 points to add, and 2 points for each rank of the effect. You would add 3, then 2 for any additional ranks, and then you would divide the total by 2. If you have 3 additional ranks of the effect, it would look as so: (3 + 2 + 2 + 2) / 2.