Multiclassing Speculation

OK, the excerpt on paragon paths suggests that you can multiclass instead of taking a paragon path.

This suggests to me that prior to 11th level, you are going to be restricted to a single class, but you may be able to take powers and possibly class features from other classes through class training feats.

However, once you hit 11th level and decide to multiclass, I'm guessing that the powers you get are going to be similar to the paragon path progression. For a normal paragon path, you get:

For multiclassing, I'm guessing it will be:

In addition, when you gain new encounter, daily and utility powers or upgrade your encounter and daily powers, you may select the new power from the lists of both your primary and secondary classes.

This would certainly be a more restrictive approach to multiclassing, but I guess it would be more balanced, and it would avoid most of the front-loading issues faced by simply adding level one of one class to another.

It will be interesting to see how much of my speculation is correct!

That seems about right.

Looks like a good educated guess. I still believe, though, that there will be further ways of multiclassing. I think "multiclassing by feat" and "multiclassing by Path" will be in. The interesting question is how they "stack".

Oh, and another thing: What's the equivalent to the action point class feature for Paragon-Multiclasssing?

They continue to use very vague language in their previews but I don't think that's the case.

the half-elf warlock preview character already had multiclass stuff built into it. Ray of frost is a wizard ability. From what I've heard half-elves are good at spreading out and multiclass easily, thus one of their racial abilities is a free multiclass at first level. I imagine multiclassing will basically be spend a feat get one or two specifically laid out abilities or choose a power(spell, exploit, whatever...)


Also, I'm glad to see the ability to multiclass as an option... I had an idea for a character that multiclassed into a bunch of different classes... but they haven't said anything about the specifics of multiclassing...

Basic multi classing.

Spend a feat. Gain some basic abilities and the Ability to choose class powers from either class.

Spend another feat. Gain more abilities.

Paragon Path-multiclassing is in addition to this I hope.

Looks to me like it's more like:

Gain a taste of a another class (skill use, ability to take another class's powers in place of your own class's powers): Spend 1 or more feats.

True multiclassing (i.e., class features): In place of paragon paths.

So, for example, to get access to the Thievery skill and maybe some Rogue powers, you take a feat.

But to get Sneak Attack, you need to multiclass at 11th or 21st level.

Basically, it's now explicit that you get a whole set of new base abilities at certain level -- which provides a nice place to balance the "I get to combine two sets of base abilities!" of true multiclassing.

I like it, myself; it enables multiclassing without making it mandatory. That said, it seems like certain combos are going to be better than others, depending on how they handle things (for one thing, if you're double-dipping, you can't combine a Paladin's Mark with a Fighter's -- but it doesn't seem like there's anything stopping you from combine any of a Ranger's Quarry with a Rogue's Sneak Attack with a Warlock's curse if you want -- even tripple dipping if you're willing to give up both a paragon path and a destiny (I'd certainly guess you get the same option at 21st level, anyway).

mneme said:

I like it, myself; it enables multiclassing without making it mandatory. That said, it seems like certain combos are going to be better than others, depending on how they handle things (for one thing, if you're double-dipping, you can't combine a Paladin's Mark with a Fighter's -- but it doesn't seem like there's anything stopping you from combine any of a Ranger's Quarry with a Rogue's Sneak Attack with a Warlock's curse if you want -- even tripple dipping if you're willing to give up both a paragon path and a destiny (I'd certainly guess you get the same option at 21st level, anyway).

Click to expand...

I'd think that multiclassing out at Paragon into rogue might still only give you the Heroic-strength Sneak Attack (and choosing Rogue again at Epic might upgrade that to Paragon).

That ought to cut down a bit on the strength of 'triple-dipping' without necessarily making it inviable.

I could see this. Basically multi classing in general is taking feats to pick up powers from other classes, but at paragon you can do "true" multi classing.

Gaining all of the armor proficiencies for example could be quite powerful if you were upgrading a rogue into a fighter for example as normally the only way to do this is feats (unlike 3.5, where 1 level of fighter gives you the full suite).

i still hope that real multiclassing is an alternative... (3.x like)

But: this should be easy to implement somehow...

I'm assuming at this point that "multiclassing" in the sense of a single mechanic for borrowing levels from another class, is dead. Instead we have a diversity of methods for borrowing little bits from other classes.