2nd ed SRD? Or... explanation needed.

[irdeggman]

Yes, Thieves were always ahead, but there's a stretch between 5th and 9th were Wizards (Magic Users) speed up and pass the other classes before slowing down again. Clerics are fairly quick as well, but they're pretty consistant, as are fighters. Rangers and Paladins get kinda screwed.

So pretty much exactly what I had said (leaving out the clerics and warrior progressions).

Don't forget about the 10% bonus if a high prime ability score. This is where paladins really got messed with. IIRC they had 3 prime attributes Str, Wis and Cha so all og them had to be high (IIRC the number was 16 or more).

And then there was the minimum prime attribute score required to take a class - again paladins were messed with. IIRC 17 Cha, 12 Str and 13 Wis.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Youre best off figuring out how many XP the PC's should have, and working from there. You'll divide your XP in half and apply it each of your classes - actually, your character build in 3.5 seems designed to replicate the old Ftr/Magicuser multi-class, so I think you'll end up pretty close, although as others have explained, you'll probably have less HP.

If everyone else is 12th level, you'll probably end up like Ftr 7/Wiz 11 or something like that. If you want to post your current stats and the other PC's levels, I bet we could puzzle it out for you.

 

[wedgeski]

As I recall dual-classing enabled you to level one class to a certain point, then abandon that class almost entirely in favour of a second class. Once your second class had reached the same level as the first, you regained all of the first classes abilities but didn't get any XP for using them. That was the price you paid: versatility at the cost of XP.

Also, dual-classing was much more reminiscent of 3ed multi-classing in that all of your XP went into a single character class, as opposed to being split between your classes like a standard 2ed multi-classed character.

 

[glass]

As I recall dual-classing enabled you to level one class to a certain point, then abandon that class almost entirely in favour of a second class. Once your second class had reached the same level as the first, you regained all of the first classes abilities but didn't get any XP for using them. That was the price you paid: versatility at the cost of XP.

My recolection differs slightly: Once you had caught up with your old classes level in your you could use both sets of abilities without restriction. Before you caught up, you could still use your old abilities, but if you did you got no XP for the encounter and only half for the adventure.


glass.

 

[Mr Jack]

Thieves had the quickest progression, wizards (i.e., magic users) had the most complex.

Do you remember the Druid table? Man, it was on drugs. Start slow, get all quick, have to assinate the head druid, become Heirophant, go crazy-moon insane.

 

[irdeggman]

As I recall multiclassing went like this (humans only):

Start with one class go to a set level.

Change classes (the prime requisite of the new class had to be at least a 17.

You are forbidden from using any class feature of the previous class until your new class level exceed the old one then you could use both classes' abilities as desired. If you used any abilities from a previous class before you exceeded the old classes level with the new class - you forfeted any xp earned.

Repeat with the next class.

In one of our games we had someone multiclass into 4 diffferent classes.

Oh and you could only select one class from each "group".

Warrior group - fighter, ranger, paladin
Priest group - specialty priests (included cleric) and druids
Rogue group - thieves and bards.
Mage group - wizards and specialists
Psionic were added later sort of under the rogue group but in Dark Sun they specifically were their own group.

 

[wedgeski]

My recolection differs slightly: Once you had caught up with your old classes level in your you could use both sets of abilities without restriction. Before you caught up, you could still use your old abilities, but if you did you got no XP for the encounter and only half for the adventure.

Ah yes, you might well be right.

 

[Shaele]

Yes, Thieves were always ahead, but there's a stretch between 5th and 9th were Wizards (Magic Users) speed up and pass the other classes before slowing down again. Clerics are fairly quick as well, but they're pretty consistant, as are fighters. Rangers and Paladins get kinda screwed.

Bards baby, bards! They used the thief xp table, which meant that they gained levels and spells more quickly than wizards. As long as you had the same xp as the party wizard, you were actually a better spellcaster

 

[Geoff Watson]

You also suffer the limitations of all classes.

A MU can't cast spells in armor.

Except for elven fighter/mages.

Geoff.

 

[ElectricDragon]

Bards were the ultimate dual-classed character. Start as Fighter, go to 4th to 7th level; start over as a thief, go to 5th to 9th level, start over as a bard. And bards got druidic-type spells. Bard table went to 23rd level unlike others that only went to 20th. (Of course druid and monk were exceptions to the 20th level table; druids got 14, 15, and then Hierophant levels (16-23); Monks got 16 then 17 levels.

High Elves had major limits on levels (these are from memory so mistakes are likely; nevertheless, this is close to how it was):
Fighter 4th level
Str 17+ then 5th level
Str 18/01+ then 6th level
Str 18/26+ then 7th level
Str 18/51+ then 8th level
Str 18/91+ then 9th level

Wizard 7th level
Int 16+ then 8th level
Int 17+ then 9th level
Int 18+ then 10th level
Int 19+ then 11th level

Elves could not get 6th level spells. New spell levels were like they are now (1,3,5,7,9) until 6th level spells which were first gained at 12th level, then the progression went (12,14,16,18). Until late 2e there were no 0-level spells (cantrips) and even then you must give up a first level slot to memorize 4 cantrips. Most mages were considered to have lost, sold, or otherwise got rid of their book of cantrips after their initial training period as an apprentice.

There were other types of elves (drow, grey, sylvan. wild, sea, valley) and each had its own level limits.

Once you reached your maximum level you still split your xp between the two classes, so if one class maxed out early, the other one still moved up slowly. You only had one xp number unless one class had an xp bonus from high attributes and the other one didn't. The one xp number was read separately for each class. e.g 2,000 xp is 2nd fighter and still 1st wizard.
HP were rolled for each class and Constitution bonus was added for each, [but fighters got better Con bonuses than other classes (non-fighter classes maxed out at +2 hp/HD)] then that number was divided in half. e.g. Con 18, fighter d10+4/2 plus wizard d4+2/2= hp/level.

Ciao
Dave