Favored Class Rules?

[LondonReign]

Nope, don't use them. Then again, my players don't abuse the rules; in fact, they tend to go "against type" to match how they envision their characters, even if it it "hurts" them in terms of pure mechanics. Thank god for good role-players!

Examples: One player started the game with a hook for a right hand (thus being somewhat limited in choice of ranged weapons and certain dexterity-based actions such as climbing a rope), while another took a 2nd level of earth elemental mage when it helped him marginally--both because that it what their *characters* were all about.

I love sub-optimal characters! (and reward then them with xtra role-playing XP)

Edited for readable English

 

[The Human Target]

Don't like them, don't use them. They just get in the way.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Races in my games have a Favored Gestalt which serves to define their archetype. The only concession I make to the notion of subraces is to allow some races to select a different Favored Gestalt based on their heritage-- for instance, the Drow replace the Elven Ranger/Wizard with Cleric/Rogue or Wizard/Rogue, depending on sex.

Well, I also replace their Low-Light Vision with Darkvision 120' and Light-Blindness.

There are no multi-classing penalties, but every time you advance in your Favored Gestalt, you gain an experience bonus equal to 10% of the difference between last level and this level. I am thinking of making a list of Prestige Class Gestalts that also qualify for this bonus. Races with FG: Any get the bonus any time they advance in the Gestalt they took as their first class level. I'm considering giving Humans a 5% bonus for other levels, making their FG: Any more potent than the FG: Any I give to half-humans.

 

[STARP_President]

Never use 'em. If a player wants to take a Level 1/2/2/2/2/2/2/2/1/2/2 Barbarian/Bard/Cleric/Druid/Fighter/Monk/Paladin/Ranger/Rogue/Sorcerer/Wizard let him. The character will be good at nothing - if he's in a party with a bunch of single-class 20th levels he's going to die very quickly so if he does it's his own fault. The penalty for taking a lot of classes shouldn't be experience loss - it's that it doesn't make for a very good character.

 

[Gez]

I use the Favoured Class rules from the Conan game at the moment (although in my last campaign I used the standard PHB rules). The Conan game gives a bonus feat at 1st, 5th and 10th level in your favoured class - in other words, it rewards taking your favoured class as opposed to penalising stepping outside it.

That's not a bad idea, I may adopt it. However, rather than giving out more feats, I think I'll give one extra skill point per level.

And yes, this would mean a human would get two extra skill points whenever he gets a level in his highest-level class.

 

[Ryltar]

I don't use them. However, I have an unwritten rule going, which states that no PC may take more than 3 classes and more than 2 prestige classes during his career. Everything beyond that is probably powergaming, anyway .

 

[Gez]

What? But I have this concept of a favored soul / fighter / healer / marshall / monk / paladin / psion / psychic warrior / ranger / rogue / samurai / scout / shugenja / sohei / soulknife / sorcerer / spellthief / swashbuckler / warmage / wizard!

 

[Yair]

I don't use them. I figure I'd allow whatever the player wants, no need to artificailly limit his choices like that.

 

[delericho]

I don't use them either. Nor do I use the Monk/Paladin multi-class restrictions.

I've never had a problem with this - I tend not to get a lot of multi-class characters anyway, and even fewer with more than 2 core classes. Single-class characters generally seem to be more capable, in most cases.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Personally, I don't like favored class rules and I don't use them in my games. To me, they're little better than the restrictions on multiclassing in prior editions. I would rather a player play what he want without limitations such as that.

I prefer the way Castles and Crusades handle it. They have a list of suggested classes. This lets the player know what the race typically focuses on, but doesn't force them to take one of those classes.

For example, let's take the minotaur from Dragonlance. In D&D terms, his favored class is fighter. While that fits well, minotaurs are also known to be mariners (mariner being a base class in Age of Mortals).

By C&C terms, the minotaur's entry would read: Suggested classes: fighter, mariner.

This is much more accurate to me, and it doesn't really shoehorn a minotaur into being a fighter. Suggested classes are just that - suggestions on what classes a character of a certain race might take. There's no rules limits on it, and people can play the type of character they want without worrying about penalties.