Multiclass only Classes

[Blackeagle]

I'm planning on excluding the divine power source (and it's associated classes) from my campaign. However, religion is still an important part of the setting, I just want religion without all the baggage of interventionist gods and sparkly divine magic bring with them. Instead, I want religion to be like it is IRL, a set of social norms and rules, a source of inspiration and comfort for believers, and a source of conflict between opposing faiths. Religion is about morals, ideas and beliefs, not who's god has a bigger magic hammer.

While I'm getting rid of the divine power source, I still want a religious path to be available to PCs. Maybe it's just a lack of inspiration, or maybe it's the baggage of the cleric, but I don't really want to set up a full on religious class. Instead, I'm thinking about allowing players to multiclass into a priest class that doesn't exist as a base class.

Rather than a full class writeup, I'm going to create a multiclass feat similar to Initiate of the Faith or Student of Battle that will grant training in Religion and an inspiring word 1/day type ability. Players who take this feat will be able to use the novice, acolyte, and adept multiclassing feats to pick up powers from a short list (enough to provide some choices, but probably much smaller than a full class' power list. The powers themselves will be inspirational, rather than divine, in origin (many of them will probably be adaptations from the inspirational warlord build with different fluff). Since we haven't seen the paragon multiclass rules, it's hard to say at this point, but I'll probably either allow paragon path multiclassing into the priest class or develop some priest specific paragon paths.

So, what do you guys think about the idea of creating mini-classes specifically to allow multiclassing into them? Any other part-time roles that come to mind that aren't meaty enough for a full class but could support something more than a feat or a single power?

 

[Asmor]

Seems to me the simplest thing to do is just allow people to multiclass into Cleric, but not take it as their primary class.

 

[FireLance]

I previously had the idea of using the multiclass mechanic to simulate 3e domains: take a feat and gain a domain-related skill and minor ability, or a more significant domain-related ability, and the option to take additional feats to obtain domain-specific encounter, utility and daily powers.

For a more campaign-specific implementation, this mechanic could also be used to represent devotion to a specific deity or philosophy, and could be taken by any devout character (not just a cleric).

 

[Blackeagle]

Seems to me the simplest thing to do is just allow people to multiclass into Cleric, but not take it as their primary class.

No divine magic in my campaign (even with the serial numbers filed off), so cleric is right out.

 

[Asmor]

What are you going to do about the Warlord? Their Inspiring Word ability is identical to the cleric's Healing Word ability. IOW, it's basically a divine ability with the serial numbers filed off.

Don't get me wrong, I'm just trying to save you some effort. How much do you really stand to gain from creating something from scratch rather than just making a simple and artificial alteration to existing material?

 

[Blackeagle]

What are you going to do about the Warlord? Their Inspiring Word ability is identical to the cleric's Healing Word ability. IOW, it's basically a divine ability with the serial numbers filed off.

With the way HP works in 4e, I don't really see it that way. Lance of Faith and Sacred Flame, on the other hand, are really cleric-y.

Don't get me wrong, I'm just trying to save you some effort. How much do you really stand to gain from creating something from scratch rather than just making a simple and artificial alteration to existing material?

In terms of getting the rules to fit my setting well, quite I lot. The whole reason I've waited until 4e for this setting is that it seemed like it would be modular enough to make the kind of changes I'm envisioning.

 

[SSquirrel]

Maybe take a look at how Monte handled this in Arcana Evolved. Basically Priest is a feat and grants certain things. Anyone can be religious and try to talk people into a religion, only a few really have the calling. They must have spent a feat on it

 

[Blackeagle]

Maybe take a look at how Monte handled this in Arcana Evolved. Basically Priest is a feat and grants certain things. Anyone can be religious and try to talk people into a religion, only a few really have the calling. They must have spent a feat on it

Actually, Monte's priest feat was where I started. The way I look at it, the multiclass feat would be similar to the priest feat, except that it also opens up the chance to get some powers by spending more feats.