Multiclassing and Class skills

[cmbarona]

Let me begin with my specific predicament:

I have a player who's playing a jack-of-all-trades (STR/DEX/WIS) Elven Ranger. He's interested in multiclassing to a leader to gain some of the 3.5 concept of Rangers being able to heal. Thus, he should multiclass to some form of leader. But the character is an avid antitheist in my monotheistic world (not that he doesn't believe in God, but that he doesn't like God or the Church). Solution: multiclass Warlord, right? Almost. His one hangup is that he would also like to gain skill training in Insight.

So, here's my dilemma: do I force my player to take two separate feats for each benefit, or do I handwave the issue and allow this multiclassing to offer skill training in Insight?

The larger question at hand is the potential (or lack thereof) of imbalancing some multiclass options by allowing non-class skill training. Would removing this limit in some way affect the game negatively? I do have my players use their skills on a somewhat regular basis.

Some issues I've considered:

• This is a character who is trying to do everything. Given that I'm considering implementing the Expertise fix that allows 3 stats bumped rather than 2, I'm not sure I'm keeping this player's power in check by allowing even more versatility.
• Insight, unlike other skills such as Stealth and Perception (which he does have trained), is not one of the more "powerful" skills in 4e.
• He could multiclass into something else, even Cleric, although that would require a major shift in the roleplaying of a character whose personality is already taking on a healthy color. Bard might be a good option, and it will be the first I will suggest when I see him next, but the larger issues still stand.
• Spending two feats really isn't that bad in the long run if he really wants Insight. After all, being the jack of all trades means he should be the master of none.

 

[happybandit]

EDIT: Nevermind, didn't finish reading the whole thing before replying. Sorry.

 

[abyssaldeath]

If he wants to be the jack of all trades then multiclassing into Bard makes the most sense. That's part of what they do.

 

[On Puget Sound]

STR/DEX/WIS does not lend itself to bard multiclassing. Cleric, warlord, paladin or even shaman would at least use one of his good stats for something. The powers can always be reskinned to something non-Divine (herbalism or just plain magic) - change the names but leave the mechanics intact. Even the Religion skill can be explained as "know your enemy" or as simply a detailed study of Undead, which required learning some superstitious claptrap that he knows, but doesn't put much stock in.

 

[Mengu]

I don't imagine an elf ranger has the charisma to multiclass as bard, especially if he already has a 13 intelligence (sounds like a pretty MAD character if he qualifies for Warlord multiclass too). And without a good charisma the bard healing loses a lot of punch.

Has he used any background options during character creation? If not, you can simply give him a background option that makes Insight a class skill. This way when he levels up, he can retrain one of his class skills, say Athletics to Insight, and with Warlord multiclass pick Athletics up again. No harm done.

If he does already have a different background option, then I would still be inclined to handwave it and give him insight.

Also another thing to consider is that just because you're picking up cleric multi-class, a feat that gives you religion and a daily healing word, doesn't mean you just became a holy man. Rules just tell you the game mechanics, you can refluff it however you want. His dislike of religion could have fueled him to study it more if he has some vendetta against the religion or the church, which would explain the training in religion. His Healing Word could be exactly the kind of trick, calling to nature spirits to do the healing to show those men of faith, that a healing power is not just in the hands of the clerics, a guardian of nature can also wield the same magic.

When you need to make the glove fit the hand, feel free to poke some holes in it.

 

[Mort_Q]

Invent an Ur-Priest multiclass feat... does everything a multiclass Cleric feat does, but instead of being faith inspired, he steals the power from your worlds God.

Or something.

 

[Shin Okada]

I guess the upcoming primal power will introduce some more muticlass feat for Shaman.

 

[FrozenChrono]

You could implement backgrounds and he could pick one that allows him to train the skill.

You may also want to take a look at skill based powers. They were released on the character builder recently and the heal skill would probably grant him access to some healing powers, then he could multi-class into whatever he wanted.

 

[Ryujin]

Atheism is also a "faith", especially in a world where the existence of god(s) can be demonstrated on a daily basis.

 

[Ulrik]

Atheism is also a "faith", especially in a world where the existence of god(s) can be demonstrated on a daily basis.

To not believe in something is the opposite of believing in something, or the opposite of faith if you will. In our world it's called atheism, in a D&D world it might be called wilful ignorance depending on how active the gods actually are.