Multiclassing: no at-will powers?

[BigCat]

Is there no way to use multi-classing to get another class' at-will powers? I see the feats for daily, encounter, and utility powers. Is this a design choice (and if so, why?)? I'd like to make a charisma-based warlord and I thought I'd nab some of the paladin's CHA based attacks...

 

[Andur]

Paragon Path Multiclass route grants daily...

 

[Kordeth]

If you choose the Paragon multiclassing option (give up a paragon path to get more multiclassing options), you get to swap one of your at-will powers from your main class with one from your multiclass.

 

[JohnSnow]

Is there no way to use multi-classing to get another class' at-will powers? I see the feats for daily, encounter, and utility powers. Is this a design choice (and if so, why?)? I'd like to make a charisma-based warlord and I thought I'd nab some of the paladin's CHA based attacks...

Other than the aforementioned Paragon Multiclassing option, there is no way to get access to another class's at-will power, save the half-elf racial feature that lets you take it as a per-encounter power.

And yes, to answer your question, it is a design choice. Restricting at-will powers to people who start in that class preserves the "specialness" of that class. Otherwise, you'd start having conceptual overlap and be at-risk for some pretty egregious cherry-picking of the best at-will powers. For instance, a fighter who multis to ranger to take Twin Strike is seriously starting to tread on the ranger's toes.

Of all the Paladin's at-will prayers, the only one you'd have any use for is Bolstering Strike. Enfeebling Strike requires you to be able to mark "at-will" to be truly useful, which is kind of a signature "Defender" thing.

Basically, multiclassing is intended to let you partially replicate another class's signature schtick, but not totally.

 

[blargney the second]

The first wizard multiclass feat gets you an at-will as an encounter power.

 

[JohnSnow]

The first wizard multiclass feat gets you an at-will as an encounter power.

True. I imagine that's because the wizard has no at-will class feature, but lots of powers, so they give you one of those instead. It seems like a fair deal, since that's the most "wizardly" of wizard abilities. Although the cantrips woulda been nice...

[OFF-TOPIC]
By the way, while looking into this, I figured out at least a couple examples where some of the so-called "redundant" feat requirements actually come into play.

For instance, Second Implement requires the "Arcane Implement Mastery" class feature as well as "Wizard" strictly to prevent characters who take the Arcane Initiate feat from getting it. Otherwise, a multiclass wizard could master an implement.

Likewise, Elven Precision requires the elven accuracy racial power as well as "Elf" to make it off limits to half-elves, who could otherwise take it. And get a bonus to a power they lack.

As people have said, I think they exist for "forward compatibility."
[/OFF-TOPIC]