No Multiclassing in my campaign - a problem?

[elwynbdas]

I don't allow multiclassing in my campaign, but I've been thinking perhaps it creates a balance problem in the long run. Any opinions?


And also, can anyone tell me how to find the Unofficial Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Info Page?
When I click on the link http://www.enworld.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=319 it redirects me to the main page http://www.enworld.org/forum/index.php?page=4e
I know that the Info Page does exist, because late at night when the server seems to go through some testing the page is right there, with all the interesting info. Please help! Thanks.

 

[billd91]

I don't allow multiclassing in my campaign, but I've been thinking perhaps it creates a balance problem in the long run. Any opinions?

Depends. Why are you not allowing multiclassing? Multiclassing allows PCs to pick up some of the slack if they find that they are too light in a particular role with their initial composition. If the party composition is well planned out in the first place, I doubt removing multiclassing would be a balance problem. I'm just not sure what ends are served by doing so.

 

[Alabast]

EDIT: Never mind, I misread your initial post.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

Meaning no disprespect, for you to disallow multiclassing makes no more sense than to disallow Paladins, or Spiked Chains or Kobolds or Sunrods -- but no less, either.

If you have a good, setting-based rationale, and your players are cool with it, then we at ENWorld have no right or reason to differ.

If you believe that multiclassing is unbalanced or too complex to manage or just aesthetically "wrong", that's okay too -- as long as your players don't mind.

But there should be *some* reason to take away a player option, and you haven't told us what it is. Maybe a little hint? Do I see the letter B, or maybe a P?

 

[elwynbdas]

If you believe that multiclassing is unbalanced or too complex to manage or just aesthetically "wrong", that's okay too -- as long as your players don't mind.

But there should be *some* reason to take away a player option, and you haven't told us what it is. Maybe a little hint? Do I see the letter B, or maybe a P?

these are my reasons:
- yes, the game is already complex enough with all the choices. Not everybody is so much into the game - all my players are virgins! I think D&D is an extremely complicated game. Introducing new players is very tough! I didn't ever bother telling my players to read the rule book and make educated choices themselves. This will come once I got them hooked through the awe I (hopefully) create during the game, and after they understood all the confusing combat options and power choices. Tonight is our 4th session, and hopefully they'll slay the dragon, haha.
- I personally prefer distinguishable hero classes - fighter, cleric, etc. It's already possible without multiclassing to play around, like building a war wizard. So yes, I think it's aesthetically wrong in a way. However, I might change my mind with the next campaign.

Please can

 

[Jhaelen]

You should be fine. I cannot think of any problems except with players who feel they cannot properly implement their character concepts without multi-classing. And I'd expect these to be rare.

 

[ulrikbb]

Is it not so that people around here agree that multiclassing actually weakens your characters? If that is so, not multiclassing is a choice that will eventually spread and be the norm rather than the exception, so your party shouldn't turn that different?

Like you, I have yet to introduce multiclassing to my group - they are just learning 4E, and multiclassing seemed to me like something I could put on the bottom of my list of prioritized things to learn my party.

 

[Anguirus]

I don't really follow the OPs logic. If your players are new to the game, odds are they won't even ask about multiclassing. If they do as, you can just say "multiclassing is very different from in 3E and it involves a series of feats."

If they insist on wanting to multiclass, you have two choices. You can either hit them with the "NO" hammer or the two of you can look at the multiclassing section in the PHB and talk it out.

I know which of those choices, as a DM, that I would take. If I wanted to avoid multiclassing in the game I would ask my players not to multiclass, but if they insisted then I wouldn't throw them out of the game over wanting to do something that's in the core rules.

If you're concerned about balance, I wouldn't be. The benefits from MCing are fairly minor, essentially trading raw power for versatility. The average person is not going to break the game while multiclassing. Even the optimizer usually only uses MCing to grab a skill, or get a Ranger into the Pit Fighter path, or something like that.

 

[FadedC]

these are my reasons:
- yes, the game is already complex enough with all the choices. Not everybody is so much into the game - all my players are virgins! I think D&D is an extremely complicated game. Introducing new players is very tough! I didn't ever bother telling my players to read the rule book and make educated choices themselves. This will come once I got them hooked through the awe I (hopefully) create during the game, and after they understood all the confusing combat options and power choices. Tonight is our 4th session, and hopefully they'll slay the dragon, haha.
- I personally prefer distinguishable hero classes - fighter, cleric, etc. It's already possible without multiclassing to play around, like building a war wizard. So yes, I think it's aesthetically wrong in a way. However, I might change my mind with the next campaign.

Please can

Multiclassing is very different in 4e then in 3e. It's no longer so complicated and it no longer changes your character around so much that he's no longer a fighter, cleric etc. As a result I wouldn't say any of the reasons you give are really good reasons to forbid it.

But....if you really want to forbid it, it shouldn't cause any serious problems with game balance.

 

[Dausuul]

Is it not so that people around here agree that multiclassing actually weakens your characters? If that is so, not multiclassing is a choice that will eventually spread and be the norm rather than the exception, so your party shouldn't turn that different?

Don't know about that. Multiclassing weakens you in terms of raw power, true, because it sucks up a lot of feats which you could otherwise use to layer bonuses and special benefits on your main class. On the other hand, it also gives you flexibility which can be very useful if your party is missing one of the four roles (as so many parties are), or if you want to make sure you have backup. Multiclassing cleric or warlord, for example, is a great way to get a bit of extra healing in case the party leader goes down.