Rules Misunderstandings Over The Years

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

When I started playing D&D (2nd Ed.) a guy in one of my classes helped me make my first character. Multiclassing (or was it dual classing?) sounded cool, so I decided to play a multiclassed gnome Rogue/Illusionist. I followed his instructions because he was a seasoned D&D player. He basically created my character as a gestalt character with the best elements from both classes. None of the other players in my group ever tried a multiclassed character so I never learned about my error until years after 3rd Ed. when I looked through the 2nd Ed. rules for nostalgia.

Apart from HP rolls (which you average), isn't that basically how 2E Multiclassing works?

 

[shadzar]

Once had someone try to tell me the spell progression charts were cumulative. So a Wizard/10 wouldn't have 4 1st level spells but 4+4+4+4+4+4+3+2+2+1 1st level spells.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

I'm being chased through city streets by half-orcs. I nip down an alley and create the illusion of a doorway at the dead end. Then I try to - oh, this is so embarrassing - go through the door.

You didn't mention race. I'm betting you were playing either an anthropomorphic coyote or desert bird.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Apart from HP rolls (which you average), isn't that basically how 2E Multiclassing works?

I'm not all that familiar with gestalt rules, but in a lot of ways AD&D multiclassing made you adhere to the worst -- or at least most restrictive -- drawbacks of a class. I was under the impression gestalt pretty much gave you the best of everything.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I'm not all that familiar with gestalt rules, but in a lot of ways AD&D multiclassing made you adhere to the worst -- or at least most restrictive -- drawbacks of a class. I was under the impression gestalt pretty much gave you the best of everything.

In some cases, yes - but in many (most?), I don't think so. Ferinstance, the gnome Thief 1 / Illusionist 1 would get (1d6 + Con + 1d4 + Con) /2 starting HP, and would, I think, be limited in his casting ability should he ever put on armor*, but would take the best THACO of the two, the best save in each category, etc.

I'm pretty sure he'd get all the normal thief skills a Thief 1 would start out with, he'd just increase them more slowly (since his XP would be divided in half).

He'd, IIRC, hit Thief 2 before he hit Illusionist 2 (the specifics of the XP tables escape my memory, but I remember Thief being the fastest-rising class), at which point he'd get (1d6 + Con) / 2 HP and improve his thief skills like any other Thief 2 - he'd just be doing so an adventure behind the human Thief 2 (who was probably a Thief 3 at this point).

He might be limited to using Illusionist weapon choices, maybe? But a F/MU can certainly use a sword, so I think that restriction only applies to Druids.

Anyway, woohoo 2nd Ed!

* F/MUs can get around some of this, I think, especially with Elven Chain, but my 2ed PHB's at home.

 

[Ranes]

But your 2e anthropomorphic coyote Thief/Illusionist could pass through his own illusionary doorway, right?

Right?

Dammit!

 

[Jeff Wilder]

But your 2e anthropomorphic coyote Thief/Illusionist could pass through his own illusionary doorway, right?

Right?

Dammit!

MEEP, MEEP! Zooooooom.

 

[Almacov]

When first starting to run 3rd edition, I couldn't figure out AoO-free five foot steps.

The biggest point of confusion was the idea that they could only be taken in conjunction with a full round attack. Rather than puzzling that out, I let my players take them as move actions countless times, until it became taken for granted to the point that every DM I introduced the game to adjudicated them the same way.

(I assume I'm not alone in doing that though, given how they now work in 4e...)

EDIT: I'm paging through my 3rd edition PHB right now... there's a lot I either ignored or had forgotten about. Partial actions? What?!?

Ah, so those were eliminated with 3.5... Paging through the 3.5 PHB...
5-foot steps! Page 144... I'd been reading the rules wrong (neglecting to read them carefully?) the whole time! Delightful! = P

Okay, so my failure to read a paragraph was remedied by doing the sensible thing... which happened to be what the paragraph I failed to read would have told me to do anyway. Ah...

I have a newfound eagerness to discover what else I've been an idiot about.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

But your 2e anthropomorphic coyote Thief/Illusionist could pass through his own illusionary doorway, right?

No, but Steam Golems could pass through from the other side / nondimensional illusory-created demiplane.

 

[Gryph]

I'm not all that familiar with gestalt rules, but in a lot of ways AD&D multiclassing made you adhere to the worst -- or at least most restrictive -- drawbacks of a class. I was under the impression gestalt pretty much gave you the best of everything.

Only where a restriction was considered class defining. Forex, a multiclass with thief had to wear no better than leather to use his thief abilities and druids are still restricted to no metal and few weapons.

Largely, it was a best of both classes situation with xp split and averaged hit points.