Multi-classing, yay or nay?

[Plane Sailing]

I prefer classless systems.

In class systems I like multiclassing rules because it greatly broadens the space of interesting archetypes that can be played.

 

[Pilgrim]

Nay.

 

[El Mahdi]

Multi-classing as a predominantly roleplaying tool - Yay.

Muti-classing solely as an optimization tool - Nay.

 

[Sammael]

Multi-classing as a predominantly roleplaying tool - Yay.

Muti-classing solely as an optimization tool - Nay.

"You must spread some experience..." etc.

My view exactly.

 

[Traveon Wyvernspur]

It doesn't bother me to have it in the game, I think in 10+ years of playing through all the editions that I've only ever multi-classed one time. I don't think it breaks the game mechanics, but it does add flavor so that players can feel free to get "into" their characters more.

 

[Mark CMG]

Similar to my other thread about miniatures, should RPGs offer multi-classing or is it something players can do without?

I think this is going to be obvious, but hey, it's worth asking.

Class systems struggle to present options for multi-faceted characters. An RPG needs a looser format than most class systems to really portray characters with a braoder set of abilities without sacrificing other important elements of the game.

 

[IronWolf]

Multi-classing as a predominantly roleplaying tool - Yay.

Muti-classing solely as an optimization tool - Nay.

Yeah, this echoes my thoughts on it for the most part.

 

[Summer-Knight925]

No hate here, just a question:

Do your Elves not have deities? Because if they do, then it's only logical those deities are going to support priests. Elven priests.

Suggestion, if you want to try something a bit more unusual: Elves cannot be warriors. They win their battles by guile, spell, and stealth...

Lanefan

They do not have 'gods' like dwarves do (Dwarven Priests are very common)

Instead they focus more on the 'natural power' (arcane magic is perceived as left over energy from when the multiverse was created, rather than divine which is straight up gifted by divine powers) and heroes of the past. Elven 'priests' are usually wizards (the mage/wizard split is small, but the wizard focuses on writings [scrolls and books]) who keep detailed libraries of the elven past.

remember, the classes are how the humans would see them, the only actual difference between the priest and the mage is how they get their magic...that and priests get the holy symbol (unique power, similar to channel positive energy from PF but less energy, more faith)

It's the 4 basic 'roles' (Combat, Skills, controller and buffer) that these classes cover, granted going into certain sub-classes can offer certain changes, like the cleric (sub-class of priest) has better combat but less spells, meanwhile the druid (sub-class of priest) gives up the holy symbol for more spells...meanwhile the knight (sub-class of warrior) focuses on defense and the beserker (sub-class of warrior) is offensive.

the only time it isn't clear cut is with the thief, with the two sub-groups the thief can be straight thief (burglar, rogue, whatever you wan't to call it) and focus on the thief skills (we all know those skills), be an assassin and focus on stealth and something similar to sneak attack, meanwhile the ranger is less about finding traps and picking locks and more about guerrilla combat, but also can track. Again, very basic, but again, if you choose a sub-class you cannot multiclass, and even then mutliclassing increase the XP required for the next level (but so does being any sub-class, so its more of being a base class is easier to level up)

again, it seems loopy now only because I'm babbling

 

[delericho]

I think a class-based game requires not only multiclassing, but also some retraining mechanism allowing a character to swap out classes as they evolve.

Even if the system could write a class for every archetype (it can't) and every combination of archetypes (it can't), it still wouldn't realistically be able to do "this much of X with that much of Y" - there are just too many combinations.

Witness Conan's evolution: Barbarian -> Thief -> Fighter -> King. Try writing a single class to cover that!

 

[ExploderWizard]

I ask because I am working on creating a game and the classes are very basic..but I have an idea

there are four classes (warrior, mage, thief, priest)

but each has 2 separate 'sub-classes' (warrior=Knight and Beserker, mage=wizard and warlock, thief=ranger and assassin, preist=druid and cleric)

you can only multiclass if you choose a basic class (warrior/mage/thief/priest) AND you can only choose 1 class

now of the four races (again, basic races) elves and dwarves have restrictions for class, elves cannot be priests and dwarves cannot be mages

obviously humans can be whatever (one of their strengths is adaptability) and the other race 'little-folk' represent hobbits and halflings and gnomes...a restriction didn't seem right

but these are just my thoughts, I'll probably get hated on for them

This is somewhat similar to what I'm doing with a project.

3 classes: Fighter, Magic User, Cleric

Fighter specializations: Soldier, Knight, Barbarian, Swashbuckler, Marksman

Magic User specializations: Mage, Illusionist, Necromancer

Cleric specializations: Priest, Druid, Paladin

Multiclassing- Yes. A character can have levels in one two or all 3 classes. All levels in a class must be from the same specialization.