D&D 5E Archetype-Multiclass option initial concept
- Thread starter DND_Reborn
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DND_Reborn
The High Aldwin
I've thought of doing it, but it would be a nightmare to build considering all the classes, subclasses, and features thus involved. I would have to decide what cost would go with what ability, etc., and it would be too prone to abusive min-maxing in general for my tastes.
Which is sad because I do like a lot of game with "points" that you can use to improve whatever you want when you earn them (via level or as a reward similar to XP).
Maybe I'll try it over the winter holidays when I have more time off from work...
Yaarel
🇮🇱 🇺🇦 He-Mage
Take a look at the following schedule.
• Gain new class features at every odd level
• Gain new feats at every fourth level (usable for ability improvement)
• Gain new race features, and new background/skill features, at every eighth level, respectively.
• Notice the zero levels setting up all of the features of a level 1 character
Note, the zero-level feat is special, and is specifically used for the special race feature (such as Eladrin Feystep). For Human, the feat is actually a choice of feat.
The schedule keeps race a relevant choice, and allows players to play more powerful races and monsters, whose powers become available at appropriate levels.
At higher levels, the Background eventually allows a player to have the character gain henchmen, build an army, start a business, run a Wizard academy, and so on. This helps express connectivity to what is going on in-world.
Class features can alternate between base class features and archetype features. Archetype features might swap in multiclass features, prestige-esque class features, and so on.
EVERY LEVEL LIVES! THERE ARE NO DEAD LEVELS!
• Gain new class features at every odd level
• Gain new feats at every fourth level (usable for ability improvement)
• Gain new race features, and new background/skill features, at every eighth level, respectively.
• Notice the zero levels setting up all of the features of a level 1 character
Note, the zero-level feat is special, and is specifically used for the special race feature (such as Eladrin Feystep). For Human, the feat is actually a choice of feat.
The schedule keeps race a relevant choice, and allows players to play more powerful races and monsters, whose powers become available at appropriate levels.
At higher levels, the Background eventually allows a player to have the character gain henchmen, build an army, start a business, run a Wizard academy, and so on. This helps express connectivity to what is going on in-world.
Class features can alternate between base class features and archetype features. Archetype features might swap in multiclass features, prestige-esque class features, and so on.
EVERY LEVEL LIVES! THERE ARE NO DEAD LEVELS!
| L | RACE | FEAT | BACKGROUND | CLASS |
0a | Race | |||
0b | Class, Basic (Archetype) | |||
0c | Feat | |||
0d | Class, Basic | |||
0e | Background | |||
1 | Class, Basic (Archetype) | |||
2 | Feat | |||
3 | Class, Basic | |||
4 | Race | |||
5 | Class, Expert (Archetype) | |||
6 | Feat | |||
7 | Class, Expert | |||
8 | Background | |||
9 | Class, Expert (Archetype) | |||
10 | Feat | |||
11 | Class, Expert | |||
12 | Race | |||
13 | Class, Master (Archetype) | |||
14 | Feat | |||
15 | Class, Master | |||
16 | Background | |||
17 | Class, Master (Archetype) | |||
18 | Feat | |||
19 | Class, Master | |||
20 | Race | |||
21 | Class, Immortal (Archetype) | |||
22 | Feat | |||
23 | Class, Immortal | |||
24 | Background |
Last edited:
Tales and Chronicles
Jewel of the North, formerly know as vincegetorix
I'd play that game.
...Depending of what you do with the cleric an the bard
But seriously, this look a lot like character progression in Shadow of the Demon Lord. Maybe if you split the big feats into smaller ones and shorten the racial features at level 1 (and racial feats) to spread them across 4 levels, you could have enough different feats to build a working 5e variant.
You could even steal racial and background features from PF2 and SotDL.
DND_Reborn
The High Aldwin
Oh it would definitely be a Herculean task - at that point, you may as well just craft your own game system from scratch since that's basically what you'd be doing anyway. At least then you could sell it.
I started making a game with a friend, Joe, about 20 years ago, called Mortality. We spent a few years on it, got pretty far really. We had our own magic system which was extremely flexible (players crafted their OWN spells!). Magic was difficult to accomplish, but the really hard stuff was really powerful. But, we called it Mortality because it could be very lethal--a single unlucky hit could kill your PC. You had to play smart and be realistic. It wasn't the type of game where you approach near-demigod like abilities.
Any game I made would NOT be a leveled game. You would get points for accomplishing goals, role-playing, etc. similar to XP, which you could spend to improve whatever you wanted (ability scores, skills, combat, spell-casting, resistances, etc.).
DND_Reborn
The High Aldwin
While I am not sold on the racial feats/feature advance, I do think a standard template for feature acquisition is nice. Still, I would give such a system a try.
GlassJaw
Hero
I'm a huge fan of point-buy/a la carte chargen systems. It would require a lot of work of course but I believe that it would work fairly well with the 5E core mechanic and balance.
That said, I try to keep potential publishing in mind while I design and generic classes is too far of a departure from core D&D. It also brings up a lot of unforseen and cascading issues that need to be addressed.
dagger
Adventurer
Thank you for the thorough reviewIt is pretty basic and follows a lot of the accepted ideas for old-school multiclassing in 5E.
It isn't far off from where we began, either, but we noticed some issues and decided to do things differently as my post earlier shows. First, it isn't clear from this if you would get two feats if your character was say a Cleric 4/ Ranger 4. Do you get a feat for both classes or ASIs? I wouldn't do that.
Certain things, like Unarmored Defense for Monks and Barbarians, we still allow to stack even though this goes directly against 5E. It really is not subject to abuse unless you are geared for it, and then it is your "thing" so we are ok with it being good. We still don't stack Extra Attack, however, due to the obvious issues that could cause.
We also use spell points now, and you have a single pool. So, if you have multiple spellcasting classes, like my Cleric/Rogue/Wizard I was playing, I cast both cleric and wizard spells using the same pool of spell points.
If you followed that, you would probably be ok. I will warn you that you might run into the HP issue as we did depending on how your DM runs things. I'll give you a concrete example to explain the problem.
Let's say you have 80000 XP for an 11th level Fighter. You have a CON 16. Taking average hp would give you:
13 (level 1) + 10 * 9 = 103 hp.
Now, take the same 80000 XP between 2 classes, Cleric and Fighter for 8/8 levels. Same CON 16. The article you reference says to use the fighter d10, so taking average hp gives:
13 (level 1) * 7 * 9 = 76 hp.
Those extra 27 hp matter A LOT! (Of course, right?)
Imagine your DM creates encounters as if you were 11th level due to your XP. Well, you might have enough power and options do deal with it, but you might not have enough HP to survie it. Go the other way and your DM thinks of you as 8th level. Now, your hp match ok, but you have way too much power and options and encounters are too easy.
Anyway, if you have any other questions or concerns, let me know and others might chime in.
FrogReaver
The most respectful and polite poster ever
I loathe such systems.
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