D&D 3E/3.5 3e multiclassing on 4e math

[Vespucci]

I think my italics went wide.

Thanks for the explanation of your distinction between "build" and "pick". I think it's a useful way of thinking about characters. My term "develop" isn't so helpful.

What I'm opposed to is something shared by 3.X and 4e - that a player can sit down and draw out their character a priori, without a die being rolled in anger. (Indeed, it's often the case that they can do this without a die being rolled at all.) This seems like the complement of the ref sitting down and drawing out their story a priori, which I also oppose.

Let's see if that analogy will run back the other way:

In a pulp adventure game, I think the ref should lay out a simple sketch of the initial setting (typically a village, or quarter of a city), plus an initial adventure site (usually The Dungeon), with some brief notes on what lies beyond. Doing more than that is a bad idea because it may be a waste of time (the game may be stillborn, or the characters might go off in an unanticipated direction).

So, for the player, they need a simple sketch of the initial character (name, physical appearance, a defining character trait or two) and an initial adventure mechanic (fighting man, magic user, etc.). It's not helpful to plan out another 19 or 39 levels of experience, because the game might die, or go in an unexpected direction.

The big problem is: if you want to keep character optimization around (and it is an accepted part of the hobby now), there have to be development choices. Finding a good place for it in the rules, that still reflects the D&D heritage - that's a good design puzzle.

 

[AeroDm]

Here is the general class format that I am using to build the classes. There is a table in this link that helps visualize how these work together across levels, but it can be pretty easily understood without the table. I guess what I'm looking for in addition to a general critique is if you think it provides enough new abilities across levels to keep people's attention, if the progression *feels* right, and similar feedback.
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• Ten levels. All base classes are ten levels. It is challenging to make them longer than 10 but certainly easy to introduce less than 10-level classes (i.e. prestige classes would be incredibly simple to add).
• [Class] prowess. All base classes have a [class] prowess that begins at +1 and increases every level thereafter. Prowess dictates the rate at which a lot of powers increase in power. Because prowess is correlated to how many levels of a particular class you have, a Fighter 8 is more powerful as a fighter than a Barbarian 4/Fighter 4. They may have access to the identical power, but the Fighter 8 is *better* at that power than the multi-class fighter. This rewards pure-class builds and ensures that level increases bring exciting improvements to the character *without* having to balloon the number of options so high as to become unwieldy.
• Class abilities. At first *character* level, characters gain all the listed starting feats, three affinities, and several class powers. If a character later multi-classes, at first *class* level they gain a single starting feat and no additional affinities. If a starting feat grants an additional affinity, that affinity may be taken from any class list in which the character has levels. The first level of any class also confers several powers: a combat hook, a flavor hook, and a stock.
• Combat hook. The combat hook is a significant power obtained at first level that remains relevant throughout play and helps define the class. The combat hook ensures that even at level one, the class feels like the class. Many powers available at later levels will expand upon or improve the combat hook. The combat hook typically costs an Action Point (AP). This is to ensure not only that first level characters have interesting things to spend AP on, but also that multiclassing early on (since you accrue more AP as you increase in total level) spreads the character thin.
• Flavor hook. The flavor hook is a secondary power that supports the feel of the class but doesn’t define it as readily as the combat hook. That isn’t to say that the flavor hook can’t be powerful, it is just less frequent.
• Class score. The remaining powers, stocks and trades, can only be selected if the class score meets or exceeds the requisite level. A class score is equal to ½ character level + class prowess. So our Ftr8 above has a class score of 8 and can take any stock or trade of 8 or lower. Our Barb4/Ftr4 has a class score of 6 and can take any stock or trade of 6 or lower. The class score, again, rewards pure classes with greater access but also recognizes that a Barb10 is not properly compensated by first level powers if he multiclasses.
• Stocks. Stock powers are received at every odd class level and two are selected at 9th level as a sort of reward for sticking to the class throughout. Stock powers provide access to the sort of stock bonuses that the base math presumes: defenses, hit points, surges, and, to a lesser extent, attacks. The neat thing about stocks is that they let you customize your character. If you want to focus disproportionately on defense, go for it. Would rather be a hit point machine, the tools are there. You have to make tradeoffs and decide your vision for the character because you only improve in one area at a time.
• Trades. Trades are powers received at every even character level. At level two, you gain only a single trade in part to balance the fact that classes are frontloaded but also to be a slight deterrent to multiclassing too heavily. At level four and beyond two trades are gained. Trades grant unique attacks (similar to 4e powers), improve existing attacks, improve or broaden the combat hook, or really do anything. They are the core method by which exciting actions are introduced to the game. Their closest analogue is probably a 3e class power—you can pretty much just write up whatever neat thing you want; it’ll work. One prevailing trend, though, is that trades confer bonuses at two general frequencies: the first is substantial bonuses that increase at class score 1, 7, 12, and 15. These correlate *character* levels 1, 7, 14, 20 for a pure class character. The second frequency is for lesser bonuses that increase by class prowess. “Lesser bonuses” refer to things like bonus damage. This has the interesting interplay that a Barbarian 14 could multiclass into fighter and begin play with a class score of 7+, thereby jumping to the second tier right away. However, his Fighter Prowess would still be +1 and so other abilities are powerful.
• General notes on complexity. Most stocks are “static” meaning they are just recorded on the character sheet and don’t interfere with play. The character is better or has some new ability, but they aren’t triggered or difficult to remember. About 50% of trades are also static (although you could decide to select none). As a result, player can decide how many options they want to balance during play and customize the complexity of their play experience.