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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AFGNCAAP" data-source="post: 1254917" data-attributes="member: 871">Quick question:Has anyone here used or allowed a player (or players) to start off with an NPC class?  For example, does one of the PCs in your game have some levels in Aristocrat, Expert, or Commoner?  Did a PC start off as a Warrior, then switched over to a Fighter?  Does a PC dabble in some hedge-wizardry or other obscure/local tradition, and have levels of Adept?First, I was wondering how well the Aristocrat NPC class works alongside core PC classes (is it weaker or on par?).  Could a PC work advancing primarily (if not solely) in this class?Second, I was considering a potential character creation option.  Normally, I only allow players to select races with +0 level adjustment (i.e., humans, high elves, hill/mountain dwarves, rock gnomes, lightfoot halflings, goblins, kobolds, etc.).  However, I was contemplating allowing players to be able to select races with a +1 level adjustment or higher, just as long as said race doesn't have any starting hit dice, skill points, & other class features as part of the race (thus, a aasimar & drow are fair game, but bugbears & lizardmen aren't).However, the catch is that if a player selects one of these races with a +1 or greater level adjustment, players who chose a +0 level adjustment race would get to make up the difference in levels.  But, since the race selected doesn't provide bonus hit dice, skill points, or the like, I was thinking that the other PCs would have a level or more in an NPC class(es), plus 1 level in their starting (core PC) class.For example:A party consists of a drow rogue, an aasimar monk, a human fighter, a halfling sorcerer, a half-orc ranger, and a gnome druid.  (Since I can't recall for sure, let's say for sake of the example that the drow has a +2 level adjustment, and the aasimar has a +1 level adjustment).The drow is a 1st level rogue, but a 3rd level character (1 PC class, +2 racial = 3 char.).The aasimar monk, if starting at 1st level in his class, would be a 2nd level character (1 PC class, +1 racial = 2 char.).  So, he's allowed to make up the difference with a level in a NPC class.  He takes adept, so now he's a 3rd level character (1 PC class, 1 NPC class, +1 racial = 3 char.).The human, halfling, half-orc, and gnome would all be 1st level in their class, and thus be 1st level characters (1 PC class, +0 racial = 1 char.).  They get to make up the difference with 2 levels in an NPC class.  Each of them do, so now they're 3rd level characters (1 PC class, 2 NPC class, +0 racial = 3 char.).  The human has 2 levels of aristocrat, then a level of fighter (child of a minor noble); the halfling has 2 levels of commoner, then a level of sorcerer (was a farmhand); the half-orc has 2 levels of warrior, then a level of ranger (was a guard/mercenary); and the gnome has 2 levels of expert, then a level of druid (was an alchemist).All in all, each one of the PCs is a 3rd level character, though their abilities vary, and are all beginners in their adventuring (PC) classes.I think be something about NPC classes that I may be missing (can't say for sure what, though--I think it may be about ECL for NPCs vs. ECL for PCs).I'd appreciate any info/advice/comments/critiques/etc. that you can provide.</blockquote>

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