BCL - an idea for multiclassed spellcasters

[Thanee]

Why not add a BCL (Base Caster Level) to every class, which adds up like the BAB and results in the caster level for every spellcasting class?

BCL = Ftr BAB for bards, clerics, druids, sorcerers and wizards;
BCL = Clr BAB for paladins and rangers;
BCL = Wiz BAB for barbarians, fighters, monks and rogues.

This does introduce some changes, like a cleric 1 / wizard X would have full caster level for both classes, or a paladin have a higher caster level (3/4 instead of 1/2) than normal.

What do you think?

Maybe it should be broken down into arcane (A-BCL) and divine (D-BCL) caster level?

Bye
Thanee

 

[hong]

There's something almost exactly like this in Unearthed Arcana.

 

[Li Shenron]

There's something almost exactly like this in Unearthed Arcana.

Magic Rating. It's something like 1/level for Wiz/Sor/Cle/Dru/Brd, 1/2levels Pal/Ran/Mon and 1/3levels Ftr/Brb/Rog but I am not sure.

Also suggests to divide between arcane and divine.

 

[Thanee]

Heh.

I'm not overly familiar with UA.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Vrecknidj]

Thanee,

I like your idea, and I do seem to recall something like it from the UA (as the others have said).

Maybe there should be some requirement that the BCL from the other classes doesn't add in unless the spellcasting class is the highest level class? That way a Sor4/Ftr2/Rog2/Bbn2 casts as a 7th level caster, but a Sor1/Ftr3/Rog3/Bbn3 doesn't cast as a 4th level caster.

I'm still up in the air about what to do with the arcane/divine split. I'm not of the mind that they should be totally separated, because the Wiz/Clr combination is just too weak as it is. But, arcane magic and divine magic do seem different enough that a Wiz5/Clr5 shouldn't cast as a 10th level caster in each.

I suppose what I should do is sit down with all the permutations of classes from the PHB (isn't that 11!--egad) and see what they look like with BCLs.

Dave

 

[Aaron2]

Why not add a BCL (Base Caster Level) to every class, which adds up like the BAB and results in the caster level for every spellcasting class?

The Unearthed Arcana rules (called Magic Rating BTW) give

+1 / 1 level in bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer or wizard
+1 / 2 levels in monk, paladin, or ranger.
+1 / 4 levels is barbarian, fighter and rogue.

They also talk about splitting the magic rating into an arcane and divine one.


Aaron

 

[CRGreathouse]

I suppose what I should do is sit down with all the permutations of classes from the PHB (isn't that 11!--egad) and see what they look like with BCLs.

No, I think it's just 2047 = 11C0 + 11C1 + ... + 11C10 + 11C11 - 1 (since you need to have at least one class). 11! would be 39 916 800, which is just way too high.

 

[Thanee]

The Unearthed Arcana rules (called Magic Rating BTW) give

+1 / 1 level in bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer or wizard
+1 / 2 levels in monk, paladin, or ranger.
+1 / 4 levels is barbarian, fighter and rogue.

They also talk about splitting the magic rating into an arcane and divine one.

Thank you.

That does look a bit low, tho. I feel a faster progression (like the one I was thinking of - 1/2 lvls for low and 3/4 lvls for moderate magic ability (tho, I'd rank the monk as low then, too - totally forgot about them )) is probably better.

And when splitting into arcane and divine, I'd just give everyone the "other" caster level at one step lower (1/1 -> 3/4 -> 1/2, 1/2 stays 1/2 of course), than their actual one.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Vrecknidj]

Okay, maybe a BACL and a BDCL.

BACL
Wizard, sorcerer, bard +1/level
Cleric, druid +1/2 levels
Ranger, paladin, monk +1/3 levels
Barbarian, fighter, rogue +1/4 levels

BADL
Cleric, druid +1/level
Wizard, sorcerer, bard, ranger, paladin +1/2 levels
Monk +1/3 levels
Barbarian, fighter, rogue +1/4 levels

I still want something in the system though that prevents a Clr1/Wiz1/Ftr16 from being a 5th level caster as both Clr and Wiz, it just doesn't seem right.

Dave

 

[Thanee]

Well, I don't see why it looks wrong?

Class levels related to arcane and divine casting are equal there.

I'd give them higher caster levels, tho (as above).

Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard A-BCL +1/lvl, D-BCL +0.75/lvl
Cleric, Druid D-BCL +1/lvl, A-BCL +0.75/lvl
Paladin, Ranger D-BCL +0.75/lvl, A-BCL +0.5/lvl
Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Rogue A-BCL / D-BCL +0.5/lvl

+1/lvl ~ as Ftr BAB
+0.75/lvl ~ as Clr BAB
+0.5/lvl ~ as Wiz BAB

Bye
Thanee