Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hashmalum" data-source="post: 1767720" data-attributes="member: 9450">I'm planning on using the "Reducing Level Adjustment" variant rule in Unearthed Arcana (pp. 18-19). While reviewing the rule recently, I came up with an odd idea to help out PCs with "suboptimal" multiclass combinations that I'd like feedback on: allowing characters to "buy off" levels in classes that are considered "nonassociated" (as per 3.5E Monster Manual p. 294), as if they were a level adjustment. After making the XP payment as per Unearthed Arcana, the character will keep all the benefits of the nonassociated class level, but their ECL will drop by one (which introduces the oddity of negative LA). I'll give a couple of examples of how this would work:Example #1: A PC starts off as 1st level elven wizard, but after having one too many near-death experiences caused by low hit points and no armor, decides to gain his next level as a fighter to increase his survivability. The PC decides based on the experience that a more violent and combative style of play is more to his taste, so he takes 2 more fighter levels. At this point, he is a wizard 1/fighter 3, and becomes eligible to buy off his nonassociated class (wizard, in this case). He pays 3,000 XP to drop his ECL to 3. His character level remains 4, and his LA is therefore -1(!).Example #2: A character starts off as a 2nd-level NPC human warrior hired by the PC group. In the course of play, the NPC's personality becomes further developed, and the NPC becomes an ally of the PCs. The NPC then gains levels as a fighter, under the instruction of a PC fighter. Because warrior is an NPC class, it is always considered a nonassociated class, so the character can buy off its warrior levels. Consulting table 1-1 in the UA and treating the  2 levels of warrior as LA +2, we see that the character will first become eligible to do this after 6 levels of fighter. At warrior 2/fighter 6, the character pays (ECL - 1) * 1,000 XP: 7,000 XP in this case. The character's level is still 8, but ECL becomes 7 (and LA becomes -1). At warrior 2/fighter 9, the character can pay an additional 9,000 XP to drop ECL to 9 (and LA to -2)--but no further buy-offs are possible, since all nonassociated class levels have been paid off.So, what do you think? Too good? Or too costly, or too complicated, for too little reward?</blockquote>

Verification