D&D (2024) Change multiclassing prerequisites?

[Vaalingrade]

I mean, yea. But I don't think removing ability scores is going to fly.

I'm not so much saying that, is that they should offer a way to change the ability keying.

A Dance bard that uses their dex to shake that thang. A Con wizard who is casting from their vitality, An INT-barian who is wrecking folks by being the RDJ Sherlock Holmes. The list goes on of the concepts that are needlessly locked out.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Which brings up the question of why classes are hard coded to certain stats at all. All it does is get int he way and cause MAD.

The most simplistic answer is that they are trying to make the theming and story of the Class system have meaning. So for instance, the story of those who become Wizards are the smart little boys and girls, and it's the ones that didn't have the intellect to learn how to spellcast via wizardry are the ones that had to go make deals with extra-dimensional beings to get magic and become Warlocks (for example).

I think Classes exist in the game to present story in the world, not just be piles of flavorless mechanics upon which to create whatever character a person wants and can do and be anything they can be. There are other games that allow for that, but they're aren't D&D.

Now granted I'm most definitely a proponent of taking Classes and changing the story of them, and refluffing them etc. on an individual player and table basis... but I have no illusions that this is something to be (or will be) done across the board as the default in the game for every player out there. It's great for players who want something different that one special time, but it's not a baseline foundation of D&D.

 

[Vaalingrade]

The most simplistic answer is that they are trying to make the theming and story of the Class system have meaning. So for instance, the story of those who become Wizards are the smart little boys and girls, and it's the ones that didn't have the intellect to learn how to spellcast via wizardry are the ones that had to go make deals with extra-dimensional beings to get magic and become Warlocks (for example).

Ah, so something that should be discarded at first opportunity.

I think Classes exist in the game to present story in the world, not just be piles of flavorless mechanics upon which to create whatever character a person wants and can do and be anything they can be. There are other games that allow for that, but they're aren't D&D.

Then again, maybe D&D should not tell people they can be whatever they want with infinite imagination and instead that you can be what the designers and old guys who got to be what they wanted back in the day and don't so much like your purple tiefling tell you you can be.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Ah, so something that should be discarded at first opportunity.

Then again, maybe D&D should not tell people they can be whatever they want with infinite imagination and instead that you can be what the designers and old guys who got to be what they wanted back in the day and don't so much like your purple tiefling tell you you can be.

Does any of that really matter? Does anyone actually get bent out of shape when they pick up D&D under the idea that they've been told they can be anything they want, but then discover the rulebooks only give them certain things they can be?

It's easy enough to suggest there's this huge swathe of the playerbase who feel like they've been sold a false bill of goods on what D&D is... but I have a sneaking suspicion it isn't nearly as big of a deal or as prominent an idea as might be suggested.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Does any of that really matter? Does anyone actually get bent out of shape when they pick up D&D under the idea that they've been told they can be anything they want, but then discover the rulebooks only give them certain things they can be?

YES!

I've had so many people walk back in college in 3e specifically because of the dumbass class alignment restrictions.

It's easy enough to suggest there's this huge swathe of the playerbase who feel like they've been sold a false bill of goods on what D&D is... but I have a sneaking suspicion it isn't nearly as big of a deal or as prominent an idea as might be suggested.

It doesn't matter if it's a 'huge swathe' or not if people are pushing for it to be a false bill of goods. Wrong is wrong.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Then again, maybe D&D should not tell people they can be whatever they want with infinite imagination and instead that you can be what the designers and old guys who got to be what they wanted back in the day and don't so much like your purple tiefling tell you you can be.

Seems like you're attempting to address something else here...

 

[Corinnguard]

Does any of that really matter? Does anyone actually get bent out of shape when they pick up D&D under the idea that they've been told they can be anything they want, but then discover the rulebooks only give them certain things they can be?

It's easy enough to suggest there's this huge swathe of the playerbase who feel like they've been sold a false bill of goods on what D&D is... but I have a sneaking suspicion it isn't nearly as big of a deal or as prominent an idea as might be suggested.

It probably doesn't matter because if you look at the material carefully and thoughtfully, you can create something that will satisfy you when you are playing your character.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Seems like you're attempting to address something else here...

Like the post I was responding to possibly?

 

[CreamCloud0]

when multiclassing i think, however it gets implemented, i think you shouldn't get a second subclass's abilities, multiclassing should focus on giving you the general core class fantasy of your multiclass.

 

[Corinnguard]

Then again, maybe D&D should not tell people they can be whatever they want with infinite imagination and instead that you can be what the designers and old guys who got to be what they wanted back in the day and don't so much like your purple tiefling tell you you can be.

Where exactly does D&D tell people they can be whatever they want to be with their imagination?