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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 5175269" data-attributes="member: 4937">My primary goal was not to provide for caster/caster progression but to provide for caster/non-caster progression.   In other words, I was much more concerned about providing for fighter/sorcerer, rogue/wizard, or rogue/cleric than I was about wizard/cleric etc.   In particular, high level spellcasters even single classed tend to push the boundaries of balance relative to non-spellcasters so doing things that encourage more self-reliance in spellcasters just wasn't a primary goal.Mystric Theurge is strongest if you take the 17/13 split.  Arguably, the most broken use of the feats I outlined is to take something like a 20/8 split, and the 17/11 MT like split is very close to the best MT can provide and in my opinion evened out by the other advantages of the approach.  Note for example that if you went 17/13 cleric/wizard in MT, you'd only turn as a 7th level cleric.  Using the feat tree you'd be turning as a 13th level cleric.   You also would have gotten back at least one feat spent from the Wizard's bonus feats.   Compared to MT, you can't get quite as many spells but its close.  You can however do somethings MT can't, namely get the full 20 level spell progression in your primary class and get full CL 20 with all your spells.  I believe that given all the considerations, the approach is comparable in power to any of the non-optimized, non-broken synergies provided by WotC.  Compared to MT, you are perhaps slightly weaker at 20th level, but for anything under 15th level or so, you are probably slightly more powerful than MT.  IMO the feats are most strong relative to MT when you are in the 'sweetspot' of 3rd to 13th level which is really what I care about the most, since rarely do I play at higher level.  Most of all, I can as I said use this one approach to emulate all the multiclassing combinations in 1e - which was my primary goal.  In particular, this lets me convert characters from 1e, like thief-M-U's, in a way that I find satisfying.  The real complaints against this approach IMO are less in terms of the raw power at high level, but just how easy it makes to splash spell-casting ability at a comparitively low cost (especially if you are human).   However, so far my players have not attempted to abuse 'Practiced Spellcaster' builds.   There are some relatively broken builds (at least by my low bar for what broken means) at low levels (shaman/sorcerer/bard, for example), however I think at high level they wash out enough that its not a problem and taken as a whole I think the approach justifies itself if only because its so simple.   For example, in another active thread someone is trying to provide a wizard/druid base class and struggling to make it balanced or well-rounded.  This provides such a thing in a very straight forward manner without the need for new base classes or PrCs of any sort.For the record, here are the featsINTERDISCPLINARY STUDENT [GENERAL]Your experience informs your skill with all of your abilities.Prerequisite: Ability to cast 1st level spellsBenefit: For the purpose of determining the effectiveness of your spells, your spell caster level in all of your spell casting classes is equal to your character level.PRACTICED SPELLCASTER [GENERAL]You have never abandoned your magical studies, and in fact they’ve become an integral part of everything you do.Prerequisites: Interdisciplinary Student, character level 6, capable of casting 1st level spells, qualifies for one or more 3rd level bonus spellsBenefit: For the purpose of determining the number of spells you can cast and the number of spells known, treat your level in all of your spell casting classes in which you qualify for at least 3rd level bonus spells, as being two higher, up to a maximum of your character level.WELL PRACTICED SPELLCASTER [GENERAL]You are not really pursuing two careers, but inventing a new one.Prerequisites: Interdisciplinary Student, Practiced Spellcaster, character level 12, capable of casting 4th level spells, qualifies for one or more 6th level bonus spellsBenefit: For the purpose of determining the number of spells you can cast and the number of spells known, treat your level in all of your spell casting classes in which you qualify for at least 6th level bonus spells, as being two higher, up to a maximum of your character level.  This stacks with the benefits of Practiced Spellcaster.</blockquote>

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