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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Urbannen" data-source="post: 1094423" data-attributes="member: 7643">You are right about the sidebar; I had never actually read it.  I believe it's in error, and that the Sage was correcting it in Dragon 310.  Here's why.The sidebar says "Any other place in this book" includes table 1-2, which gives experience and level-dependent benefits.  Let's use the example of a Hound Archon Fighter 13 to see what this would do.  The Hound Archon has a LA of +5.Starting at character level 13:Char lvl 13; Ftr7; ECL 18; Max ranks 16; feat no; ability increase noChar lvl 14; Ftr8; ECL 19; Max ranks 17; feat no; ability increase noChar lvl 15; Ftr9; ECL 20; Max ranks 18; feat yes; ability increase noChar lvl 16; Ftr10; ECL 21; Max ranks 24; feat yes; ability increase noChar lvl 17; Ftr11; ECL 22; Max ranks 25; feat no; ability increase noChar lvl 18; Ftr12; ECL 23; Max ranks 26; feat no; ability increase noChar lvl 19; Ftr13; ECL 24; Max ranks 27; feat yes; ability increase yesAccording to a literal intepretation of the sidebar, this Hound Archon Fighter 13 gains feats at character levels 16 and 19.  The first ability increase he gets after character level 12 is at character level 19.  Between character levels 15 and 16 his maximum ranks for class skills jumps from 18 to 24.  Table 1-2 specifically calls the feat gained at 21st character level the 8th; however it would be this character's 7th.  The sidebar also changes the definition of effective character level given in SS:According to the sidebar, you don't use character level for all game functions except for those listed.  According to the sidebar, once ECL hits 21, you use character level only for determining base attack bonus and base save progressions and nothing else.  I think the sidebar is incorrect because it creates mechanical inconsistencies between the advancement of LA 0 and LA >0 races.  It also contradicts the previous definition of "effective character level", an important concept, without giving an "official" update.  The Sage's clarification maintains the definition of ECL.  It makes character advancement mechanics consistent for all races.  As a personal opinion, I think high LA races do just fine at epic ECLs without access to epic level feats, especially when their class levels complement their monster levels.</blockquote>

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