How terrible is the multiclass XP penalty?

[Len]

My character was killed and reincarnated as a halfling. So I've changed from a human ranger 6/fighter 2 to a halfling ranger 6/fighter 1. This means that I'll be getting 20% less XP from now on.

The character is a ranger archer. I'm taking a few levels of fighter for the extra feats (i.e. Weapon Specialization) but I like the 3.5 ranger and planned to continue in that class. I don't want to change that (i.e. take more levels of fighter) just because I turned into a halfling. On the other hand, I don't want my character to be permanently gimped.

So I have a few questions.

1. What did you do when you were confronted with a 20% XP penalty after reincarnation?

2. How far behind the other PCs will my character be? My DM uses the 3.5 method of calculating XP, so lower level characters get more XP. That will partially offset the 20% penalty. So I'm guessing I'll usually be 1 level behind the others. (I figure I'd fall 2 levels behind if I was getting the same XP as everyone else.)

3. How crappy is it to always be a level behind the other PCs?

 

[delericho]

1. What did you do when you were confronted with a 20% XP penalty after reincarnation?

Whine, beg and plead with the DM?

You could try the balance argument: being a halfling fighter-type is already a penalty for your character (unless he's very much an archer build), what with the Str penalty and the need to use smaller weapons. Certainly, he's no more powerful. Or you could argue that it's absurd that he suddenly gains a cultural affinity for roguishness when he's lived as a halfling for, what, a few hours?

Basically, you need your DM to make a (not unreasonable) house ruling for you. Good luck!

2. How far behind the other PCs will my character be? My DM uses the 3.5 method of calculating XP, so lower level characters get more XP. That will partially offset the 20% penalty. So I'm guessing I'll usually be 1 level behind the others. (I figure I'd fall 2 levels behind if I was getting the same XP as everyone else.)

No idea. I expect you're probably right - you'll be somewhere between 2 and 0 levels behind, depending on just how the XP numbers fall, week-on-week.

3. How crappy is it to always be a level behind the other PCs?

I imagine it probably sucks.

 

[Sledge]

It's never come up in the games I run, but as a DM I would insist on the character keeping their original favoured class.

 

[Doctor Bomb]

As a DM, I house rule exactly that - skill bonuses (not the physical ones like jump, the ones like Craft and Diplomacy), languages, weapon proficiency and favored classes are separated from the other racial abilities and go under the heading "Culture". So, characters in my campaign who are dwarves raised by elves don't have bonuses to metalworking and aren't automatically provicient in Urgrosh-wielding, but can use the rapier and get elven skill bonuses, and their favored class isn't fighter (unless they were raised by wood elves or aquatic elves).

If your DM is going by the book, then you will just have to suck up the XP penalty and try to tailor your character with feats that focus on his abilities with ranged weapons and his maneuverability. As a mid-level ranger, you already have a few good abilities, and the fighter's 2-3 feats every 3 levels gives you the ability to far exceed other rangers with your weapon of choice. You will be a level behind the rest of the party for about four or five levels, then the difference will be so little (and the XP penalty will be gone) that you should begin leveling around the same timeframe, perhaps one adventure session later.

 

[Nightchill]

Same as the above. I'd rule the multiclass bonus/penalty arises from cultural affinity, not your size. Xp pen as per original race.

 

[seans23]

1. What did you do when you were confronted with a 20% XP penalty after reincarnation?

I wouldn't allow such a thing in my campaign. To me, favored class is a result of the social structure in which you were raised. So even if you are reincarnated as a halfling, you will still behave like a human in some regards, and there's little reason to believe that you are now more likely to favor the rogue class.

For example, Elves have lots of exposure to arcane magic at an early age, and wizards are highly regarded in that environment. So their favored class is wizard. After a reincarnation, you still have all of the memories of your childhood, so those same preferences should still exist.


IMC, we maintain a good deal of original traits after a reincarnation. We keep a list here, adding new races as necessary:

http://donkeyshow.org/d20/reincarnate.html

 

[Len]

Or you could argue that it's absurd that he suddenly gains a cultural affinity for roguishness when he's lived as a halfling for, what, a few hours?

Yeah, that doesn't make sense. But then I don't like the whole favored class thing anyway.

I imagine it probably sucks.

What with random deaths and special XP awards, it's pretty common for characters to be a level apart. I could probably live with always being 1 level back. Always being 2 levels behind would probably be a drag.

 

[Len]

The comments about cultural vs. physical attributes makes sense to me, but I'm afraid it won't help me because we've already had one PC reincarnated as a halfling in this campaign! He adjusted his stats by the RAW so the precedent is set. (There was no XP issue for him because he wasn't multi-classed.)

We've been discussing whether we should kill the other PCs and get them reincarnated as halflings too. I think that would be fair.

 

[TheGogmagog]

I could have sworn I saw a spell two weeks ago that restored a creature's original form after a reincarnate spell. I'm just as certain it was a basic clerical spell near 6th level, like atonement or restroration, but can't find it. It might have been in the complete devine, I was reading that somewhere around that time.

It entered my mind to be a cheap way to resurect, I'm a cleric with rejuvination domain that allowed reincarnation, an I thought that in a few levels I could restore anyone unhappy. Sorry I can't find it.

As to the exp penalty, racial favored classes arn't listed in the abilities recieved by the new form. But that would require a reversal of a previous ruling.

 

[Len]

As to the exp penalty, racial favored classes arn't listed in the abilities recieved by the new form. But that would require a reversal of a previous ruling.

Hmm, I was thinking that the favored class did change, but I may have been reading this:

It’s possible for the change in the subject’s ability scores to make it difficult for it to pursue its previous character class. If this is the case, the subject is well advised to become a multiclass character.

which refers specifically to ability score changes.