Hybrid Characters: 272 Combinations?

[gribble]

By my reckoning there are 17 choose 2, or 136 different combinations of hybrid characters available.

Yet WotC states there are 272, according to the design & development article...

Seems odd to me that WotCs number is exactly twice mine... can someone good at stats explain where I'm going wrong?

 

[hvg3akaek]

By my reckoning there are 17 choose 2, or 136 different combinations of hybrid characters available.

They possibly did [first choice, any of the 17] x [second choice, any of the remaining 16], which comes to 17 x 16 = 272.

Naturally, doing this means you have a lot of doubles (a fighter / barbarian = a barbarian / fighter), so to cut out the doubles, you divide by 2.

 

[gribble]

That would make sense, because they also say that the number has increased from 56 (8 x 7) rather than 28 (8 choose 2).

So is there a difference between a barbarian/fighter and a fighter/barbarian in the hybrid rules? I can't see one... if not, it's a little disheartening to think they may have got basic math like this wrong...

 

[Asmor]

My guess would be either poor math or poor editing.

Poor math answer: "Hey, there's 17 class, and after you pick one there's 16 left to choose for the second, so that makes 17x16=272 possibilities!"

Poor editing answer: "Hey, there's 272 different multiclass options*, so that means there are 272 different hybrid options!"

*With respect to multiclassing, for example a fighter/wizard is very, very different from a wizard/fighter.

Of course, even that's simplistic, since you need to account for the bard. So really, there's...

16*16 = 256 choices for multiclass where bard isn't primary

...a lot more where Bard is (I wanna say 16!, but my statistics is really rusty and I don't feel like actually figuring out the correct answer. Something like 16 choose 1 + 16 choose 2 + ... + 16 choose 16)

 

[Nymrohd]

My guess would be either poor math or poor editing.

Poor math answer: "Hey, there's 17 class, and after you pick one there's 16 left to choose for the second, so that makes 17x16=272 possibilities!"

Poor editing answer: "Hey, there's 272 different multiclass options*, so that means there are 272 different hybrid options!"

*With respect to multiclassing, for example a fighter/wizard is very, very different from a wizard/fighter.

Of course, even that's simplistic, since you need to account for the bard. So really, there's...

16*16 = 256 choices for multiclass where bard isn't primary

...a lot more where Bard is (I wanna say 16!, but my statistics is really rusty and I don't feel like actually figuring out the correct answer. Something like 16 choose 1 + 16 choose 2 + ... + 16 choose 16)

Bard multiclassing options is probably the sum on combinations C(16,n) for n=1 n=16 which is less than 16! but still a fairly large number. But I am probably horribly wrong and I haven't really used that type of statistics for years . . .

 

[Nikosandros]

Bard multiclassing options is probably the sum on combinations C(16,n) for n=1 n=16 which is less than 16! but still a fairly large number. But I am probably horribly wrong and I haven't really used that type of statistics for years . . .

I think that you're correct. If there are N total classes besides the bard, a bard could potentially have the sum of C(N,n) for n=1,...,N (+1 to the total, if you also want to count a single classed bard). Of course, the actual number of feats available puts a much lower limit than that...

 

[Nymrohd]

Well N=<19 since a bard can have up to 19 multiclass feats (17 multiclass feats plus the bard epic that gives 2 multiclass feats). Since currently N=16 counting swordmage but not artificer (sho doesn't yet have a multiclass feat) we could possibly have a bard with a multiclass feat for every single class

 

[vagabundo]

Well N=<19 since a bard can have up to 19 multiclass feats (17 multiclass feats plus the bard epic that gives 2 multiclass feats). Since currently N=16 counting swordmage but not artificer (sho doesn't yet have a multiclass feat) we could possibly have a bard with a multiclass feat for every single class

lol. We should be able to stat this guy (or gal) up in the CB next week.!!

 

[Nymrohd]

I forgot to add the possible human additional feat as well. Anyway that bard would need save at least one feat for combat virtuoso. He'd probably have every skill in the game as well right?

 

[Nymrohd]

Btw Sum(C(16,n))n=1, n=16 = 78405, way less than 16! which is about 2.09e+13