I feel like a newbie asking this, but...

[EditorBFG]

I feel like a complete neophyte asking this, rather than, you know, a long-time DM and game designer or whatever, but it somehow this question has not come up in several years of 3.5 gaming:

A human's highest level class is his or her favored class. Now, if a human has two classes at 3rd level, and then takes a new class, since the two 3rd level classes are both his highest level class, does he take a penalty for having a 1st level class? Or are both his highest level classes considered his favored class?

I could not find this in the D&D FAQ, and if there is a specific/official ruling somewhere, can someone point me to it, so I can show it to the person who first brought this question up?

 

[Shin Okada]

Hmm. Yeah I start to feel the same.

from SRD.

HUMANS
.
.
.
Favored Class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass human takes an experience point penalty, his or her highest-level class does not count.

It is written in singular form "class", not "classes". So it seems to be assuming that only one class is a human character's favored class at a time. But it also does not say what will happen when there are 2 highest-level classes.

 

[Palagast]

HUMANS
Favored Class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass human takes an experience point penalty, his or her highest-level class does not count.

The SRD doesn't strictly say it, but I always interpreted it as "If the human shares two highest-level classes, choose one to determine the favored class"

 

[irdeggman]

PHB pg 60 covers in detail what this means.

There is a cumulative effect for having more than one grouping out of whack.

The example of the gnome rogue 9/ bard 2/ fighter 1/ cleric 1 suffers a 40% xp penalty because he has 2 classes out of balance (bard is favored class of gnome).

Also it says:

" A human's or half-elf's highest-level class is always considered his or her favored class."

The 3.0 FAQ had:

The descriptions for the human and the half-elf list the favored class of each as “any” and explain that multiclass humans ignore their highest-level classes when determining if they take experience penalties. Half elves have the same ability. Can a human or half-elf choose to ignore his lowest level class, as the “any” would imply, or must he ignore his highest-level class? If he must ignore his highest-level class, would a human 8th-level monk/7th-level paladin then be stuck with a –20% experience penalty if he then becomes a barbarian, even though a half-orc 8th-level monk/7th-level paladin would receive no experience penalty in the same situation?

Yes, the human in your example would indeed take an experience penalty, as would a half-elf in the same situation. In this case, “any” means there is no single class these races favor. If humans and half-elves were free to pick any favored class they wanted, and were free to change that choice whenever it suited them, that’s what the rules would say. But multiclass humans and half-elves both ignore their highest level classes instead. Note that a multiclass human or half-elf with only two classes never has to worry about an experience penalty. Adding a third class, however, takes some planning if one wishes to avoid an experience penalty.

The intent is to have one favored class at a time, but humans and half-elves can switch that choice whenever they want to (and it is alwyas their highest level class).

 

[Infiniti2000]

A human's highest level class is his or her favored class. Now, if a human has two classes at 3rd level, and then takes a new class, since the two 3rd level classes are both his highest level class, does he take a penalty for having a 1st level class? Or are both his highest level classes considered his favored class?

There's only one favored class. It's irrelevant which one, too. With levels 3/3/1, he takes the penalty.

 

[RangerWickett]

He would take penalties if you were mean enough to actually impose that rule. The favored class rule is bupkiss.

 

[EditorBFG]

He would take penalties if you were mean enough to actually impose that rule. The favored class rule is bupkiss.

Unfortunately, we're playing in a Living Greyhawk game-- where all the rules get imposed, bupkiss or not!