D&D 4E Love It or Leave It: 4E Multiclassing

[Kordeth]

I think the wizard /fighte would be a gimped combination, because while he have the Power he lack the armors that would give him enough AC to enter in melee to use it, the hit points and healing surges to survive that melee and the proficiences to use weapons with enough damage to make those power worthwhile. the wizard fighter in your example, can't use an axe, unless he pay a feat for it. A fighter/wizard could be acceptable, a wizard/fighter need to invest in a lot of feats before to be worth it.
If I'm not missing something, of course.

Well, for one thing, there's no penalty for using a weapon you aren't proficient in, you just don't get an extra bonus to hit with it. We don't know enough about changes to armor to know whether lacking proficiency in it is going to be crippling, but frankly I doubt it.

Besides which, you have to look at what you want the character to accomplish before you build the character. if you want to be a front-line tank who throws magic, then yes, you should be a fighter with wizard training. If, however, you want to be a wizard who can rock the melee combat when a bad guy gets past the defenders and gets in his face, a wizard with fighter training is quite effective.

 

[MindWanderer]

Generally positive. I mourn the "loss" of the 50/50 multiclass, but that wasn't a reality in 3e anyway (I still miss it from 2e). No longer will you have a zone of multi-ineffectiveness (or, as Rich Burlew put it, sucking ass).

On the other hand, you can simulate 50/50 pretty closely in one key way: You don't get very many powers in 4e, period. The Swap feats can be used to replace your highest-level power. So if most of your powers are rogue powers, but once per encounter you can pull out a big ol' can of Wizard Whup-Ass, you'll feel a decent amount like a 50/50. At low levels, even more so than in 3e, because a low-level wizard only has a couple of spells before they pull out the mundane weapon anyway. Add utility powers (especially mobility or stealth-assisting powers) and you'll be pretty much what you're looking for.

 

[Mercule]

My knee-jerk reaction was to dislike it. There are a lot of concepts that just don't work: The fighter who takes up the cloth (or other career change), for one. But, really, no other version of multiclassing has worked any better for things like that.

So, it's not perfect. At the very least, it's no worse than what came before -- at least not from what I can see. It seems like it'll address a few issues that have previously plagued multiclassing, too.

That sounds like a net positive, to me. I want to see it in play, though.

 

[dystmesis]

The question is how do the retraining rules, multiclassing feats, and multiclassing at paragon level all intersect with each other?

Can one start as a fighter, take the wizard feat to throw fireballs around for a while, say "I wanna sneak attack!" then exchange that feat to take the rogue feat?

Can one start as a fighter, take the wizard feat to throw fireballs around for awhile, then commit to becoming a fighter/wizard at level 11, and lose the wizard feat?

Can one start as a fighter, take the wizard feat to throw fireballs around for awhile, then commit to becoming a fighter/wizard at level 11, say "I wanna sneak attack!" then exchange the wizard feat for the rogue feat?

Can one start as a fighter, and then suddenly decide to become a fighter/wizard at level 11, and ALSO say "I wanna sneak attack!" and also take the rogue feat?

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

Actually I consider multiclassing "front loaded"

Right now I don´t see the point of not taking a multiclass feat if you want skill training anyway...

A feat that grants a feat looks just broken...

Cost of opportunity. Higher pre-requisite.

 

[FourthBear]

It seems like it will work out reasonably well and be very easy to house rule, given the modular nature of many of the character abilities and characteristics. I'm hoping that people who like mixed character concepts take advantage of the new power system for all classes by creating power sets for their class that fits their concept. So if you want a magical rogue, simply create some appropriate magical rogue powers. Clearly you don't mind the idea of such a character using magic, so why not just give them explicitly magical powers without the rigmarole of multiclassing?

 

[psionotic]

I'm generally positive, but what will really decide this for me is the number of feats characters get. If its still one every three levels, and the early Multiclassing route forces you to trade a feat for the ability to take a power from a different class list *instead* of one from your list, it might be too expensive to ever be worth it.

I guess to summarize: feats every level or every other level = in favor. Feats every three or less often = against...

 

[kennew142]

It took me some time before I could decide if I like it or not. Without the full rules before, I can't be 100% sure, but I'm leaning towards positive.

I really like the system as a whole. The only question I have is whether it's worth a feat and a power to get a power. My gut instinct is no. We'll have to see how it really works once the rules are out.

I really like the fact that you can't cherry pick most of a class's features just by taking one level in it. IMO multiclassing was used more for abuse than to fulfill character concept. I do think that we'll see more base classes than in 3e. It's all good for me, because I would rather have more base classes.

I've also always seen the paladin as a cleric/fighter. The upcoming mageblade/spellblade (whatever it's called) looks like it will be the perfect fighter/wizard. I'd like to see more of these types of classes in 4e, rather than multiclassing that allows easy cherry picking.

Also, anything that does away with "prestige" classes is a plus in my book.

 

[malraux]

If its still one every three levels

Actually, the article probably confirms that its 1 feat per 2 levels. The multiclass feat prereqs are all even levels. It wouldn't make any sense to give a level prereq of level 10 if you don't get another feat till 12th.

 

[Darth Cyric]

Initially I was sort of "meh," but I was willing to accept just about anything after the grotesque monster that was 3.5 multiclassing. So much so that any comparison to 3.5's multiclassing would be damning with faint praise.

It's started to grow on me, though, now that I've thought of more and more possibilities.