ThirdWizard said:
(partially in response to John Snow, too).
I have. Duh. I am not claiming to stating up a lvl 20 character with 3 high prereq PrCs, deftly weaving in fighter levels to get enough feats and high skill/class skill classes to get the skill prereqs isn't complicated (heck, it is an art-form).
I am claiming that, in 3.5 core (PHB/DMG/MM), prereqs aren't a significant issue. Which means you don't have to sweat leveling up 1 level at a time (just remember, rogues and bards: weapon finesse requires a +1 BaB. I don't want to guess what fraction of core-only errors are due to that specific silly little +1BaB prereq)
Even in core, if you want to make a lvl 18 character with wizard, loremaster and archmage levels it might get a little complicated. But not very: the class-skill lists are close enough.
So, 3e NPC generation can get complicated, but restricting yourself to core and lower levels makes life a *lot* easier.
Mearls was talking about stating up heroic level NPCs, using, at least I presume, 4e core only. That would correspond to sub 10th level 3e core NPC generation. I can make a complicated NPC under that set of restrictions, but it'd be an exercise in making a complicated NPC. You *can* take 1 level in every base class, and then try and take 1 level in as many DMG PrCs as possible. You can even complain about how complicated it is. I really don't care.
The complexity the JohnSnow is talking about comes from prereqs. 3e core barely had any abilities with prereqs worth the name (or taking). 3e+splatbooks had tons. 4e core probably has limited prereq issues. 4e splatbooks... is another matter entirely.
*IF* 4e never has any character options based on previous character choices
then it will certainly be simpler. I neither expect that to be the case, nor want it to.(as a final note, 3e didn't have much multiclassing in core. Spell casters had MT and EK, which in turn had very specific and simple entries. Melee types could multi, but they had garbage PrCs, and had so few choices *anyways* that taking a few seconds to double-check the feat list wasn't an issue. Except for triple-checking that if you took Rogue at lvl 1 for the skills, you didn't also take Weapon Finesse illegally. Because you probably did. Like everyone else. Why, WotC, why?!)
