Multiclass Idea

[Sadrik]

This is a really big deal for me multiclassing is one of the most important aspects to making the game mutable and able to accommodate many many different themes. I think it's so important that getting the multiclass system put together right is even more important than getting the classes put together right. Otherwise you wind up with a glued on system that mathematically doesn't work or themeatically does not work which in my opinion is what ailed a previous unnamed edition. Nailing the multiclass system is going to dictate many design choices for classes. The old 3e arguments of why have a Paladin when you can have a fighter/cleric. There is a lot of potential for that to happen in this edition too. I would really like to see this edition not go down that road and have a unified system where each class is separate and distinct and the multiclassing system allows for much mutability in character design. Backgrounds and specialties being separate from classes is brilliant. This goes a long way to making the system better. Stripping the background out of classes and specialty out of classes is important too. I am not yet convinced that this will happen.

So I see three things that are not depending upon level and don't scale: race, specialty, and background. Outside of these three things you have the class or classes of your character. Arguably the most important things. Frontloading classes is bad so is not giving enough power to higher level multiclassed characters. Conceptually I think moving a lot of the class features into options of the feat system would make multiclassing much more balanced. Without special attention to multiclassing like this idea you may find an unbalanced system.

I would like to see multiclassing 2e style and dual classing 2e style without race restriction. Allow both.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

What if, instead of getting the first level of a class when you multi-class, you get the level of the class you're taking.

So if you're a 3rd level fighter and decide to take a level of wizard at 4th level, you'd get the benefits of the 4th level of wizard. This avoids the issue of front loading of any class, since you only get the first level of a class once. It will allow for cherry-picking of certain class features, but at appropriate levels. It would require some re-definition of how spell progressions and other things work; character progression tables would have to be additive, not cumulative.

 

[The Shadow]

What if, instead of getting the first level of a class when you multi-class, you get the level of the class you're taking.

So if you're a 3rd level fighter and decide to take a level of wizard at 4th level, you'd get the benefits of the 4th level of wizard.

...Huh. Do you mean they'd get all the spell slots of a 4th level wizard, only only the new slots they gained moving from 3rd to 4th?

And they'd get only their Int mod of spells to use their slots with?

It'd be weird for the sorcerer and warlock, that's for sure. There'd be Sorcerous Powers and Pact Boons that they'd never get. Likewise for cleric Domain abilities.

 

[Warbringer]

What if, instead of getting the first level of a class when you multi-class, you get the level of the class you're taking.

So if you're a 3rd level fighter and decide to take a level of wizard at 4th level, you'd get the benefits of the 4th level of wizard. This avoids the issue of front loading of any class, since you only get the first level of a class once. It will allow for cherry-picking of certain class features, but at appropriate levels. It would require some re-definition of how spell progressions and other things work; character progression tables would have to be additive, not cumulative.

I was thinking the same thing.... You get the incremental benefits of the level you are , but in a new class

So a fighter at 6th, decides that I want to multi class to wizard, gets 1 d4 hit points, +0 bab, +1 mbab, and 1 3rd level spell .... Power scales.....

 

[Crazy Jerome]

Well, here's a modest idea: How about instead of trying to massage the single classes to make each combination work somehow, we start with how we want the multi-class combos be, then back fill from there?

For example, you've got a fighter, and you've got a wizard. Then you've got a fighter/wizard. She might be 50/50 or 75/25 or whatever. What is that supposed to mean in the way of power? How should a 2/2 or 4/2 or 5/5 or 10/5 or 10/10 fighter/wizard compared to a single-classed fighter or wizard of the same levels? Not in what they used to get, but what such a character can do in the game world. Then once we have that answer, it should be relatively simple to divide up those powers and/or set the multi-classing progression such that it works out that way.

You can't get to where you want to be if you don't know where that is. Well, not usually anyway.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I think the best way is to seperate the class benefits from the math benefits...

Basically have generic level progressions based on the big 4. Every class would be linked to this progression, which would have you base attack, magic attack, and spell Dc boosts.


Each class would have a first level only bump to the math progression, proficiencies, etc.



Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[Zustiur]

See also http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/327856-multiclass-5e.html



What if, when picking up a new class, you only gain core pieces from that class, rather than picking up a specialty? I don't think that would work with the current class design, but it might be a potential solution.

Another similar solution would be to have your primary class take a specialty from a secondary class. Say, your fighter takes 'Thief' instead of 'Duelist'.

Has anyone tried multiclassing with the current system using intuitive answers to the obvious questions? i.e. pick the highest of attack bonus, don't add them together and so on.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

...Huh. Do you mean they'd get all the spell slots of a 4th level wizard, only only the new slots they gained moving from 3rd to 4th?

Just the new slots or abilities.

 

[GX.Sigma]

I would love a D&D game where a level of Fighter is just a level of Fighter. It's not the special "multiclass" version of Fighter, it's just a level of Fighter. I don't want a Ftr 1 / Wiz 1 to be mechanically different from a Wiz 1 / Ftr 1. If my character concept involves starting as a wizard and learning how to fight, but the multiclass system incentivizes me to take Fighter as my first class, I will vomit.

 

[slobo777]

I would love a D&D game where a level of Fighter is just a level of Fighter. It's not the special "multiclass" version of Fighter, it's just a level of Fighter. I don't want a Ftr 1 / Wiz 1 to be mechanically different from a Wiz 1 / Ftr 1. If my character concept involves starting as a wizard and learning how to fight, but the multiclass system incentivizes me to take Fighter as my first class, I will vomit.

Having two combinations which are mechanically different does have the benefit of more options for everyone. But yes it does introduce a little confusion to know which is better for your long-term character goals.