Multiclassing: What I'm hoping for

[drothgery]

I prefer 3e's level-by-level system. It had some excesses, but it's entirely possible to curb the excesses and preserve the organic, even, natural growth of your character and their abilities. Things that have been mentioned about 5e -- like less front-loading and bounded accuracy -- help ameliorate the problems with 3e's system a lot, and have additional benefits to boot.

I don't know what the issue is with a multiclass system that is "like 3e, but balanced."

The issue is that with a magic system along the lines of pre-4e D&D magic or psionics, it's very hard to balance. Well, that and a 3e-style multiclassing system tends to encourage designers to think concepts can be covered by multiclassing and don't need their own class, which means a lot of neat ideas can't be played at 1st level.

 

[WotC_Trevor]

I know that the guys are aware of some of the notable issues that cropped up with 3/3.5 multiclassing, and I'm confident that they'll address those as best as they can, and that we'll be able to playtest the crap out of that stuff once that portion of the public playtest gets going. Remember, they're only starting with the 3E idea. I'm certain they want to fix and innovate where they're able.

As a 4E fan, I'm also hopeful that they can take some of the cool things they learned from hybrid multiclassing and apply that to the base of 3E style multiclassing to fix some of the issues that people have touched on here.

 

[El Mahdi]

So, you want 4e's multiclassing(more or less).

Is that how 4E's multiclassing works? I honestly don't know. I haven't looked at that deeply into it.

That sounds cool though. I'm going to have to go read up on it now.

 

[Sunseeker]

Is that how 4E's multiclassing works? I honestly don't know. I haven't looked at that deeply into it.

That sounds cool though. I'm going to have to go read up on it now.

I got into 4e about half way through when they replaced whatever they had in the beginning with "Hybrid Classing".

In a nutshell, you pick the two classes you want to hybridize right off the bat.
You then get the lowest set of proficiencies, most of the class features, and can take feats(I think one per tier) to pick up other class features.
As you choose powers you get to basically go on and off picking between each class. IE: when you get your first two "at will" powers, you have to take one of each.
You never "take levels" in either class, you are effectively a new single class, that qualifies for anything each one qualified for.
You never pick up or add in any other classes.

 

[El Mahdi]

One of my issues is with training is that it often puts a burden on the player because the DM or the other players make it hard to get that training.

Yeah, I've heard people have problems like that. I've always worked under the assumption though, that if you take the Feat, then you spent the time for the necessary training and had access to someone to teach it. Maybe it was over the course of several levels, or maybe just the one. And, if I see a chance to rolelay the training out, I will. But if I don't, the assumption is that happens off camera, in between episodes or seasons (adventures).

 

[Elf Witch]

Yeah, I've heard people have problems like that. I've always worked under the assumption though, that if you take the Feat, then you spent the time for the necessary training and had access to someone to teach it. Maybe it was over the course of several levels, or maybe just the one. And, if I see a chance to rolelay the training out, I will. But if I don't, the assumption is that happens off camera, in between episodes or seasons (adventures).

This is how I do it as a DM. As a player I will often say I am practicing this or I am study spells. I try and to remember to role play it or at least mention it.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I want the option to have multiclassing be more like 2e multiclassing, except without the dividing up XP totals into separate XP tables and determining the average hp from the separate class levels. Which is why I liked 4e's hybrid system since it's closer to 2e's systems.

 

[Mattachine]

Again, I hope that 5e has a strong fighter/magic-user class right out of the gate. It's one of the most common multi-class combos, but also one of the hardest to balance with multiclass rules. For example, the balancing issues of fighter10/wiz10 vs. fighter 20 vs. wiz 20 are usually part of any multiclassing discussion.

Just make the fighter/magic-user a base class, and then the system can be freed from that difficulty to do multiclassing.

Also, don't make this base class automatically flavored for elves, or for singing, or for casting spells through a sword. Those would be great ways to flavor an otherwise varied class--just the way other base classes have a variety of interpretations.

 

[Sunseeker]

Again, I hope that 5e has a strong fighter/magic-user class right out of the gate. It's one of the most common multi-class combos, but also one of the hardest to balance with multiclass rules. For example, the balancing issues of fighter10/wiz10 vs. fighter 20 vs. wiz 20 are usually part of any multiclassing discussion.

Just make the fighter/magic-user a base class, and then the system can be freed from that difficulty to do multiclassing.

Also, don't make this base class automatically flavored for elves, or for singing, or for casting spells through a sword. Those would be great ways to flavor an otherwise varied class--just the way other base classes have a variety of interpretations.

I've always thought something like a "battlemage" should be a base class. I'm really surprised it's something that isn't added till much later in most editions.

 

[Mattachine]

It seems only the BECMI elf class got it from the get-go.