Simple fix for multi-classed spellcasters?

Here's a plug for my fix for multiclass and "half-level" spellcasters like the Paladin and Ranger:

FEAT: Spellcasting Compensation [General]

Prerequisites: Ability to cast 2nd-level spells

Benefit: Choose one spellcasting class. You gain an effective caster level in this class equal to your caster level plus the modifier for the attribute that the spells in this class are based on (e.g. Intelligence for Wizards, Charisma for Bards and Sorcerers, Wisdom for Clerics, Druids, Paladins and Rangers). Your effective caster level affects all level-dependent variables of the spells you cast, including caster level checks to penetrate spell resistance and the DC of checks to dispel your spells. It does not affect your number of spells per day or spells known. Your effective caster level cannot exceed your character level.

Special: The character can gain this feat multiple times. The effects do not stack. Each time the character takes the feat, it applies to a new spellcasting class.

This feat is a "compensating" feat and is probably slightly more powerful than average. In fact, a multiclassed spellcaster would probably find it more advantageous to take this feat than Spell Penetration. However, it is balanced by the fact that a dedicated spellcaster would have no reason to take this feat. An analogy would be Weapon Finesse vs Weapon Focus for a character with a high Dexterity score.

However, depending on ability scores, it could be more or less powerful than Mike Sullivan's proposed fix.
 

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Multiclassing Reductions

Most of the problems I see from Multiclassing is how much of a jump there is (in abilities) taking a second Class later on down the track.

A Fighter Who takes a level in Wizard gets the equivalent of a first level spellcaster, something a wizard is assumed to learn over the course of their teenage years and into their twenties...

Likewise a wizard who takes a level in Fighter instantly gains the ability to use all armour and all weapons except exotic plus a bonus feat!.

Realistically.. Why not Multiclass? There are huge bonuses to be gained... And if you only have two classes and one of the classes is your racial preferred class (Note Elves and Dwarves humans and Half-elves)

This needs to be looked at, it just seems to be too powerful a jump.

As to the wizards spell levels? d20 (And AD&D and D&D) magic has always been a sore spot with me... A Skill and Feats Magic system anyone?
____________________________________________________
Ocelot
The Spottyjunglecat
 

Just a note.

Under the offclass=1/2 rule, a 5/5/10 Wiz/Cler/Geomancer can have effective caster levels of 15th and 15th in both Wizard and Cleric.

That's 8th level spells for both classes.

That's kinda scary to me.



Essence
 

How about this :
Your Caster Level for a spellcasting class is equal to
- your class level in this class (+ the PrCs that makes it progress)
plus
- half the remaining levels ( maximum =your class level)

So, for a Wiz4 Cleric 4 the CL are : wiz6 Cl6
for a Sorc 2 Fighter 6, sorc CL is 2[sorc] + (6[fight]/2 max 2[sorc] = 3 max 2 =2) =4
If the last one only adds non sorc level, its CL won't raise.
If it becomes Sorc3 Fight6, his CL will be 3[sorc]+3[half fighter max 3]

It seems to counter most of the abuses.

Chacal

P.S , there probably are issues with PrC designed to offset
the multiclass spellcasting penalty, because we're trying to do the same thing
 

Re: Multiclassing Reductions

Ocelot said:
Most of the problems I see from Multiclassing is how much of a jump there is (in abilities) taking a second Class later on down the track.

True, but they are also spending anywhere from 2 to 19 times the experience on it. it is true that most classes are front loaded but since the abilities often don't blend (such as a wizard learning armor) this is not a huge benefit.

I also require players to explain how their character is learning a new class (with me of course) and to allow for the necessary game time.

Ocelot said:
Realistically.. Why not Multiclass? There are huge bonuses to be gained... And if you only have two classes and one of the classes is your racial preferred class (Note Elves and Dwarves humans and Half-elves)
[/B]

The only reason is character concept: why wouldn't a wizard take a level of fighter then learn Still Spell to get rid of spell failure for most of his spells (prepare them all that way and only prepare the ones w/o any S component in the first place regularly. sure you end up one spell level behind but you can wear full plate if you want. But if I don't want to play a plate mailed wizard, the there is no reason to multiclass.

Ocelot said:
As to the wizards spell levels? d20 (And AD&D and D&D) magic has always been a sore spot with me... A Skill and Feats Magic system anyone?
[/B]

I find the idea interesting and worth exploring but I have yet to see one that did not either make spellcasting completely worthless (or worse "one trick pony") or munchkinize it to the extreme.

The good thing about D&D magic is that it is easily quantifiable. A 5th level wizard cannot cast 6th level spells no matter how hard he tries (he can use a magic item but that is different). I, as a gm, don't have to worry that my players are going to be throwing disintegrates at me too early.

I even think that the "fire and forget" idea has been dealt with okay in 3e with prep instead of memorization.

Are there better magic systems out there? Probably. *shrug*

Back on the original topic:
I feel that the core of this issue is the desire to be (in the case of a ftr/sor) a good fighter and a good sorcerer when really what you should be doing is trying to be a really good fighter/sorcerer.

At 12th level, if you gone evens on them. Your bab will be +9 (only 3 behind fighter), you will have 4 fighter bonus feats (1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th), 3rd level spells (haste, even 3.5 nerfed helps a fighter, not to mention True Strike--what fighter can get a +20 to hit when he wants it--and the buff spells). Sure you don't have 4th, 5th, and 6th level spells but you fight better than a sorcerer and with the right spells, you can fight better than a fighter equivalent to you.

At 12th level, with a sor/rog, again going evens, you will have a bab of +7 (only 2 behind the rogue), +3d6 sneak, and access to things like spider climb, invisibility, blink, change self, true strike (for those sneak attacks), cat's grace, etc.

By those levels, rings of wizardry, wands, and scrolls would not be too hard to come by, making the character even more versatile. The key is avoiding the direct attack spells: you will never equal your single classed opponent at those. Choose ones that make sense to the blend of your classes and have no saving throw.

Best of all, when you multiclass like this, you don't need to feel compelled to add levels to sor (or wiz) all the time because they are supplimenting. Once you reach a certain level (I think 6th is good) the other class can take over (provided of course you are using a preferred class, otherwise keep going with both).

If you want to excel at magic, don't multiclass. If you want to excel at blending magic with something else, then multiclass.

DC
 

Essence said:
Just a note.

Under the offclass=1/2 rule, a 5/5/10 Wiz/Cler/Geomancer can have effective caster levels of 15th and 15th in both Wizard and Cleric.

That's 8th level spells for both classes.

That's kinda scary to me.

Chacal seems to have a better handle on what you mean than do I, because I haven't the faintest idea what the Geomancer PrC is.

But yeah, I endorse the notion that if you've got a PrC that adds to your caster-levels, then of course it shouldn't also add .5 of its levels to your caster-levels.

...hmmmm. I wonder how this works with Paladins and Rangers, or other classes which already only get caster level equal to half their character level. It seems a little weird that picking up a level of Rogue would give you exactly the same boost to your caster level than getting another level of your primary caster class... But I don't know if it's a big enough issue to make it worthwhile to fix.
 

Mike Sullivan said:
...hmmmm. I wonder how this works with Paladins and Rangers, or other classes which already only get caster level equal to half their character level. It seems a little weird that picking up a level of Rogue would give you exactly the same boost to your caster level than getting another level of your primary caster class... But I don't know if it's a big enough issue to make it worthwhile to fix.

Don't treat them as 'caster levels', treat them as 'levels in the spellcasting class'. Then it works out fine - a level of ranger gives you .5 caster level, and taking a level of rogue gives you .25 (for ranger).

J
 

drnuncheon said:


Don't treat them as 'caster levels', treat them as 'levels in the spellcasting class'. Then it works out fine - a level of ranger gives you .5 caster level, and taking a level of rogue gives you .25 (for ranger).

Yeah, I thought of that, but I'm not sure it's worthwhile to add that level of complexity. Eh. Either way will probably work fine, I'm sure.


EDIT: By the way, Hi, Dr. Nuncheon! I used to post on some newsgroups as aetherson, and I remember you from there...
 
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drnuncheon said:


I think you're going pretty far afield here.

First off, nobody walks around with their level on their chest.

Actually, spellcasters pretty much do. There's a list of spells which everyone knows about, and the highest level spell you can cast is firmly linked to your level. Hence if your best spell is fireball, then someone who can cast meteor swarm knows that you're less than a third as skilled a wizard as he.



So the 'moderate level wizards' don't have any way of knowing that the Ftr5/Wiz5 is "supposed" to be equal to them. Do they also laugh at straight Wiz5s? What are they going to do if a Ftr10/Wiz10 shows up? He's as effective as they are at magic and he can fight, too! Again, they won't know he's "supposed" to be more powerful than they are.

Unless the xp system really does mean that adventurers go out into the wilderness for a few days and learn more in that time than others learn in a lifetime, they know that the ftr5/wiz5 was in apprenticeship along with them, and still struggles with spells that they long ago mastered.

The ftr10/wiz10 has been at it for twice as long as they, and still has only managed to master what they have? What kind of a wizard is he?

Second, in a world where few people reach 3rd level, let alone 5th, a Wiz5/Ftr5 is hardly a "dabbler". Sure, people might tell him he'd be an even better wizard if he didn't split his attention between that and swordplay, but he's still better than most wizards out there. (Assuming the DMGs statistics - there are twice as many wizards of 2 levels below you - he's still better than about 90% of the other wizards out there.

That's why I restricted it. Groups of level 10 characters exist. Groups of level 10 characters with a wizard and a fighter/wizard exist. Such groups will most certainly not consider the fighter/wizard to be their 'magic support', he's firmly relegated to being a fighter with a few tricks.

Simply put - being a wizard advances your skills in fighting, but being a fighter does not advance your skills in wizardry. I see this as a problem, and a barrier to creating anything that's not just a non-spellcaster with a few tricks.
 

How about dividing the spell slots in half

( a very "raw" idea )

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////

( i.e. ) sor 10 / wiz 10

wizard base spell slots

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

score used for bonuses: 10 + ( int - 10 ) / 2

sorcerer base spell slots

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

score used for bonuses: 10 + ( cha - 10 ) / 2

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////

this sort of gets the basic picture of my idle thought
 
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