The Weird Penalty of Core Classes

[lukelightning]

This is exactly why I ditched the favored class rules.

So you are making half-elves even weaker. Again, the ability to multiclass without restriction is a special feature of humans and half-elves, and if any race can do it you need to give them something else to make up for that fact.

Then again, with elves there is a sub-race for any possble class combination. Cleric/Barbarian/Bard? Be a swamp elf! Ranger/Paladin? Be a tidal-pool elf!

 

[Ciaran]

I'm probably not going to be popular for saying this, but favored class is there for a reason; it is meant as an advantage for humans and half-elves, and allowing any race to multiclass however they want, even for the sake of "character concept" dilutes that.

What, you mean that humans and half-elves don't have enough other advantages to get by? Rubbish!

 

[Kafkonia]

So you are making half-elves even weaker. Again, the ability to multiclass without restriction is a special feature of humans and half-elves...

I feel I should point out that humans and half-elves don't multiclass without restriction -- they just have a broader restriction (highest class doesn't count, rather than class x doesn't count.) Similarly, Chaonds have a different restriction -- the first class they take doesn't count.

 

[rowport]

...I notice that Wood Elves have ranger as their favored class, but they also have +2 Str / -2 Int. (Elves as strong as half-orcs? Weird!) I could make him a wood elf, perhaps, and reassign his stats a bit....

You came up with my recommendation to the problem before I finished reading the thread.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

If you are making a legolas clone, he was a wood elf IIRC so that works even better. Son of the wood elf king from the Hobbit IIRC.

He was a Sinda elf, as was his father. Thranduil was the latest in a long tradition in Tolkien of "higher" elves like the Sindar and Noldor ruling over the less wise Silvan elves.

 

[painandgreed]

Personally, I'd want that level 4 in Rogue for the BAB, reflex save, and Uncanny Dodge. You can always dump the skill points into Spot and such that enhances your character concept. I'd max out Use Magic Device.

 

[lukelightning]

Don't forget that wood elves are a dumb as half-orcs. Me ranger elf go shooty shooty big time no speek so good but like kill bad guys.

 

[The_Gneech]

If the player really wanted to mold a concept, then why not take a single class and work out what abilities need to be swapped out to make it fit.

The Thief-Acrobat prestige class had exactly the acrobatic abilities I wanted my character to have. However, it has the following prerequisites:

* Evasion
* Balance 8 ranks, Climb 8 ranks, Jump 8 ranks, Tumble 8 ranks

Rangers get Evasion eventually (9th level), but Balance and Tumble are cross-class skills for them, meaning they cannot get those ranks until 16th level. Would it really be somehow morally superior for me to wait until 19th level to have the basic abilities I wanted just to preserve the sanctity of not multiclassing?

If it was possible to build the character I wanted without multiclassing, I would have been happy to do so. What would you suggest to swap out? I don't particularly want Favored Enemy, and would happily trade that whole tree for Evasion at 5th and to have Balance and Tumble as class skills -- but I expect that somebody who proposed that change would probably get slapped with the "powergamer" label too (especially since the character starts play at 10th).

I already took three levels of Rogue, fully knowing that I would rarely-or-never use half of the class's capabilities because it was not in this character's nature to do so. If shooting myself in the foot mechanically is making a suped-up character, I'd hate to see a gimped one. Tell you what, I'll build a dwarf ftr/bbn with Str 20 and Cha 6 who dual-wields keen dwarven waraxes -- then you can give me grief about powergaming all you want.

Instead of rogue go with levels of scout (from Complete Adventurer). IMO it sucks as a class, but it does fit the theme you are attempting and adding levels in it doesn't make him more "rogue-like". The class skills for scout and ranger mesh very well too.

I tried that, actually, but it doesn't really solve the problem. Scouts don't get Evasion until 5th, so I have to go pure Scout to get to Thief-Acrobat, thus losing the Animal Companion.

There's a thought. You could make him half-elf.

Hmm ... maybe. I'll look into that! Thanks.

-The Gneech

 

[The_Gneech]

Don't forget that wood elves are a dumb as half-orcs. Me ranger elf go shooty shooty big time no speek so good but like kill bad guys.

Heehee. Yes, a reason I was hesitant about Wood Elves. Plus I just don't see this guy having a big Str.

-The Gneech

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Check out the Wild Cohort feat from WotC. I love love love it, and it'll make the animal companion problem go away-as well as eliminating that pesky lack of advancement that comes with few ranger levels.