mattdm
First Post
I've seen several comments along the lines of: 4E multiclassing doesn't allow my character to start life as a rogue who experiences a conversion and becomes a paladin, or allow my fighter to discover that her true skill is in wizardry. Leaving aside the question of whether that works in any edition, it's a fair point. I don't, however, see this as a failure of the multiclassing system per se, but rather a constraint of the retraining options.
Another issue I see in my games, and which I experience myself: players want to experiment and get bored with their initial choices. New supplements come out, and a new class fits an exciting new character direction — or better supports the original idea. The current character could be made to depart the game and replaced with a whole new one, but that's hard on story development. If the DM says no to that, the player ends up bored and uninvested in the character, which is also bad for everyone at the table.
The following presents some simple rules for doing whole-class retraining. This provides a way to preserve some character continuity, so while this is clearly more extreme than the by-the-book retraining, I see it as an overall win for the game.
This is a draft version; your comments are very appreciated.
In order to experience a class conversion, you must have the multiclass feat specific to the class you are converting to for at least three milestones before conversion.
You should prepare a second character sheet identical to your current one but altered as followed:
1. Your character race remains the same, as do any selected race options which don't depend on class. Class-based racial options like the human's bonus at-will power or the elf's dilettante feature should be re-chosen as appropriate.
2. Your class, of course, becomes the chosen new class.
3. Your ability scores remain the same for now, but see below.
4. Any of your trained skills which are not class skills for the new class become untrained. All non-optional trained skills of the new class become trained skills. If this leaves you with fewer trained skills than the new class normally provides, choose new ones from those available to the new class.
5. Reselect any feats which no longer have their prerequisites met. Keep all other feats, even ones which are now suboptimal; they can be retrained later using the normal procedure. The basic multiclass feat for your new class is replaced by the basic multiclass feat for your new class, even if you do not currently meet the ability score prerequisite. If you have any multiclass power swap feats, keep them, and use them to to retain powers your character had previously.
6. Select powers as normal for the new class at the appropriate character level.
7. Your equipment remains the same. However, the DM will work with you to make it easy to obtain class-appropriate gear at as roughly equitable exchange over the course of the next level.
8. Double check to make sure all the numbers for defenses and bonuses are correctly updated to reflect the new class.
At some appropriate point in the game arranged together with the DM, your character will undergo a conversion experience. This could be an ordination ceremony, a spirit quest, or simply an epiphany in the middle of a brawl. When this occurs, swap your previous character sheet for your old one and continue from there. All expended resources, damage taken, and ongoing effects should be transferred to the new sheet, and if you've used a number of your old encounter or daily powers, restrict your new ones to match until you've had a chance to rest.
As long as you have the multiclass feat for your old class, one time at any later point when your character obtains a level, you may choose to retrain your ability scores instead of using one of the standard retraining options. Redo the initial point buy, or by rearrange which die rolls are assigned to which abilities, and reassign any level-based ability score increases. All racial ability bonuses or other permanent bonuses remain as normal. You may not alter ability scores so that prerequisites for feats or other character options are invalidated.
Another issue I see in my games, and which I experience myself: players want to experiment and get bored with their initial choices. New supplements come out, and a new class fits an exciting new character direction — or better supports the original idea. The current character could be made to depart the game and replaced with a whole new one, but that's hard on story development. If the DM says no to that, the player ends up bored and uninvested in the character, which is also bad for everyone at the table.
The following presents some simple rules for doing whole-class retraining. This provides a way to preserve some character continuity, so while this is clearly more extreme than the by-the-book retraining, I see it as an overall win for the game.
This is a draft version; your comments are very appreciated.
In order to experience a class conversion, you must have the multiclass feat specific to the class you are converting to for at least three milestones before conversion.
You should prepare a second character sheet identical to your current one but altered as followed:
1. Your character race remains the same, as do any selected race options which don't depend on class. Class-based racial options like the human's bonus at-will power or the elf's dilettante feature should be re-chosen as appropriate.
2. Your class, of course, becomes the chosen new class.
3. Your ability scores remain the same for now, but see below.
4. Any of your trained skills which are not class skills for the new class become untrained. All non-optional trained skills of the new class become trained skills. If this leaves you with fewer trained skills than the new class normally provides, choose new ones from those available to the new class.
5. Reselect any feats which no longer have their prerequisites met. Keep all other feats, even ones which are now suboptimal; they can be retrained later using the normal procedure. The basic multiclass feat for your new class is replaced by the basic multiclass feat for your new class, even if you do not currently meet the ability score prerequisite. If you have any multiclass power swap feats, keep them, and use them to to retain powers your character had previously.
6. Select powers as normal for the new class at the appropriate character level.
7. Your equipment remains the same. However, the DM will work with you to make it easy to obtain class-appropriate gear at as roughly equitable exchange over the course of the next level.
8. Double check to make sure all the numbers for defenses and bonuses are correctly updated to reflect the new class.
At some appropriate point in the game arranged together with the DM, your character will undergo a conversion experience. This could be an ordination ceremony, a spirit quest, or simply an epiphany in the middle of a brawl. When this occurs, swap your previous character sheet for your old one and continue from there. All expended resources, damage taken, and ongoing effects should be transferred to the new sheet, and if you've used a number of your old encounter or daily powers, restrict your new ones to match until you've had a chance to rest.
As long as you have the multiclass feat for your old class, one time at any later point when your character obtains a level, you may choose to retrain your ability scores instead of using one of the standard retraining options. Redo the initial point buy, or by rearrange which die rolls are assigned to which abilities, and reassign any level-based ability score increases. All racial ability bonuses or other permanent bonuses remain as normal. You may not alter ability scores so that prerequisites for feats or other character options are invalidated.
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