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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 787659" data-attributes="member: 3146">I've seen quite a few people disparaging favored class any. Some seem to think it's unnecessary if the PC doesn't go beyond 2 classes. Others think it's unnecessary if the PC has access to prestige classes. Still others seem to think that very few PCs go beyond 2 classes. IME, those are all mistakes.Consider the following situations--none of which seems inconceivable and several of which I've actually seen in games (and, by the way, balance of power is what's being discussed here at the moment so of course my description is limited in that way.)Barbarian/bard on the road to Arcane Archer. If the character is an elf of any kind, she'll take an XP hit (unless she keeps the levels even which she doesn't want to do). Not so for the half-elf. Barbarian 1/Bard 7 is a perfectly reasonable path to arcane archer. (So is Bbn 1/Ftr 2/Brd 4)Fighter/Sorceror on the way to Arcane Archer or bladesinger. Elves: 20% xp penalty for Ftr 5/Sor 2. Half-elves need not worry; heck half-elves can be Ftr 4/Rgr 1/Pal 1/Sor1 and still not take xp penalties).Fighter/Rogue/Wizard or sorceror: The elf can only either keep fighter and rogue even or make wizard the primary class in this mix without taking an xp hit. Half-elves, OTOH, can be Ftr 2/Rog6/Wiz 2 without taking any penalties. Humans can do this too though.Rgr/Rog/Paladin on the Consecrated Harrier path with favored enemy: human. Humans--can't have their own race as a favored enemy and still be good. Elves would have to keep all three classes within one level of each other--no Rgr 1/Rog 3/Pal 2 for them. Half-elves have no problems.Are those somewhat unusual cases? You bet. Individually, none of those character concept (one could argue that a character concept is a role-playing rather than a mechanical term but concepts ought to be fitted into classes and consequently the mechanics DO therefore limit which concepts are viable)/plans/paths are common enough to register on the radar screen of balance. As a whole, however, unusual combinations like these do add up to a fairly significant list of things you can't do with elves or humans but can with half-elves.</blockquote>

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