Yet Another LA Thread (This Time With Epic!)

[GwydapLlew]

My PCs are approaching epic levels in my long-running FR game and I'm trying to sort out the details in advance so as to pretend like I know what I'm doing.

I have yet to run an epic game with 3.5 rules, so I tend to blur back into 3.0 rules territory; this is why I'm asking for input out here at ENW.

The issue is one of my PCs. He has undergone a sordid transformation over the past four years of gaming: initially he was a tiefling, then a backfiring wish stripped him of his prime heritage and made him a full-blown rakshasa; we then converted to 3.5 rules and he switched to a naztharune rakshasa (he was originally a rogue, but the wish stripped him of class levels). Since he was only 14th level at the time of switching, I'm imposed 2 negative levels on him to balance him out.

This puts him at: HD 11 + 5 LA - 2 NL = 14th level. He'll spend the next two levels worth of XP buying off the negative levels, but then he plans on picking up classes again. My understanding is that he will gain Feats based off of his HD, so when he's a 1st level rogue (11 racial + 1 class) he'll gain his 12th level Feat. Likewise, when he's a 4th level rogue (11 racial + 4 class) he'll gain his 15th level Feat. He'll be gaining XP as a character 5 levels higher, however. So far so good?

What happens when he hits epic levels? Does he start qualifying for epic Feats as soon as he hits 21st level? Does he continue his feat progression until he reaches 21 levels in a base class or 11 levels in a PrC?

 

[Thanee]

Yes.

Monster Hit Dice are pretty much the same as if you were multiclassing with another base class.

I would consider him epic when he reaches the XP necessary for a 21st-level character, though, so he would gain epic feats every three levels (but no bonus epic feats until one class is maxed out at 20/10 levels and then continued).

Bye
Thanee

 

[GwydapLlew]

I would consider him epic when he reaches the XP necessary for a 21st-level character, though, so he would gain epic feats every three levels (but no bonus epic feats until one class is maxed out at 20/10 levels and then continued).

That's what I was basing my premise on; I just wanted to doublecheck since I've never been in this situation before. I have a general houserule that you can't select epic Feats until you've reached 21st/11th level, but that hearkens back to 3.0 to dissuade 1 or 2 level dips. I'm thinking that it may be a bit restrictive in 3.5

 

[Infiniti2000]

My PCs are approaching epic levels in my long-running FR game...

14th-level is approaching?

What happens when he hits epic levels? Does he start qualifying for epic Feats as soon as he hits 21st level?

He qualifies for epic feats as soon as he is Epic and meets the other feat prerequisites, if any. The problem, however, is that you are an epic character when your "character level" reaches 21, not "effective character level." That puts a serious crimp in LA PC's. Otoh, I think most people houserule epic to be ECL.

 

[GwydapLlew]

14th-level is approaching?

He's the lowest-level member of the party - he's died a couple of times. The rest of the party are 16th - 18th level.

As far as ECL vs CL...the Epic rules point out that (for example) a Pit Fiend with class levels would be an epic character. How else would that be the case unless you considered ECL?

 

[Infiniti2000]

As far as ECL vs CL...the Epic rules point out that (for example) a Pit Fiend with class levels would be an epic character. How else would that be the case unless you considered ECL?

What's the LA on a pit fiend? It's "--", so he cannot be a PC. But, if the epic rules are to be believed, then it must be 2. A pit fiend has 18HD, and ECL=HD + levels + LA. In the case of a pit fiend, his ECL is incalculable until you define the LA. So, it must be exactly 2 if only one class level makes him epic.

I'm not saying that character level is the best barometer for epic, it's just the one used in the rules.