The Gaming Den

This months KODT had an interesting take on multiclassing. The basic system was this:

1. Every character has a main class that gets levelled up every time enough XP is earned.

2. Every character has a secondary class that gets leveled up when the main class reaches an even-numbered level. IOW, when Joe reaches Fighter2, he gets to pick a second class and instantly becomes a Fighter2/Rogue1 (for example).

3. On even numbered levels, class abilties of the same "type" aren't combined. Instead, the player gets the better of the two classes. For example, the F2/R1 would get d10 hit die, +1 BAB, +2 reflex, +1 fort, 8 skill points, and so on.

4. No true multiclassing is allowed. No multiclassing restrictions apply to dual classing (monk/rogues are kewl). PRC's may or may not, depending on if it makes sense.

5. Everybody PC dual-classes, which means there's a general amping up of power. A straight fighter is maybe a fighter/barb or fighter/paladin, a straight

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This seems interesting to me. It solves a lot of the basic missing archetype problems. Swashbucklers are easier to make, you can have various mixes of fighter/mage and fighter/cleric and rogue/whatever. It doesn't totally fix the magic multiclassing problem, but it does allow you to be a kick-ass wizard or cleric with some cleric or wizard spells.

For example, the typical MT (W7/C3/MT10) would be a W17/C13. A dual-classed would be W20/C10, and would never have that dead zone where you had only sucky spells. Seems no worse, and better in lots of ways. A Musketeer could be Rogue20/Swashbuckler10. And so on.

So whdya think? Not a perfect system, but seems like a good way to get at a multiclassing problem w/o totally altering the basic game format.

Its interesting, but not good. You can still min/max pretty heavily.

It seems a lot like the Final Fantasy XI subjob system.

I'm also confused as to how HD and suchlike are combined.
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A more interesting system would put you on rails for a single class, then let you get just abilities from another class.

How is "type" defined?

Basically it's crap. The problems of D&D multiclassing are:

1> Many classes (especially caster classes) need full or nearly full level progressions if they are to matter at all.

2> Many classes suck ass through a straw.

This system doesn't address either issue, it just makes people do more accounting. So the Samurai sub-Fighter doesn't get anything out of the deal, apparently anyone taking sub-Rogue gets 2-6 skill points every level and some sneak attack, and anyone who takes sub-sorcerer will get some spells that can't penetrate SR and don't matter at high levels at all. I mean heck, did you notice that Monks get better saves out of subbing Comoner than they do out of any other class? What the fvck!?

There are good subs, and there are shit subs, so all you've really done is put everyone on the rails and increased class disparity between players. I fail to see how any of this is a good idea. At all.

-Username17

It looks like a watered down gestalt. With all the same flaws as normal gestalt, as Frank pointed out about the monk/commoner getting the best saves.

You can't do that "take the best" stuff that gestalt uses. You have to just use the best progression, and run off of a fractional system.

And like gestalt it also pretty much forces you to diversify somewhat, only this system doesn't seem to give you that much for diversifying. The onyl real choices for a fighter type seems to be rogue (for skills) or monk (for saves).

For rogue types, your'e basically forced into fighter or monk.

Casters, wizards specifically, are really the ones to see the true benefit. You take a fighter level and ensure you get full BaB for one level as well as d10 hit dice.

So it's basically a heavy caster favoring version of gestalt.

If you want to tack a "subjob" system onto 3.x D&D it should not run off of the main class list.

You could instead do it in any number of other ways: from just handing out pre-packaged bonus feats and or skill ranks, to actually writing up enitre subclass "levels" worth of perks, to re-packaging the envisioned class+subjob ability set as short PrCs.