Essential Class Abilities [Archive] - Wizards Community

Essential Class Abilities [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
KaeYoss
04-13-06, 10:31 AM As we know, some of the Classes are better for multiclassing - especially for prestige classes than others:

While a psion only loses his bonus feats for becoming, say, a cerebremancer, the wilder loses practically everything that makes the class worthwhile; Clerics will just lose their turn undead and domain powers, but a druid loses his wild shapes. (by "lose", I mean he doesn't get any better).

Thus, classes like psions or clerics have a wide range of Prc's to choose from without losing too much in the process, but a druid, a monk, a wilder needs to have special prestige classes that enhance their salient abilities or their base class abilities become virtually useless.

Long story short: This doesn't have to be. There's a way to make multiclassing work without completely overhauling the multiclassing system:

This system designates certain class abilities as Essential Class Abilities. Wilder's wild surge, druid's wild shape, monk's speed, damage and flurry, most full-time caster classes cating ability, and so on, are essential. The classes also get a designator, a category like warrior, expert, spellcaster (maybe further divided into arcane, divine psionic, and so on), natural, and so on. Now, prestige classes would no longer say "+1 spellcater level", "monk abilities", and so on, but instead: "arcane spellcasters increase at levels 1,3,5,7,9", or "warrior abilities at every level except first".

This could even work to make mutliclassing between core classes mor viable, without using gestalt or mystic theurge-like classes. Maybe essentials improve by character level (albeit more slowly than they would if you had the actual core class or a PrC that is geared towards this). It might be necessary to limit the "secondary progression" to a certain number of classes (so you don't make a cleric/wizard/psion and advance in all classes to become more powerful than a single-classed individual). Maybe each new level gives you one new class level and 1/2 level worth of secondary progression, or even 2 1/2 levels (but not one whole)
cutsleeve
04-13-06, 11:14 AM I think your best bet is GM/player discussion and compromise. Its not something alot of people think of but if (sometimes a big if) you have a decent gm he should listen to requests concerning character customization. You 2 should discuss the swap out of certain powers and abilities between the 2, or more, classes so that you get the character you want to play and he makes sure it has at least the semblence of balance. Of course the GM is the final arbitrator of the character class modification but that shouldnt be looked at as a bad thing. He makes the game balanced because theres no way for the rules as given to cover every situation or desire that comes up. So my recomendation is discuss your wants and desires with the GM.
KaeYoss
04-13-06, 02:44 PM Character customization is all nice and well, but this could use improvement in general, so you don't have to do it every time.

Maybe something for 4e once it comes around.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
KaeYoss 04-13-06, 10:31 AM	As we know, some of the Classes are better for multiclassing - especially for prestige classes than others: While a psion only loses his bonus feats for becoming, say, a cerebremancer, the wilder loses practically everything that makes the class worthwhile; Clerics will just lose their turn undead and domain powers, but a druid loses his wild shapes. (by "lose", I mean he doesn't get any better). Thus, classes like psions or clerics have a wide range of Prc's to choose from without losing too much in the process, but a druid, a monk, a wilder needs to have special prestige classes that enhance their salient abilities or their base class abilities become virtually useless. Long story short: This doesn't have to be. There's a way to make multiclassing work without completely overhauling the multiclassing system: This system designates certain class abilities as Essential Class Abilities. Wilder's wild surge, druid's wild shape, monk's speed, damage and flurry, most full-time caster classes cating ability, and so on, are essential. The classes also get a designator, a category like warrior, expert, spellcaster (maybe further divided into arcane, divine psionic, and so on), natural, and so on. Now, prestige classes would no longer say "+1 spellcater level", "monk abilities", and so on, but instead: "arcane spellcasters increase at levels 1,3,5,7,9", or "warrior abilities at every level except first". This could even work to make mutliclassing between core classes mor viable, without using gestalt or mystic theurge-like classes. Maybe essentials improve by character level (albeit more slowly than they would if you had the actual core class or a PrC that is geared towards this). It might be necessary to limit the "secondary progression" to a certain number of classes (so you don't make a cleric/wizard/psion and advance in all classes to become more powerful than a single-classed individual). Maybe each new level gives you one new class level and 1/2 level worth of secondary progression, or even 2 1/2 levels (but not one whole)
cutsleeve 04-13-06, 11:14 AM	I think your best bet is GM/player discussion and compromise. Its not something alot of people think of but if (sometimes a big if) you have a decent gm he should listen to requests concerning character customization. You 2 should discuss the swap out of certain powers and abilities between the 2, or more, classes so that you get the character you want to play and he makes sure it has at least the semblence of balance. Of course the GM is the final arbitrator of the character class modification but that shouldnt be looked at as a bad thing. He makes the game balanced because theres no way for the rules as given to cover every situation or desire that comes up. So my recomendation is discuss your wants and desires with the GM.
KaeYoss 04-13-06, 02:44 PM	Character customization is all nice and well, but this could use improvement in general, so you don't have to do it every time. Maybe something for 4e once it comes around.