Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 TaoJones Dec 12, 2014 8:08:48	I had a player decide to multiclass into paladin for his second level, and we got halfway through the session before we both realized that he failed to meet the strength requirement for the multiclass. I agreed that we'd leave it as-is for the remainder of that session and come back to it in downtime.   I'm thinking about getting rid of the ability minimum for multiclassing entirely now that I think about it. The minimums seem to serve three main purposes as far as the game rules are concerned: one, they prevent players from making truly bad multiclassing decisions, like taking on a class that uses Wisdom for a spell DC when they have a crap Wisdom. Two, limiting the number of classes someone could multi into (and thus the horros of 3.x characters with fifteen classes at 15th level). Three, keeping characters tematically "clumped" in their class selections, making it easier to multi into a wisdom-basd class if you're already a cleric or something.   So I'm inclined right now to just say "those ability minimums are a good idea even if they aren't a requirement, and it's not my fault if you ignore them and end up being bad at your new class" and also instituting a two-class maximum to deal with the Frankenstein class problem. "Clumping," I don't care about as much, because if you can make it make sense in the game, I'm fine with it.   Are there any pitfalls to this that I might be missing?
#2 OrwellianHaggis Dec 12, 2014 8:35:00	Our group doesn't require anything to multiclass, and we haven't found any problems with it.
#3 cowleymen Dec 12, 2014 10:15:42	I agree. Im going to guess that your Multi-class palading is probably a dex based warrior, so I say its not a problem.   Multiclassing is a variant rule anyways, so I say modifiy away.   Also, if he is dex based, by RAW, smites dont work with ranged attacks. IDK if even the class feature Divine Smite works on range attacks. IDK what game balance that would effect if you decide to let your MC paladin use them with range attacks.
#4 AaronOfBarbaria Dec 12, 2014 10:30:57	I think that the only possible pitfall comes by way of a particular sort of player with a particular attitude towards the game, that might manage to find a way to make some abuses that a player just looking to mix a bit of different flavors together wouldn't likely make.   I'm not sure that there are any such abuses that really matter in the long run - for example, someone can dip 2 levels of fighter and gain action surge, 2 levels of paladin to pick up divine smite, and then put all the rest of their levels into warlock, but I hae no idea if that actually makes a character that is significantly more potent than a character of the same level with no class other than warlock.   In my case, I find the ability requirements to be welcome because I don't want to see characters that have supposedly been trained to do particular things and yet lack any indication of that training (i.e. you don't learn how to be a fighter without developing at least a bit of physical prowess), so I haven't really bothered to think of whether the requirements actually create or enhance any kind of balance (especially because my players almost never multi-class).
#5 TaoJones Dec 12, 2014 12:18:15	Not a dexy fighter, but a bard who likes to tear things up with a rapier, so I'm sure he'll still be smiting left and right.   I could even make it a smaller change and say that the paladin's requirement is strength OR charisma, since they're both important.   Thanks, y'all.
#6 DemoMonkey Dec 12, 2014 12:23:50	Simplest solution: Let the player redistribute their characters stats so they meet all the necessary requirements.
#7 Ninjariffic Dec 12, 2014 14:37:42	I find the ability score requirements for multiclassing particularly silly because there are no such restrictions on starting classes. There's nothing in the rules preventing you from making a wizard with 3 intelligence.   I would just ignore them.
#8 guachi Dec 12, 2014 15:17:20	The ability score requirements are there to simulate that someone who just picks a class up quickly would have to be more naturally talented then someone who has much longer to spend training. That and it prevents someone from taking one class of everything (well, not really. It can be done but you'll have lots of 13s).
(Reply to #8) Ninjariffic	guachi wrote: