Xanthir
2005-10-19, 01:36 PM
At the request of tjwitz, I'm posting up the rules for zero-levelling, an optional gestalting system originally created by Aelyrinth of the Monte Cook boards. The threads which originally held this information dissapeared in the ezCrash.
I do not claim creation of any part of this. It is entirely the creation of Aelyrinth. I am merely paraphrasing the rules from memory.
Zero Levelling
Zero-levelling is a way to represent side-training that your character may engage in without taking away from his primary training. A Fighter may want to research a bit of magic without neglecting his combat skills, or a Wizard may want to learn how to hit those vital areas on creatures without slowing down his magical growth.
Ordinarily you must take levels in other classes to represent this. However, that indicates that you are pursuing that area of learning with the dedication you normally reserve for your primary vocation, and completely ignoring your standard training for a while. The zero-levelling mechanic allows you to train in other things without detracting from your growth in your primary class.
Zero-levelling presumes that you look at ordinary levelling up as 'buying' a level, rather than simply hitting a predefined XP total. That is, you spend 4k XP to buy your fifth level, rather than simply reaching 10k total XP.
Essentially, you can spend XP to buy gestalt levels in classes. Because there is an inherent cost, this 'gestalt' is no more powerful than a normal character.
Buying a zero-level costs the same as buying your next character level would. If you are level 6, your next character level is 6k. Thus, any zero-levels you buy while you are level 6 cost 6k as well. This is the same whether you are buying your first zero-level in a class or the third.
You may only buy a number of zero-levels in each class equal to half of your character level. There is no limit to how many different classes you can zero-level in at one time, however.
You may also zero-level in Prestige Classes. However, a prestige class represents dedication to a particular thing, and so is harder to train as a side project. You may buy a number of zero levels in a PrC equal to (character level - 10)/2. This means that you can't zero-level in a PrC until level 12, at the earliest. As with base classes, you may zero-level in any number of PrCs at one time.
Benefits of zero-levelling
Zero-levelling confers benefits similar to gestalt classes. Compare levels from your main class with the equivalant levels in all zero-levelled classes. For example, if you take your first zero-level of Fighter you compare it with your first level in your main class (and the first level of all other zero-levelled classes you may have).
In the case that you increase your HD due to this, increase your total HP by the difference in the average values of the die. A wizard zero-levelling in fighter would gain 3HP when his d4 is replaced by a d10. If his HP was originally 12, the first zero-level of Fighter increases it to 15. If he then zero-levelled in Barbarian, his d10 is replaced by a d12, and his HP increases to 16.
For BAB and saves, it is best to think of each class' bonus not as a total number, but as a discrete increase at each level. So, for example, the Wizard class would have a +2 to will saves at first level and a +1 to will saves at second. At third level it would have a +1 to Fort and Ref but a +0 to Will (since Will does not increase that level).
Thinking about it this way, simply use the best value for BAB and save increases among all of your classes. A Wiz6 who took three zero-levels of Fighter would have a BAB of +5, a Fort and Will of +6, and a Ref of +2. The Wizard's BAB increase would be replaced by the Fighters and levels 1 and 3 because the Fighter receives a +1 at those levels but the Wizard receives a +0. Wizard's Will save increase at level 3 is replaced by the Fighter's, because level 3 has no increase on the Good progression, but it does in the Poor progression.
If zero-levelling in a PrC, compare the first zero-level of the PrC with the 11th level of your main class instead of the first level for the purpose of determing BAB, HD, and saves. You may zero-level in a base class as if it were a PrC by using the PrC zero-levelling rules; if you do so then compare it with the 11th level of your main class as well.
You gain skill points from zero-levelling as if you had actually levelled in the class. Zero-levelling in Bard gives you 6+Int skill points, even if your primary class is Rogue.
You gain all class abilities from your zero-levels appropriate to their level. For example, the first zero-level of Fighter grants a Fighter bonus feat, and the first zero-level of Ranger grants FE, Track, and Wild Empathy. However, if more than one class (among your main classes or any zero-levelled classes) grants the same ability, and that ability has a progression, do not grant the ability twice. Simply use the best progression of the ability among all classes with the ability. For example, a high-level Fighter who zero-levels in both Rogue and Arcane Trickster does not gain Sneak Attack from both classes, but only the highest value of Sneak Attack among them. Similarly, a Wizard who zero-levels in Sorcerer does not increase his caster level, as his Wizard levels grant him a greater value for it. However, he would gain spell slots and spells per day as a Sorcerer, as this is a different mechanic than wizard spell slots. The GM may need to adjudicate this on a case-by-case basis.
Finally, at every fourth level a character gains in a specific zero-levelled class, he gains a bonus feat similar to the bonus feat he gains every 3 normal levels. As well, at every fifth level a character gains in a specific zero-levelled class, he gains a +1 stat increase similar to the stat increase he gains every 4 normal levels.
And that's about it. My description is probably pretty confusing, and I apologize for that. It's actually extraordinarily simple once you actually start working with it.
Probably the best benefit of it is that it creates much more well-rounded characters without making them too much more powerful, and it does so with a true, fairly balanced cost mechanic. And most importantly, it slows down levelling! Now you have a *reason* why it actually takes many, many years to reach high-levels. You spend a lot of your time training to make yourself well-rounded, rather than a one-trick, no-zero-levels pony!
Some final notes: Aelyrinth uses what he termed the 'Karmic Ceiling' to prevent characters from exceeding level 20. Haxan was populated with many level 20 personalities, and the Karmic Ceiling prevents them from being Epic game-wreckers that totally overshadow the PCs. Basically, you can't begin taking Epic levels until you complete an Epic quest. Most people, even if they've reached level 20 through an exciting adventuring career, will never accomplish this (or want to, since the Quest is extremely lethal by its nature). Instead, they broaden out and spend their XP on zero-levelling. Thus, you can have powerful people in the world who have been fighting and adventuring forever, but aren't much more powerful than your average level 20 character. They've just gained a lot of breadth in their abilities.
I do not claim creation of any part of this. It is entirely the creation of Aelyrinth. I am merely paraphrasing the rules from memory.
Zero Levelling
Zero-levelling is a way to represent side-training that your character may engage in without taking away from his primary training. A Fighter may want to research a bit of magic without neglecting his combat skills, or a Wizard may want to learn how to hit those vital areas on creatures without slowing down his magical growth.
Ordinarily you must take levels in other classes to represent this. However, that indicates that you are pursuing that area of learning with the dedication you normally reserve for your primary vocation, and completely ignoring your standard training for a while. The zero-levelling mechanic allows you to train in other things without detracting from your growth in your primary class.
Zero-levelling presumes that you look at ordinary levelling up as 'buying' a level, rather than simply hitting a predefined XP total. That is, you spend 4k XP to buy your fifth level, rather than simply reaching 10k total XP.
Essentially, you can spend XP to buy gestalt levels in classes. Because there is an inherent cost, this 'gestalt' is no more powerful than a normal character.
Buying a zero-level costs the same as buying your next character level would. If you are level 6, your next character level is 6k. Thus, any zero-levels you buy while you are level 6 cost 6k as well. This is the same whether you are buying your first zero-level in a class or the third.
You may only buy a number of zero-levels in each class equal to half of your character level. There is no limit to how many different classes you can zero-level in at one time, however.
You may also zero-level in Prestige Classes. However, a prestige class represents dedication to a particular thing, and so is harder to train as a side project. You may buy a number of zero levels in a PrC equal to (character level - 10)/2. This means that you can't zero-level in a PrC until level 12, at the earliest. As with base classes, you may zero-level in any number of PrCs at one time.
Benefits of zero-levelling
Zero-levelling confers benefits similar to gestalt classes. Compare levels from your main class with the equivalant levels in all zero-levelled classes. For example, if you take your first zero-level of Fighter you compare it with your first level in your main class (and the first level of all other zero-levelled classes you may have).
In the case that you increase your HD due to this, increase your total HP by the difference in the average values of the die. A wizard zero-levelling in fighter would gain 3HP when his d4 is replaced by a d10. If his HP was originally 12, the first zero-level of Fighter increases it to 15. If he then zero-levelled in Barbarian, his d10 is replaced by a d12, and his HP increases to 16.
For BAB and saves, it is best to think of each class' bonus not as a total number, but as a discrete increase at each level. So, for example, the Wizard class would have a +2 to will saves at first level and a +1 to will saves at second. At third level it would have a +1 to Fort and Ref but a +0 to Will (since Will does not increase that level).
Thinking about it this way, simply use the best value for BAB and save increases among all of your classes. A Wiz6 who took three zero-levels of Fighter would have a BAB of +5, a Fort and Will of +6, and a Ref of +2. The Wizard's BAB increase would be replaced by the Fighters and levels 1 and 3 because the Fighter receives a +1 at those levels but the Wizard receives a +0. Wizard's Will save increase at level 3 is replaced by the Fighter's, because level 3 has no increase on the Good progression, but it does in the Poor progression.
If zero-levelling in a PrC, compare the first zero-level of the PrC with the 11th level of your main class instead of the first level for the purpose of determing BAB, HD, and saves. You may zero-level in a base class as if it were a PrC by using the PrC zero-levelling rules; if you do so then compare it with the 11th level of your main class as well.
You gain skill points from zero-levelling as if you had actually levelled in the class. Zero-levelling in Bard gives you 6+Int skill points, even if your primary class is Rogue.
You gain all class abilities from your zero-levels appropriate to their level. For example, the first zero-level of Fighter grants a Fighter bonus feat, and the first zero-level of Ranger grants FE, Track, and Wild Empathy. However, if more than one class (among your main classes or any zero-levelled classes) grants the same ability, and that ability has a progression, do not grant the ability twice. Simply use the best progression of the ability among all classes with the ability. For example, a high-level Fighter who zero-levels in both Rogue and Arcane Trickster does not gain Sneak Attack from both classes, but only the highest value of Sneak Attack among them. Similarly, a Wizard who zero-levels in Sorcerer does not increase his caster level, as his Wizard levels grant him a greater value for it. However, he would gain spell slots and spells per day as a Sorcerer, as this is a different mechanic than wizard spell slots. The GM may need to adjudicate this on a case-by-case basis.
Finally, at every fourth level a character gains in a specific zero-levelled class, he gains a bonus feat similar to the bonus feat he gains every 3 normal levels. As well, at every fifth level a character gains in a specific zero-levelled class, he gains a +1 stat increase similar to the stat increase he gains every 4 normal levels.
And that's about it. My description is probably pretty confusing, and I apologize for that. It's actually extraordinarily simple once you actually start working with it.
Probably the best benefit of it is that it creates much more well-rounded characters without making them too much more powerful, and it does so with a true, fairly balanced cost mechanic. And most importantly, it slows down levelling! Now you have a *reason* why it actually takes many, many years to reach high-levels. You spend a lot of your time training to make yourself well-rounded, rather than a one-trick, no-zero-levels pony!
Some final notes: Aelyrinth uses what he termed the 'Karmic Ceiling' to prevent characters from exceeding level 20. Haxan was populated with many level 20 personalities, and the Karmic Ceiling prevents them from being Epic game-wreckers that totally overshadow the PCs. Basically, you can't begin taking Epic levels until you complete an Epic quest. Most people, even if they've reached level 20 through an exciting adventuring career, will never accomplish this (or want to, since the Quest is extremely lethal by its nature). Instead, they broaden out and spend their XP on zero-levelling. Thus, you can have powerful people in the world who have been fighting and adventuring forever, but aren't much more powerful than your average level 20 character. They've just gained a lot of breadth in their abilities.