How to handle returning to a spellcasting base class.

[NPJPKelso]

Well, first off, hello world. While I am not new to forums, I am new to this forum. I've been lurking here for a while and I tend to find good answers I need to questions I have, but today I am stumped and Google can't help me. Neither can the search function.

So I am planning on DMing a campaign in the near future. I plan on playing a Bard with a focus on luck. The purpose of my NPC is thus: A support character. As a bard, I can help provide information in game to the PCs and in battle, give them little boosts and what not. Like I said, he's more gimmicky than anything with the focus on luck. So I plan on going Fortune's Friend with him, Complete Scoundrel, page 38. It gives a couple levels of "+1 level of existing spellcasting class." I plan on returning to Bard afterwards. What I have in my mind is Bard 1/Human Paragon 3/Rogue 2/Fortune's Friend 5/Bard 9.

By the time I get to Bard again, I'll have "5" levels of Bard spellcasting, but I'll be on my way to second level Bard. How does this work for spellcasters? Should I just continue to "+1 level of existing spellcasting class" for the remaining levels in bard, or is there a written rule somewhere?

[Seatbelt]

You cast as a 5th level bard. So you you would gain the class abilities of a level 2 bard, and the spellcasting of a 6th level bard.


DMPCs are almost always a terrible idea. Although I usually throw in a gnome cleric for healing if the party is having trouble/lacks magical healing. He's usually not terribly optimized, and always a straight cleric. So Do what I say, not what I do.

Why do you feel the need for a DMPC in your game?

[Tyndmyr]

Issue #1. If you are this unfamiliar with the system, you should not be using a DMPC. I mean, they're dangerous all round, but adding unfamiliarities to the mix only increases downsides like longer combat rounds.

The mechanical answer is that the casting from these classes stacks. You continue other things from bard 2, as normal, but spellcasting continues merrily on at whatever level it's gotten up to from PrCs(+2 from HP, off the top of my head, not sure how many from FF).

[NPJPKelso]

It's the way my father DMs. He always enjoys throwing in a stoic DMPC just to tinker around with game mechanics for himself. And, I feel to an extent I personally would feel a little empty not having my own character to tinker with.

I am familiar with this system. I have been playing since I was 13, when 3.5 launched. This was just something I could not find anywhere written, and I'm more RaW, whereas my father's more RaI. So I just wanted something confirming. I figured as much that it would just continue, so thank you both for that.