Favored Enemy Progression and Multiple Clases

[somehownotsingl]

In Dnd 3.5, several classes have a Favored Enemy ACF that replaces other standard class abilities (I'm thinking of barbarian and paladin, in particular). I'm wondering if in those situations Favored Enemy would advance within each class separately, or rather across the entire character?

To illustrate, say I took Ranger at level 1, thus gaining my first favored enemy. At level 2, I then took paladin with FE ACF. From a game mechanics angle, would the Favored Enemy I took at level 2 (with pally ACF) be my second Favored Enemy, or simply my first Favored Enemy on a different progression? In other words, would I now have a +2 and a +4 favored enemy, or simply two +2 favored enemies?

If I took a level of barbarian at level 3 with Favored Enemy ACF, would I now have a +2, a +2, and a +6 FE (or +2, +4, +4), or would I now have three +2 FE, each on a separate progression? Yet get the idea.

On a related note, the Swift Hunter Feat RAW says that Ranger and Scout levels can stack for FE progression and skirmish progression. Would it be a reasonable house rule as DM for me to let another class with the FE ACF taken stack with Scout, instead of Ranger? I don't know if that violates RAI, or not.

Thanks!

[nedz]

By RAW they don't stack, though it would be a reasonable houserule.

Though there are feats which allow them to stack and you have to be a little careful with these. Do you want to step on the toes of these feats ?


Favoured Enemy (Ex)
...
At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the ranger may select an additional favoured enemy from those given on the table. In addition, at each such interval, the bonus against any one favoured enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by 2.
...

Additional favoured enemies do seem to stack though, so having non-stacking FE progressions may be an advantage.

[somehownotsingl]

Ok, thanks. I figured it would, since other standard class features like turn undead, uncanny dodge, etc can progress in some ways across classes. I wanted to do a high FE build (for flavor, not optimization, necessarily), so I thought I would ask!