New Multiclassing Rule -- Homebrew Idea

[Drachasor]

I've been thinking about how significant multi-classing can be rather poor, especially with casters. So I was thinking about how to make multi-classing a bit better. It perhaps gets a tiny bit complicated.

The basic idea is to make combining two classes into a kind of 3/4 gestalt.

Making a Multi-class Class:
So, pick two classes to make into a MC class. This is the class you gain levels in. We'll use a Wizard-Cleric (WC), Fighter-Rogue (FRo), Barbarian-Ranger (BRa), and Sorcerer-Monk (SM) as examples.


Skills: You gain the skills of both classes.*

Hit Dice: HD, the average of both classes. If both classes use the same Hit Dice, use that die. If the average is an odd number, roll the next die higher up and reroll if you roll max.

EXAMPLES

WC: A d4 and d8 average to a d6. So the WC has a d6 Hit Die.

FRo: A d10 and d6 average to a d8.

BR: d11 (roll d12, reroll 12s)

SM: d4 and d8 are d6.

Saves: Average the Base Saves for each class for your MC class level, rounding down. If you use partial progression, you can instead just average the fractional progression.

EXAMPLES

WC: At 1st level, Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +2. At 10th level, Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +7. At 20th, Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +12

FRo: At 1st level, Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +0. At 10th level, Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +3. At 20th, Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +6

BR: At 1st level, Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +0. At 10th level, Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +3. At 20th, Fort +12, Ref +9, Will +6

SM: At 1st level, Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +1. At 10th level, Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5. At 20th, Fort +9, Ref +12, Will +9

Class Features: At first level you have all the first level class features of one of your classes -- this is your primary class, the other class is your secondary. At 2nd level you have all of the class features available at 1st level to both of your classes. At each odd level thereafter, you advance the class features of both classes by 1 each. At each level divisible by 4 you advance the class features of your primary class by 1. Each even level not divisible by 4, you advance the class features of your secondary class by 1. At level 20 you advanced both by 1.
{table]Class level|Effective Primary Class Level|Effective Secondary Class Level
1|1|0
2|1|1
3|2|2
4|3|2
5|4|3
6|4|4
7|5|5
8|6|5
9|7|6
10|7|7
11|8|8
12|9|8
13|10|9
14|10|10
15|11|11
16|12|11
17|13|12
18|13|13
19|14|14
20|15|15
[/table]

WC: Wizard Primary, at 1st level you have the class features of a Wizard. At 10th level you have the class features of a 7th level Wizard and a 7th level Cleric. At 20th level you have the Class Features of a 15th level Wizard and a 15th level Cleric.

Maybe I should add a table for this.

Special: Your caster level for any spellcasting you have is equal to your Class level in the MC class. So a 20th level WC above would have the spell access of a 15th level Wizard and a 15th level Cleric, but a Caster Level of 20.

Restrictions: If you take a level in an MC class, you cannot take any levels in the regular classes it incorporates.

You cannot take a PrC that is meant to combine two classes together. So a Wizard-Cleric can't take the Mystic Theurge.

Spell-casting PrCs can advance your casting from both classes you've combined to form a multi-class. They increase your effective MC level for purposes of spell-casting class features only.

Anyhow, I think something like that would work decently, but I'm not 100% sure. Thoughts?

[ahenobarbi]

Class Features: At first level you have all the first level class features of one of your classes -- this is your primary class, the other class is your secondary. At 2nd level you have all of the class features available at 1st level to both of your classes. At each odd level thereafter, you advance the class features of both classes by 1 each. At each level divisible by 4 you advance the class features of your primary class by 1. Each even level not divisible by 4, you advance the class features of your secondary class by 1. At level 20 you advanced both.


WC: Wizard Primary, at 1st level you have the class features of a Wizard. At 10th level you have the class features of a 7th level Wizard and a 7th level Cleric. At 20th level you have the Class Features of a 15th level Wizard and a 15th level Cleric.

This is kinda... complicated, in WC example it would be like
{table]WC level|effective wizard level|effective Cleric level
1|1|0
2|1|1
3|2|2
4|3|2
5|4|3
6|4|4
7|5|5
8|6|5
9|7|6
10|7|7
11|8|8
12|9|8
13|10|9
14|10|10
15|11|11
16|12|11
17|13|12
18|13|13
19|14|14
20|15|14
[/table]? seems cleric level is 1 lower than what you said.

It would be nasty with Theurge classes (because it would double-progress spellcasting, WC 5/MT 10 casts as WC 25...).

Are you familiar with gestalt (Arcana Unearthed) variant?

[Drachasor]

This is kinda... complicated, in WC example it would be like

<stole table>
seems cleric level is 1 lower than what you said.

It would be nasty with Theurge classes (because it would double-progress spellcasting, WC 5/MT 10 casts as WC 25...).

Are you familiar with gestalt (Arcana Unearthed) variant?

It's slightly complicated, but I didn't think advancing both every even level would work -- it would mean at 2nd level you'd be a Wizard 2/Cleric 1 in features, which is too much, imho.

As for the table, you missed the fact that at level 20 both advance. I fixed this when I stole it.

Yes, I'd have to add some clear rules on that. Obviously this is designed to replace the basic multi-class PrCs. With MC classes I could see having some multi-class abilities from PrCs become available as feats though.

I am familiar with the Gestalt rules. This is based on it, however trying to use them here just makes things messier, imho. You'd say that you took a Gestalt level every other level which is uglier. But the basic idea was in part the Gestalt rules and in part the pre-3.X multiclassing.

[Chronos]

D&D 3.x has the best multiclassing system I've seen in an RPG. The fact that it doesn't work well with caster classes is a flaw with the casting mechanic, not with the multiclassing system. One can design casting mechanics that work just fine with 3.x multiclassing.