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Xuldarinar
2013-08-13, 05:33 PM
HYBRID CHARACTERS

BUILDING A HYBRID CHARACTER
To make a 1st-level hybrid character, choose two D&D classes. Build your character according to the following guidelines.
Hit Dice: Take the Hit Die from the two classes you choose and consult the following table:
{table=head]-|d4|d6|d8|d10|d12
d4|d4|d4|d6|d6|d8
d6|d4|d6|d6|d8|d8
d8|d6|d6|d8|d8|d10
d10|d6|d8|d8|d10|d10
d12|d8|d8|d10|d10|d12[/table]
Base Attack Bonus: Take the Base Attack Bonus progressions of the classes and consult the following table:
{table=head]-|Poor|Average|Good
Poor|Poor|Poor|Average
Average|Poor|Average|Average
Good|Average|Average|Good [/table]
Base Saving Throw Bonuses: Choose the worse of the two for all save progressions, except for one of your choice possessed by either class. For Example; A Rogue/Sorcerer Hybrid would have Poor Fort, and either Poor Will and Good Ref, or Poor Ref and Good Will.
Class Skills: Take the number of skill points gained per level, add them together, and divide by two. Skills in common between the two classes are kept as class skills. Pick 2 other skills from either to count as class skills as well.
Class Features: A hybrid character gains the class features of both classes except that they progress differently. For the purposes of obtaining and advancing class features (including spells per day, caster level, familiar advancement, ect.), a character's effective level in each class is treated as 3/4ths their level, rounded down, to a minimum of 1. If a class feature exists in both classes, with exception to spellcasting, it progresses at the faster rate. For example, a Rogue/Wizard hybrid would advance as follows:
Level|Class Features|0|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|Caster Level
1st|Scribe Scroll, Sneak attack +1d6, Summon familiar, Trapfinding|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|1st
2nd|-|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|1st
3rd|Evasion|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|2nd
4th|-|4|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|2nd
5th|Sneak attack +2d6, trap sense +1|4|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|3rd
6th|Uncanny dodge|4|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|4th
7th|Bonus feat, Sneak attack +3d6|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|5th
8th|Trap sense +2|4|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|6th
9th|-|4|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|6th
10th|Sneak attack +4d6|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|7th
11th|Improved uncanny dodge|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|8th
12th|Sneak attack +5d6, trap sense +3|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|9th
13th|-|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|9th
14th|Bonus Feat, Special ability|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|-|10th
15th|Sneak attack +6d6|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|11th
16th|trap sense +4|4|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|12th
17th|-|4|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|12th
18th|Sneak attack +7d6, special ability|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|13th
19th|-|4|4|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|14th
20th|Bonus feat, Sneak attack +8d6, trap sense +5|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|15th

Multiclassing: There are a few rules that must be considered should multiclassing be used with hybrid characters.
A character can go between regular classing and hybrid classing. If a character has level in a class on it's own, and it's hybrid class levels, they may add these class levels together for the purposes of advancement. Remember, however, that hybrid class levels count for 3/4ths of the class level. A (Fighter/Wizard)4/Wizard 4, for instance, would count as a 3rd level fighter, and a 7th level wizard.
A character can take levels in a prestige class, either as a full class or a hybrid class. If a prestige class level is a part of a hybrid class level, the other half cannot be the class they are advancing with it. As with normal classes, hybrid prestige class levels count as 3/4ths of a level. A character can have prestige classes on both sides, but if they advance other classes, they cannot be applied to the same class.
Level advancement in a class can exceed its normal cap (20 for base, 3-15 for Prestige) in hybrid classing before changing over to epic level rules. As usual, 21st level onward are epic levels, but a character doesn't take up the epic version of the class yet. A standard class would extend to 26 levels, 15 level PrCs extend to 20, 10 level PrCs extend to 13th, 5 level PrCs extend to 6 level, and 3 level PrCs extend to 4 levels. Attack bonus and save bonuses progress the same way regardless. For instance, a (Sorcerer/X) hybrid would attain 9th level spells at 24th level, having a caster level for sorcerer spells of 18th. Alternatively, a (Wizard/X) hybrid would attain 9th level spells at 22nd level, having a caster level of 17th.
For the purposes of multiclass experience penalties, hybrid class levels that contain the character's race's favored class and/or a prestige class, do not count towards class levels to determine multi class penalty. For example, a elf could pair a different class with wizard at almost every level and not be subject to any penalty. Hybrid levels that do not include a character's favored class nor prestige class can each count as 3/4 levels or 1 level per level for the purposes of xp penalties, DM pending.
Due to the differences in advancement, I strongly advise against, but you may allow, using hybrid rules on monster classes. If you do so, I suggest using two monster classes that have roughy the same progression, such as elementals.


Gestalt Hybrids?: Yes, you could use this with gestalt, but do so at your own risk. Should you decide to mix the two systems, calculate each side under the hybrid rules, as listed above, independently before combining them under gestalt rules. A 1st level gestalt hybrid character would be depicted as (Class A/Class B) 1//(Class C/Class D) 1.
__________________
Would I like to think this is perfect? Yes but I know it isn't. I want a simple system that takes the gestalt system down for use in standard power campaigns, or in other words takes the hybrid class system of 4e and make it usable in 3.5. Obviously there has to be something that has to give, but with so many classes and such, I did the best i could.

Theres more to work out of course, but.. here it is. Enjoy, and give me feed back if you can.

eftexar
2013-08-13, 05:38 PM
Handy. It definitely works better than gestalt (which is grossly overpowered in my opinion) with its limitations.

[edit]: It just occured to me that caster level would be at 3/4 as well, right? Another good limitations if it is. I would specifically note that though.

Xuldarinar
2013-08-13, 06:54 PM
Handy. It definitely works better than gestalt (which is grossly overpowered in my opinion) with its limitations.

[edit]: It just occured to me that caster level would be at 3/4 as well, right? Another good limitations if it is. I would specifically note that though.

Yes, caster level would advance at a 3/4th rate as well. I've added mention of that and showing it on the example table (this also shows what each level 1-20 takes its class features from, if someone doesn't wish to do the math)

chaos_redefined
2013-08-16, 08:06 PM
A couple of things...

First, how do the dead levels interact with the Tome of Battle stuff? For example, is a (Warblade/X) 8 have a initiator level of 6 or 7?

Second, I'm concerned about the bit about how "+1 arcane advancement" doesn't get the 3/4 progression. This means, for example, that:
Wizard 7 / (Loremaster/Fighter) 3 loses the class features of Loremaster 3, and in it's place, gains the class features of Fighter 2, that is, 2 bonus fighter feats. This can include martial study/stance, improved initiative, etc...

It is possible that you mean that (Wizard//Fighter) 7/Loremaster 3 would have CL 8, in which case, this needs clarification, and also isn't a problem.