PhoenixPhyre
2022-05-16, 02:08 PM
I'm contemplating and drafting a replacement for multiclassing (which I've always hated for a bunch of reasons) involving 4e/PF2e-style "Emulation Features" (not feats)--chained choices that would occur at 3rd, 8th, 13th, and 18th level. Effectively, you'd have Regular/Greater/Superior/Supreme (yes, stolen from healing potions) features, representing roughly a 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th-level-equivalent feature from the class you're branching out to. And you can't get the higher ranks without the lower ranks. Emulation features are somewhat reduced-power versions of core class features.
Everyone would get those, and they don't conflict with anything else. So at 3rd level, you'd get your regular features from your class and the option to take a Regular Emulation Feature from a different one. At 8th, you could either take a Regular Emulation Feature from a 3rd class OR a Greater Emulation Feature from the class you took your REF from at 3rd. Etc.
But I want to make it a viable option to just keep with your current class and specialize more. So I'd also like to complement that with Specializations (also tiered in the same way)--if you choose not to branch out, you instead get the next Specialization Feature for your class. And you could, in principle, mix and match. So you could do (eg as a Fighter): Regular Specialization / Regular Emulation (Wizard) / Greater Specialization / Greater Emulation (Wizard). Or other combinations. Basically, the specializations are the default option.
My thinking is that you'd get one of:
* more uses of something you already have
* slightly better uses
* an alternate feature "for free", improving it if you already took that option
* a feature out of the "default" subclass, or an improvement on it if that was your subclass
at each step.
So what would y'all like to see for each class at each level bracket:
Regular: 1st-3rd level
Greater: 4-8th level
Superior: 9-13th level
Supreme: 14th-18th level
The goal being that if you want to be outright stronger (or better QoL), you choose the specializations, but if you want to be broader you choose the Emulations. Remember that this replaces multiclassing entirely, so your only non-base access to things like fighting styles, extra attack, etc comes via the Emulation features.
As a (very WIP) example:
Ranger
Regular: Gain Favored Foe (if you don’t have it). If you do, increase die size by one at each step (base 1d6 -> 1d8 -> 1d10)
Greater: Gain a choice from Hunter’s Prey, even if you already have that feature (but must choose a different option).
Superior: Favored Foe no longer requires concentration.
Supreme: Gain a choice from Superior Hunter’s Defense, even if you already have that feature (but must choose a different option).
compared to the Emulation (Ranger):
Regular: Favored Foe (1d4)
Greater: Fighting Style, Hunter’s Prey (1 choice)
Superior: Defensive Tactics (1 choice)
Supreme: Nature’s Veil
Everyone would get those, and they don't conflict with anything else. So at 3rd level, you'd get your regular features from your class and the option to take a Regular Emulation Feature from a different one. At 8th, you could either take a Regular Emulation Feature from a 3rd class OR a Greater Emulation Feature from the class you took your REF from at 3rd. Etc.
But I want to make it a viable option to just keep with your current class and specialize more. So I'd also like to complement that with Specializations (also tiered in the same way)--if you choose not to branch out, you instead get the next Specialization Feature for your class. And you could, in principle, mix and match. So you could do (eg as a Fighter): Regular Specialization / Regular Emulation (Wizard) / Greater Specialization / Greater Emulation (Wizard). Or other combinations. Basically, the specializations are the default option.
My thinking is that you'd get one of:
* more uses of something you already have
* slightly better uses
* an alternate feature "for free", improving it if you already took that option
* a feature out of the "default" subclass, or an improvement on it if that was your subclass
at each step.
So what would y'all like to see for each class at each level bracket:
Regular: 1st-3rd level
Greater: 4-8th level
Superior: 9-13th level
Supreme: 14th-18th level
The goal being that if you want to be outright stronger (or better QoL), you choose the specializations, but if you want to be broader you choose the Emulations. Remember that this replaces multiclassing entirely, so your only non-base access to things like fighting styles, extra attack, etc comes via the Emulation features.
As a (very WIP) example:
Ranger
Regular: Gain Favored Foe (if you don’t have it). If you do, increase die size by one at each step (base 1d6 -> 1d8 -> 1d10)
Greater: Gain a choice from Hunter’s Prey, even if you already have that feature (but must choose a different option).
Superior: Favored Foe no longer requires concentration.
Supreme: Gain a choice from Superior Hunter’s Defense, even if you already have that feature (but must choose a different option).
compared to the Emulation (Ranger):
Regular: Favored Foe (1d4)
Greater: Fighting Style, Hunter’s Prey (1 choice)
Superior: Defensive Tactics (1 choice)
Supreme: Nature’s Veil