Do you allow ACF for the same base feature but with a different class?

[St Fan]

I am not talking here about the whole “ACF Chaining” thing here, which is very dubious on itself but is another debate entirely.

What I’m asking is whether, for an identical base class feature, you would allow an ACF that was introduced for a different class?

In other words, can a Totemist exchange the Wild Empathy feature for some ACF that Rangers can swap for their own Wild Empathy, such as Voice of the City (Cityscape) or Spiritual Connection (Complete Champion)?

Would a Beguiler or Spellthief be authorized to exchange Trapfinding for another ACF like Rogues can?

Or a Healer or Archivist allowed to pick a Cleric ACF that they can qualify for, such as Pool of Healing (Complete Champion; you give up a 4th-level spell slot in exchange)?

My point is that the “standard” classes have lots and lots of ACF, while more niche classes introduced later in the game have a lot less, simply because they didn’t exist for as long.
In fact, one often get the feeling that, if those classes had simply been known before a specific ACF is introduced, they would just have been added to the list of concerned classes.

How would adjusticate this in your own games?

[InvisibleBison]

I'd judge it on a case by case basis, and it would matter what exactly a player intended to do with the new feature, but in general I'd be inclined to allow this.

[lylsyly]

Flies at our table all the time. Of course we also bend a lot of rules ;-)

[Eurus]

I'd also tend to allow it, but I'm pretty permissive in general.

[St Fan]

Yes, I expected much the "case by case basis" answer.

Please note there ARE some ACF that are explicitely restricted to their class.
For example, Invisible Fist is strictly a Monk ACF in exchange for Evasion (and later Improved Evasion), despite Rogues and Rangers also having Evasion.

In most other cases, though, I indeed expect some flexibility.

[Darg]

Yes, but I also try to compensate for differences. Like the example used in the OP for a totemist. The totemist's wild empathy allows a +4 bonus to checks when making attempts with magical beasts associated with soulmelds bound to the totem chakra. In this case I would allow voices of the city to also work with the magical beast associated with the bound soulmeld.

[holbita]

What we do is that if the ACF appears to be available to multiple classes (let's say spell reflection from complete mage that can be taken by rogues, scouts, monks and rangers) then we allow anyone to do the trade, even prestige classes. If it's only for one class then we keep it for just them.

[Jay R]

It is the player's responsibility to convince me that it is equivalent.

Specifically, in your example, both Totemist and Ranger have Wild Empathy. Rangers have the ability to exchange it for some ACF. The totemist wants to do the same. The player needs to convince me that the ACF (not the Wild Empathy) fits the idea of the Totemist class as well as it does the Ranger class.

For instance, a Sorcerer can exchange her familiar for a Draconic Ray. If a wizard wants to do that, I would not allow it, because sorcerers are based on the assumption of draconic ancestry, and wizards are not.

I'm fairly easy to convince, but that is the actual issue, so the player needs to address it. Does this alternate feature fit the theme of the class?

[St Fan]

It is the player's responsibility to convince me that it is equivalent.

Specifically, in your example, both Totemist and Ranger have Wild Empathy. Rangers have the ability to exchange it for some ACF. The totemist wants to do the same. The player needs to convince me that the ACF (not the Wild Empathy) fits the idea of the Totemist class as well as it does the Ranger class.

For instance, a Sorcerer can exchange her familiar for a Draconic Ray. If a wizard wants to do that, I would not allow it, because sorcerers are based on the assumption of draconic ancestry, and wizards are not.

I'm fairly easy to convince, but that is the actual issue, so the player needs to address it. Does this alternate feature fit the theme of the class?

That's a very fair point. Voice of the City can be considered a bit too "urban" to fit with the (often illiterate) Totemist. Spiritual Connection (which gives speak with animals / speak with plants) might fit better.

What started me pondering about this specific issue is my concept for an Archivist willing to be able to cast some Paladin spells that require the ability to lay on hands (such as conduit of life, sacred haven or touch of restoration). The Pool of Healing ACF is the closest thing if it's not limited to Clerics, and it isn't much of a stretch to allow it to a Good-aligned Archivist.