Feat that gives a Favored Class

[MichielHagen]

I thought i found one once, can't seem to find it now.
It needs to be in one of the official 3.5 books.

If you know of it, or can tell me it doesn't exist, thanks.

[Reinboom]

It doesn't exist.
Even if homebrewed, it would be considered very... piddly as a feat.

May I ask why you need it?

[MichielHagen]

I want to build a Whisper Gnome Swordsage/Warblade and i don't want the XP-penalties.

[Reinboom]

What levels of each, and have you talked to your DM yet?
Usually, many DMs are willing to adjust things for you. Especially for this particular rule in that, usually, favored classes weren't written with newer classes in mind.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Ask your DM, I know that I can't stand favoured classes myself, I always abolish them for my games.

[BobVosh]

You mean someone actually plays with those rules? Well, there isn't a feat like that. However are you planning on leveling them fairly equally? If so there isn't a penalty. Or just ask if you have have SS as whisper gnome favored class. It is hardly that amazing.

[SparkMandriller]

I don't think I've ever seen anyone ever who actually approved of favoured classes. They add noooooooothing to the game.

[ranagrande]

I prefer to just eliminate the multiclass penalty entirely, as it also adds nothing to the game.

[SparkMandriller]

Wait, whoops, I meant multiclassing penalties.

I mean favoured classes don't add much either, but yeah, multiclassing penalties, those are what really suck.




I completely fail at communication, woo.

[The Dark Fiddler]

3.5 Favored Class I've never heard anyone using.

However, I did hear that Pathfinder's Favored Class instead gives +1 Skill Point and +1 HP per level in the class, and I much prefer this.

[Starbuck_II]

I want to build a Whisper Gnome Swordsage/Warblade and i don't want the XP-penalties.

What is the level distribution?
Are you dipping in Swordsage?

Just try to level them almost even.
SS 2/WArblade 3 has no penalties. You could just make sure you skip back and forth betwen them.

[Eldariel]

Diverse Background [Races of Destiny] adds a Favored Class for you, but is Half-Human only. Unearthed Arcana contains the nonrestricted Additional Favored Class IIRC, but that's in some variant rules again. That said, those rules suck. And honestly, Swordsage and Rogue are close enough that you could just ask for the DM to adapt the FC to account for ToB including Swordsage ('cause honestly, the only reason it isn't a Whisper Gnome favored class is 'cause no race published outside a system-book has non-core classes as favored classes).

'cause, I mean, Swordsage is just as stealthy as a Rogue and has an array of similar abilities. And the mystical tint seems like they'd fit Whisper Gnomes BETTER than Rogues (who are completely mundane), given Whisper Gnomes' racial spell-likes and generic Gnome attunement with magic.


EDIT: Doublechecked the feat in Unearthed Arcana: It's called Additional Favored Class and is in the sidebar on page 100. The good news is that it isn't actually a variant rule so it should be available relatively easily.

[Faleldir]

It's in Unearthed Arcana, but not the SRD.

[MichielHagen]

That is the one i was looking for, no wonder i could not find it. Thank you.

I might try to convince the DM to drop XP penalties, but this is a good backup.

The levels will be SS 10/WB 2

I just wanted the extra maneuvers and Uncanny Dodge the WB offers, i will be SS all the way after that.

[HCL]

A 20% xp penalty isnt that bad if the entire party is on board doing it. You just get 20% more adventure before you level.

[MichielHagen]

It is a large difference in my opinion. You lose over half a level (if i lose the xp from level 8 on) and that is more than the cost of one feat. And i will be the only one with the penalty thus far.

[Curmudgeon]

Additional Favored Class is a house rule, but it's a pretty reasonable one. Mixing more base classes, many of them front-loaded with good powers at their low levels, does tend to make for stronger characters. Restricting that choice to favored classes, or having to pay for the strength with a feat, is a good idea to keep them from running over single-class characters.

[LibraryOgre]

I thought i found one once, can't seem to find it now.
It needs to be in one of the official 3.5 books.

If you know of it, or can tell me it doesn't exist, thanks.

IIRC, there are some feats in Player's Guide to Faerun which allow you to treat certain magic classes as mutliclasses. They're regional feats, meaning only at level 1, however.

[Darrin]

There are also a few templates that add or change your Favored Class.

Dragonborn of Bahumat, for example, adds Fighter. Actually comes in quite handy, since the only core class that can do 2-level fighter dips without penalty are dwarves.

There are also some racial templates in Dragon #306 that switch your favored class with no Level Adjustment to worry about. Magic-Blooded (+2 Cha, -2 Wis), for example, switches it to Sorcerer. Desert (no stat adjustment) and Wild (+2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Wis, +5' speed) switches it to Ranger (another great 2-level dip class). Check the 3.0 templates on Crystalkeep for more details.

[Riffington]

Additional Favored Class is a house rule, but it's a pretty reasonable one. Mixing more base classes, many of them front-loaded with good powers at their low levels, does tend to make for stronger characters. Restricting that choice to favored classes, or having to pay for the strength with a feat, is a good idea to keep them from running over single-class characters.

This is true with two caveats.
First, it is true in many campaigns that spellcasters are permitted all the broken stuff in the books, and thus are much more powerful than other character types. They don't need multiple base classes, and at least by RAW prestige classes aren't subject to that limitation. If you're adding an additional favored class, at least consider counting prestige classes the same as base classes. Though that has drawbacks as well.

The second caveat is that a lot of the frontloaded classes are frontloaded at about the same level. So if you want Barbarian 2 and Fighter 2 and Ranger 1 and then the rest Warblade or Rogue or something... you aren't getting any multiclass penalties because all those dips are within a level of each other.

[Curmudgeon]

The second caveat is that a lot of the frontloaded classes are frontloaded at about the same level. So if you want Barbarian 2 and Fighter 2 and Ranger 1 and then the rest Warblade or Rogue or something... you aren't getting any multiclass penalties because all those dips are within a level of each other.

If you're human or half-elf, that's certainly true. And if that other class (Warblade or Rogue or something) is your favored class it's also true. But if you're not human/half-elf, and that high class is not your favored class, you get slammed with multiclass XP penalties.

Uneven Levels: If any two of your multiclass character’s classes are two or more levels apart, the strain of developing and maintaining different skills at different levels takes its toll. Your multiclass character suffers a –20% penalty to XP for each class that is not within one level of his or her highest-level class. These penalties apply from the moment the character adds a class or raises a class’s level too high.

[Riffington]

Good point. And there's really no great reason for that to be the case.

[Curmudgeon]

Good point. And there's really no great reason for that to be the case.

I think the reason is that they want to give humans and half-elves something extra. Something that will cost other races a feat to obtain.

[Woodsman]

Either Frostburn or Sandstorm actually has feats that make your favored class cleric, but that's not quite so useful to a SS/WB build.

[Sliver]

I think the reason is that they want to give humans and half-elves something extra. Something that will cost other races a feat to obtain.

I see why they did it.. But full casters are not effected by that because they most likely won't even bother with multiclassing with basic classes as it hurts them.. There is no reason to weaken the other classes and slowing them down (while you will be a level behind at some point and start getting xp more equally.. it doesn't make things much better)

I think most DMs will let you forget about this penalty.. Adding an extra game term that has the only purpose of limiting players?

[Eldariel]

I think the reason is that they want to give humans and half-elves something extra. Something that will cost other races a feat to obtain.

'cause Humans really need the help.[/sarcasm] Too bad it really ain't enough for Half-Elves.

[Curmudgeon]

Either Frostburn or Sandstorm actually has feats that make your favored class cleric, but that's not quite so useful to a SS/WB build.

You're right about everything except the "either" part. Frostburn has Chosen of Iborighu and Mark of Hleid, and Sandstorm has Blessed by Tem-Et-Nu and Judged by Aurifar. Pick any one of these deities to worship and you can add Cleric as another favored class.

[FMArthur]

Have you considered just taking Martial Study as a Warblade for the SS maneuvers you want? It might just be better that way.

[MichielHagen]

I wanted to increase my number of maneuvers readied.