3.5/PF throwback to 2E AD&D

[klemdakherzbag]

While looking through my Pathfinder handbook the other day, I was struck with a semi-crazy idea. Use the slow/med/fast experience charts to advance similar to how classes advanced back with AD&D. The main issue here is, would it be seen as vindictive to allow the full casters to advance on the slow track while full melee classes (eg. fighter, monk) advance on the medium or fast track? I know it wouldnt do much to help with the 'balance' issue but it may help to keep the melee slightly more relevant later into games.

Important Edit - most of my players dont play full casters, at least not for more than a few levels

[dsmiles]

While looking through my Pathfinder handbook the other day, I was struck with a semi-crazy idea. Use the slow/med/fast experience charts to advance similar to how classes advanced back with AD&D. The main issue here is, would it be seen as vindictive to allow the full casters to advance on the slow track while full melee classes (eg. fighter, monk) advance on the medium or fast track? I know it wouldnt do much to help with the 'balance' issue but it may help to keep the melee slightly more relevant later into games.

Important Edit - most of my players dont play full casters, at least not for more than a few levels

Sounds like a good idea to me. Keeps the wizards in line with the rest of the party.

[The_Admiral]

Pathfinder handbook? How do i get it?

[Person_Man]

IMO it's a lousy idea. Fiddling with experience charts will just cause more metagaming, unintended consequences, and resentment. If your Tier 1-2 players are too strong, just ask them to tone down their spell selection. If your Tier 4-6 players are too weak, you can give them more treasure.

[Tharck]

Not to mention the headache of multiclassed characters and following that.

[Tyndmyr]

Yeah, it's always a mess with multiclass.

Plus, at low levels, casters are reasonable...and even squishy. It's not a matter of just matching up two linear progressions.

E6 is much preferable, IMO. Or just playing nice.

[Caliphbubba]

eh. It was a bad idea then and it is a bad idea now.

especially if you just port them straight over. For instance clerics had a faster xp chart than wizards and fighters. and the druid chart had a huge hiccup in the middle.

The characters with the slower progression end up getting screwed by being more vulnerable to HD dependant spells and effects. I remember one spectacular application of this in a 1st/2nd ed game where I was playing a first edition barbarian, crazy high xp chart when everyone else in the party was level 8+ and I was level 4 still and we got hit by a Color Spray. It barely effected them and I was taken down with No Save. (janky spell didn't allow a save until you had 5HD)

[klemdakherzbag]

I'll admit, I haven't totally thought this out, but no a straight port over from 2nd Ed.would be bad. Maybe I'll poll my players this weekend

[Agrippa]

If you want to do something like that than use the slow exp. track to find total character level. For example: Mike "Fiddlefingers" Hatcher is a sixth level PC with levels in both rogue and bard, for a total of 35,000 experience points. Rogue being a tier 4 class use the fast progression while the tier 3 bard class uses the medium progression. In this case he has 20,000 experience points in bard, giving him five levels in the class. He also has 15,000 in the rogue class, making him a level six rogue. In addition skill points, hit dice, saving throw bonuses and attack progressions from all classes involved overlap, instead of stacking. The same is also true for overlapping class features.

[Tharck]

If you want to do something like that than use the slow exp. track to find total character level. For example: Mike "Fiddlefingers" Hatcher is a sixth level PC with levels in both rogue and bard, for a total of 35,000 experience points. Rogue being a tier 4 class use the fast progression while the tier 3 bard class uses the medium progression. In this case he has 20,000 experience points in bard, giving him five levels in the class. He also has 15,000 in the rogue class, making him a level six rogue. In addition skill points, hit dice, saving throw bonuses and attack progressions from all classes involved overlap, instead of stacking. The same is also true for overlapping class features.

Uhhhhnnngg feels like I was time warped back into 2nd Ed. Just describe some THAC0 and it will fully submerse me back into my 9yr self. Multi-Class done that was is as painful as having someone nail and staple your inner eyelids to a block of salt lick.

[Agrippa]

Uhhhhnnngg feels like I was time warped back into 2nd Ed. Just describe some THAC0 and it will fully submerse me back into my 9yr self. Multi-Class done that was is as painful as having someone nail and staple your inner eyelids to a block of salt lick.

It's pretty elegant compared to the useless unholy mess of standard 3.x multiclassing as far as I'm concerned. At least you don't need to be tenth level just to have five levels in two classes.