[3.5/Pathfinder] A take on multiclassing based off of 1st and 2nd edition. Again.

[Agrippa]

I'm reposting this because my original thread is over a year old.

We all know that 3rd edition's multiclass system is broken, in the most useless and pathetic way possible. Mostly this is due to the rule that character level equals total class level. This means that a 6th level monk/5th level wizard is considered to be just as powerful or useful as an 11th level druid. Which is untrue. Not only are the two characters not even close in terms of power and usefulness, the former has generalized himself into weakness and become a liability.

In much of fiction you have powerful sorcerers who are also accomplished warriors, like Elric of Melnibone and others of his ilk. This of course is all but impossible in 3E, aside from various patches, like dual progression prestige classes and gestalt. So I've devised what I hope to be an adequate multiclassing alternative, very loosely based off 1st and 2nd edition dual classing and using advancement tables pulled from Pathfinder.

Before you can take a level in any other class you must reach at least third level in your current class. This is also true for adding more classes after the second class. So you need three levels in your first class to take on your second class, three levels in your second class to attain the first level in your third class and so on.
You also require some sort of training in your new class to take the first level in it. Whether this tutoring comes from a party member or NPC (of at least third level in what ever class you wish to gain), tomes and training devices or in somesort of vision quest.This training period can last for two months for fast progression classes, four months for medium progression and six months for slow progression classes depending on the wishes of the players and the DM.

Slow The slow progression is reserved for the most powerful of classes, those from Tier 1 to Tier 2. This includes the cleric, wizard, druid, sorcerer, psion and wilder. Most likely the ardent as well. Because of their power, these classes take longer to advance in than even the medium progression classes. Not only for balance reasons but due to the simple fact these classes take more time and effort to truly master. The slow progression is also used to determine total character level too.

Medium Classes in this category include the beguiler, dread necromancer, bard, warblade, crusader and swordsage classes. Other Tier 3 classes would also use the medium progression.

Fast This grouping consists of Tier 4 to upper Tier 5 classes such as the rogue, barbarian and warlock classes.

{table=head]Level|Slow|Medium|Fast
1st|-|-|-
2nd|3,000|2,000|1,300
3rd|7,500|5,000|3,300
4th|14,000|9,000|6,000
5th|23,000|15,000|10,000
6th|35,000|23,000|15,000
7th|53,000|35,000|23,000
8th|77,000|51,000|34,000
9th|115,000|75,000|50,000
10th|160,000|105,000|71,000
11th|235,000|155,000|105,000
12th|330,000|220,000|145,000
13th|475,000|315,000|210,000
14th|665,000|445,000|295,000
15th|955,000|635,000|425,000
16th|1,350,000|890,000|600,000
17th|1,900,000|1,300,000|850,000
18th|2,700,000|1,800,000|1,200,000
19th|3,850,000|2,550,000|1,700,000
20th|5,350,000|3,600,000|2,400,000[/table]

Total class level is found by adding the separate experience points of all classes gained together and comparing them result to the slow progression. So if you have a character with 330,000 experience points he or she is a 12th level character, regardless of his or her actual class levels.

Hit points, BAB, Saves and other non-class specific features, or no they don't stack.
Just before you think this is going to give any character more hit dice, skill points or a higher BAB than their fellow party members, don't worry. Let's you have that 6th level monk/5th level wizard. While he or she would be a 6th level character this doesn't mean that he or she will have 11 hit dice, a BAB of +6, 32 skill points not including intelligence bonus and first level multipliers, or saves of +6/+6/+9 at just 6th character level. Instead all hit dice, skill points, BAB advancements and class based saving throw improvements overlap.

[Agrippa]

Epic Advancement
There comes a point in some, albeit it not most, adventuring careers in which these heroes become almost like gods themselves. If not having already ascended to such lofty hieghts. Their battles are epic and titanic clashes whose repercusions and memories will echo through out all time.

To begin taking epic levels in any class you must first achieve 20th character level. This often will require multiclassing to accomplish.

{table=head]Level|Slow|Medium|Fast
21st|10,350,000|5,700,000|3,800,000
22nd|20,350,000|9,900,000|6,600,000
23rd|40,350,000|17,300,000|12,200,000
24th|80,350,000|34,100,000|17,800,000
25th|120,350,000|69,700,000|29,000,000
26th|200,350,000|140,900,000|53,400,000
27th|360,350,000|71,200,000|48,800,000
28th|380,350,000|142,400,000|97,600,000
29th|700,350,000|284,800,000|193,200,000
30th|1,340,350,000|569,600,000|386,400,000
31st|2,620,350,000|1,039,200,000|772,800,000
32nd|5,380,350,000|2,078,400,000|1,545,600,000
33rd|8,140,350,000|4,156,800,000|3,092,200,000
34th|13,660,350,000|8,313,600,000|6,184,400,000
35th|24,700,350,000|16,627,200,000|12,378,800,000
36th|46,780,350,000|33,254,400,000|24,757,600,000
37th|90,940,350,000|66,508,800,000|49,515,200,000
38th|179,260,350,000|133,017,600,000|99,030,400,00 0
39th|355,900,350,000|266,035,200,000|198,060,800,0 00
40th|709,180,350,000|532,070,400,000|396,121,600,0 00
41st|1,415,740,350,000|1,064,140,800,000|792,243,2 00,000
42nd|2,828,860,350,000|2,128,281,600,000|1,484,486 ,400,000
43rd|5,655,720,350,000|4,256,563,200,000|2,968,972 ,800,000
44th|11,307,580,000|8,513,126,400,000|5,937,945,60 0,000
45th|22,623,540,000|17,026,252,800,000|11,875,891, 200,000[/table]