Volume 2 Issue 96 – Multi-Class Characters

By 1 commentPodcast, Show Notes, Volume 2

Intro – 0:00.000
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Sage Advice – 13:06.896
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Email 1:
Hey folks,

Could you take a little time to explain Magical Resistance to me. Though I’ve read about in the DMG, it still really confuses me.

Do creatures with magic resistance use it in place of a saving throw, or before making a saving throw? Do any PC’s get this property at some point?

I realize it may be something that is old hat to you guys, but any explanation will be appreciated.

All the best,

Teaman from Northeast Pennsylvania

E-mail 2:
Hey guys, just emailing to give my two-cents on gender and class limits in 1st Edition AD&D. Personally, I don’t play with any limits on demihuman class levels and strength for female characters. To me, these are pretty arbitrary limits. D&D is not a realistic game, and I don’t think it was really supposed to be. If a high level human fighter can take getting blasted with a fireball, stabbed with a dagger, hit with a hammer, and have several arrows sticking out of them and still be fighting at the same exact strength as he was when he was uninjured, why is it such a stretch to imagine there could a woman with exceptional strength? I guess my point is that there are so many logical inconsistencies in the game that I don’t see one more (a very slight one at that) to be a big problem.

And as far as demihumans go, I understand the argument that the longer lived races would have a much longer time to level up than humans, but I think that’s what makes humans so exceptional. They can reach a level of power in 5 years that an elf could do in 50, for example, because they are so adaptable and pragmatic. I give humans a bonus for being human, because I think class limits subtract from fun.

I love AD&D, but I think some of the arbitrary restrictions really take away from it. I do like clerics (good ones at least) only using blunt weapons though.

I love the podcast, thanks guys.
-Justin

Table Manners — Multi-classing and Dual Classing 50:09.661

Game Mechanics  — Spell Casting 1:34:59.077

Outro – 1:56:35.098

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1 comments on “Volume 2 Issue 96 – Multi-Class Characters”

  1. Q-Goblin

    Chaps, I enjoyed your pod cast.

    I’m an old school DM (not played for a long time now, but I am enjoying hearing the pod casts).

    I have the following points which you might consider:

    (1) In your podcast I think you may have misunderstood the question/suggestion about the level caps for non-human characters.

    I think the suggestion was to *remove* the level cap *but* make the non-human characters to level up more slowly than human characters i.e. to compensate for the removal of the level caps.

    In the suggestion I think the person suggested giving an XP bonus to humans.

    Of course the other way round would also be possible, i.e. to have an XP deduction for non-human characters e.g. when a human gets say 1000XP, the non-human characters only get say 75% of that XP e.g. 750 XP.

    In that way human characters can progress faster, but the elves have the opportunity to catch up over the next 300 years i.e. more slowly … but can get to the highest levels eventually.

    Personally I think level caps make no sense and are a disincentive from playing the game.

    I think the above-suggested idea is a good one – However, I’d work it differently:

    My replacement for level caps for non-human characters:

    1st level non-humans need +10% more XP than a human character to level-up, a 2nd level non-human character would need +20% to level up compared to a human character etc.

    By the time the non-human character hits near the level cap (e.g. about 10th level) they’d need nearly twice the XP to level up as compared to a human character. This gives an incentive to that 11th level Elf MU to keep playing, rather than retiring that character and joining another group.

    However, to reach say 20th level would take a very long amount of game time – you might actually need to be an elf player for your elf character to get enough game time to reach 20th level. :O\

    A simpler system would be, when the ‘cap’ is reached just to double the XP needed to reach the next level??? This would therefore slow his ability to level up but still provide some incentive to continue playing.

    For example, you could offer the player of an elf magic user a choice – use the current rules and eventually face the level cap, or they can choose to play one of the weighted system (as discussed above) and not to face a level cap???

    (2) Regarding the discussion about multiclass levelling up.

    Personally, I prefer to only let the multiclass character level up *when* all the classes are eligible to level up. Therefore, both classes (of the multiclass) progress in lock-step with each other.

    For example , for a 1st level Fighter/cleric to level up, *each* class must meet the XP level before each class can level up. In that way you cannot be a 1st level fighter and 2nd level cleric. You can only be a first level ‘fighter/cleric’ or a second level ‘fighter/cleric’. It would make the “math” easier too.

    (3) It was said that a multiclass character like a fighter/cleric should not be entitled to various bonuses (e.g. super strength bonus for the fighter) because they are not spending all their time doing things of that single class.

    To be fair, it takes that class twice as long to level up, so they spend twice as long refining their skills at each level, so I see no reason why they should not get the bonus. On the flipside, there should be some benefits to being a soloclass character.

    Fighter/cleric – edge weapons: I’d say fine, but only if you are evil and if not evil – your deity does not grant healing spells for wounds caused by edged weapons while the cleric is using an edged weapon.

    (4) I have no problem with female characters having STR caps etc.

    This is not a sexist issue. It is a “flavour” issue.

    There are some race restrictions and some class restrictions these all add “flavour” to the game.

    If every race and class could all do the same things then the game would be more boring.

    That said, I’d not play a female fighter especially if I had a near maximum starting strength. I’d never play a female halfling fighter, as the race/gender issues stack against me. I’d not play a thief if my Dex score was low. Therefore, weight up your stats, race and gender before picking your class.

    However, that said, the gender rules are pretty small fry and I would be happy to bin the rules on that if a character asked me to. I think the initial mods are a fun idea, but not the caps.

    (5) Regarding dual class – I presume that when you flip to the new class the old class is in effect in suspended animation, and you get no more XP for that class. Can you ever go back? Start as a thief, dual class as a fighter, and switch back to a thief again?

    Thanks

    (ex-)DM Q-Goblin

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