Here`s a new version of the multi-classing rules I`ll be using. The new
version goes like this:

Provoking Multi-Class XP Penalties

Every character gets a Favored Class, a Preferred Class and an Advanced
Class. Character levels taken outside of those three categories provoke a
cumulative 10% XP penalty.

Favored Class works exactly how it does in the standard rules. Humans may
choose their Favored Class, while other races have one chosen for them, and
that class does not count towards multi-class XP penalties.

Preferred Class: Preferred Class works for characters of all races the same
way Favored Class works for humans. That is, any character can pick a
Preferred Class and levels of that class don`t count towards multi-class XP
penalties. A Preferred Class can not be a prestige class. (I`m kind of
debating this last restriction, since in the long run I don`t think it`ll
make that much of a difference if a Preferred Class is also a prestige
class, allowing the character to have a single core class and two prestige
classes.)

Advanced Class: In the current 3e rules, levels taken in any prestige
classes do not count towards multi-class XP penalties. A character of high
enough level (around 8th or so) can usually qualify for several prestige
classes, taking a few levels here and there in a way that would otherwise
provoke a multi-class penalty. When fiddling around with character
progressions using the core multi-class rules, I found that a character
could take 1 or 2 levels in just about any character class I wanted, and
after a while qualify for enough prestige classes similar enough to the
core class that it effectively destroys much point in having a favored
class or multi-class penalty system at all. A human barbarian 3/fighter
2/rogue 2 can take a level as a Gladiator, a few Ghostwalker levels, a
level or two as a Devoted Defender, etc. without incurring any penalties,
effectively giving them unlimited access to (arguably more powerful
versions) of the core classes without the kinds of restrictions in place on
lower powered character classes. So I`ve added the Advanced Class
category, which replaces the rule that excludes all prestige classes from
multi-classing penalties. Using this option a character can have a single
prestige class that does not count towards a multi-class XP penalty, but
any additional levels in a second (third, fourth, or more) prestige class
do earn a penalty.


Paying Multi-Class XP Penalties

These class qualifications fit into a change in the way the multi-classing
XP penalties work. Instead of a 20% penalty for taking levels in each
non-favored character class that is 2 or more steps away from one
another. An elf fighter 3/rogue 1, for example. Using these optional
rules any levels taken in a class that isn`t designated a Favored,
Preferred or Advanced Class provoke a 10% XP penalty per level. (At first
I went with a 5% penalty per level since it fits into the "base 20" nature
of 3e, but I found that a very slight penalty to pay and 10% works just as
well.) So a human character can still be a Fighter 6/Rogue 3/Ghostwalker 4
but if s/he takes on a fourth class then there`s a 10% penalty for each
level taken in that additional class.


Multi-Classing Feats

The other major addition is that one can take a feat which I`m calling (in
a startling burst of imagination) "Additional Preferred Class" which allows
a character to--you guessed it--take on an additional preferred class that
does not incur an multi-classing XP penalty. The class in question must be
chosen when the feat is taken. I thought this was a heady innovation until
I described it to a couple of players in my group who informed me that
something very similar appears in the Forgotten Realms D20 text. Oh, well.

This feat does force kind of a weird situation in which characters may wind
up paying an XP penalty for one or two levels before they get access to a
feat slot. A Ftr3/Rog3/Wiz3 who takes on a fourth class at level 10th and
11th level will wind up paying a 10% and then a 20% penalty for during
those two levels until s/he reaches 12th level and can take that feat,
while a Ftr3/Rog4/Wiz4 could just take that 12th level in a fourth class
and take the feat at the same time, avoiding any penalty. That`s a bit
inorganic. Of course, using the standard rules the same 10th level
character is going to either pay 20% for taking on a fourth class or 0% (if
it is a prestige class) until the character levels that fourth class up to
level 3 where the penalty goes away, but then the 20% penalty kicks in
again as soon as that class (or any of the others) go out of sync with any
of the others. It`s not perfect, but I like it better then the current
rules, so I`m going with this.

I`m also considering another feat that I`m "Jack of All Trades." (I know
that conflicts with the name of an existing feat, but I`ve never liked that
one, so this will replace it.) This feat would reduce XP multi-class
penalties by half (to 5% per level rather than 10%) so if someone wanted to
play a character who had character levels all over the place they could do
so while incurring a lower overall penalty without having to burn 2+
feats. Since the Favored, Preferred and Advanced Class options are
available I don`t think this feat would be used very often, but you never know.

Gary

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