© 1995, 1998, 1999 v3.1 - HTML 3rd Edition
by Carey A. Mueller
For non-human races that have level limits, the following rules apply. First, if the character is single-classed, the level limit is extended by two levels (limit of 9th level becomes a limit of 11th level). Second, the character can still advance in level after he or she has reached the limit, but the number of experience points required is doubled. This means if your character would normally need 145,000 xp to go to the next level, she now needs 290,000.
Ignore all ability score restrictions for multiclassing. If your character has the bare minimum required to join a particular class, you can. The only exception to this is when the classes are mutually exclusive - such as Anti-Paladin/Paladin.
Multi-classed characters (characters who are advancing in two or more classes) gain the full non-weapon and weapon proficiencies of both classes. They also gain additional weapon/non-weapon slots at the given rate for both classes. However, they must divide their experience points equally among their classes. There are exceptions to this. Experience point awards that go to one class (such as a mage creating a new magical item) go only to that class. For example, an Elf fighter/mage who gets the single-kill award applies it to the fighter class only. Experience points for spells cast go to the mage class only.
A player can choose to drop one or more classes. The character will be treated as a dual classed character from then on. Multi-classed mages will retain the ability to cast spells while wearing metal armor in this case.
Players whose characters are killed or otherwise taken out of play during the course of a campaign may bring in a multi-classed character whose levels are out of sync (example: Bringing in an Elf mage/fighter of levels 5/1).
Dual classed characters are characters who have switched from one class to another (like going from being a fighter to being a mage). There are no ability score restrictions on what class you can switch to, provided you meet the bare minimums for the new class. However, your character must advance to at least 2nd level in the current class before switching to another class. Also, your character must have a history of studying/exposure to the new class (served as a temple guard for four years, worked frequently with the Silver Mark Smugglers, etc). Furthermore, the character must spend one full game year in training for the new class (this is in addition to any other training required by the class - some orders of priesthood require multiple years of training, and anyone who switches to weaponmaster will effectively be taken out of the game). Any break in this training means you’ll have to start over. In short, you can’t go on adventures.
A character with a kit who wants to switch kits may do so only with the DM’s permission. Any kit which requires a lifetime of work to fulfill (such as the beastmaster, feralan, and greenwood ranger kits) must be chosen when the character is created. It cannot be switched to once the character is in play. It can be dropped, with all the attendant loss in benefits. See Abandoning a Kit below.
By the same token, if your character changes classes, he can still keep his old kit - provided that the new class doesn’t restrict this. You can’t, for example, go from being a Fighter-assassin to a Paladin-assassin. All of the restrictions of the old kit must be maintained in the new class.
Multi-classed characters cannot have a kit except in very unusual circumstances.
A character may abandon a kit at his/her/its choosing. Your character immediately loses all special benefits of the kit. Furthermore, any bonus weapon/non-weapon slots gained from the kit must be paid for before any new ones can be acquired. This means that if your fighter got boating, fire-building, and herbalism from his kit, and he abandons it, he’ll have to spend his first 5 earned non-weapon slots to pay for the kit’s bonus skills (1 for boating, 1 for fire-building, and 3 for herbalism because its a priest skill). That’ll take about 15 levels, right? Wrong.
Remember that rule about converting weapon to non-weapon slots and vice-versa? (It’s in Converting Proficiency Slots). Well, every time you get a new weapon slot, it immediately goes towards paying the kit’s debt. This means that the fighter in the above example will go up six levels (2 weapon slots, 2 non-weapon slots) to pay for the kit, and have one non-weapon slot left over. Changing or dropping kits shouldn’t be done lightly.
If you don’t have your character follow the restrictions of his/her kit, you will start losing the benefits of the kit. The most useful/beneficial abilities will be lost first (at the DM’s discretion). They will stay lost until your character spends significant time (a game year) being painfully strict about following the kit. As always, I’ll give verbal warnings when your character is violating the kit’s tenets.
This doesn’t mean that if your Beast-Rider fighter kills his chosen animal (who was possessed by a demon at the time) that he’s going to immediately lose the kit bonuses. It does mean that your character will be expected to go through a period of mourning. He just had to kill his best friend after all.
Go to Section 4 - Languages and Starting Proficiencies
Copyright 1999 by Guardian (cmuel59749@aol.com).
Last updated 11/02/00.