Multiclass Characters

A character may add new classes as he or she progresses in levels. Multiclassing improves a character's versatility at the expense of focus.

Class and Level Features

As a general rule, the abilities of a multiclass character are the sum of the abilities of each of the character's classes.

Level

"Character level" is a character's total number of levels. It derives from overall XP earned and is used to determine when feats and ability score boosts are gained, as per: Level-Dependent Benefits. "Class level" is the character's level in a particular class, as per the individual class tables. For the single-class hero, character level and class level are the same.

Hit Points

Each time you gain a new level, roll a hit point die (the size of the die depends on the class in which the level is gained) and add the result to your character's hit point total. Your character's Constitution modifier applies to each hit point die roll.

Example: A 1st-level scout who becomes a 1st-level scout/1st-level soldier gains a number of additional hit points equal to 1d10 + the character's Constitution modifier. A few game sessions later, the character gains a second level in the scout class, becoming a 2nd-level scout/1st-level soldier, whereupon her hit points increase by 1d8 + the character's Constitution modifier.

Base Attack Bonus

Add the base attack bonus of each class to get the character's base attack bonus. For instance, a 6th-level noble/2nd-level soldier has a base attack bonus of +6 (+4 for noble, +2 for soldier).

Defenses

Each time a character gains a new level, his Reflex Defense, Fortitude Defense, and Will Defense need to be adjusted to account for the increase in character level.

A character who takes his first level of a new class also gains a class bonus to one or more of his defenses; however, this class bonus does not stack with other class bonuses.

Skills

When you select a new class, you do not gain any new trained skills. However, your list of class skills expands to include those of the new class. If you take the Skill Training feat, you may choose your new trained skill from the class skill list of any class in which you have levels.

Example: Arani is a multiclass noble/soldier who takes the Skill Training feat. Her new trained skill may be chosen from the noble's list of class skills or the soldier's list of class skills.

Starting Feats

When you select a new class, you do not gain all of its starting feats. Select one feat from the list of starting feats. For example, a 1st-level noble decides to take a level of soldier and gains one feat of his choice from the soldier's list of starting feats; he selects Weapon Proficiency (rifles).

Talents

If a character gains a talent as a consequence of gaining a level, he must select a talent associated with the class in which he gained the level. For example, Arani is a 2nd-level noble who decides to take a level in the soldier class, which grants her a talent. She must select her new talent from the soldier talent trees (or from Force talent trees, if she has the Force Sensitivity feat), since it was a soldier level that granted her the talent.

Feats

For multiclass characters, feats are received at 3rd level and every three character levels thereafter, regardless of individual class level (per: Level-Dependent Benefits). A multiclass character that gains a class bonus feat must select it from the bonus feats available to that particular class.

Example: Arani is a 2nd-level noble/1st-level soldier who decides to take a second level in the soldier class. Doing so grants her a bonus feat, which she must select from the soldier's list of bonus feats.

Ability Increases

For multiclass characters, abilities are increased every four character levels, regardless of individual class level (per: Level-Dependent Benefits).

Adding a Second Class

When a single-class character gains a level, he or she may choose to increase the level of his or her current class or pick up a new class at 1st level. The GM may restrict the choices available according to how he or she handles classes, skills, experience, and training. For instance, the character may need to find a teacher to instruct him in the ways of the new class. Additionally, the GM may require the player to declare what class his or her hero is "working on" before he or she makes the jump to the next level, so the character has time to practice new skills. In this way, gaining the new class is the result of previous effort rather than a sudden development.

The character gains the base attack bonus, class bonuses to defense, and class skills, as well as hit points of the appropriate die type and a talent associated with the new class.

Picking up a new class is not exactly the same as starting a character in that class. Some of the benefits for a 1 st-Ievel hero represent the advantage of training while young and fresh, with lots of time to practice. When picking up a new class, a hero does NOT receive the following starting benefits given to characters that begin their careers in that class.

Starting Feats (select only one of the starting feats)
Maximum, tripled hit points from the first die
Starting Credits

Advancing a Level

Each time a multiclass character achieves a new level, he either increases one of his current class levels by one or picks up a new class at 1st level.

When a multiclass character increases one of his classes by one level, he gets all the standard benefits that characters get for achieving that level in that class: more hit points, possible bonuses on attack rolls, better defense scores, and one or more new class features (such as a talent or bonus feat). In addition, a multiclass character has the option to take any starting feat for that class as a bonus feat.

How Multiclassing Works

Arani, a 4th-level noble, decides she wants to expand her repertoire by learning some soldiering. When Arani reaches 10,000 XP, she becomes a 5th-level character. Instead of becoming a 5th-level noble, however, she becomes a 4th- level noble/1st-level soldier. How exactly she picked up this new area of focus isn't critical to the campaign, though the player and GM are encouraged to create an in-game reason and opportunity for the hero to do so.

Now, instead of gaining the benefits of a new level of noble, she gains the benefits of becoming a 1st-level soldier. She gains a 1st-level soldier's hit points (1 dlO + her Constitution modifier)' a 1st-level soldier's + 1 base attack bonus, a soldier's +2 class bonus to Fortitude Defense, and a soldier talent. Because she gained a level, all of her defenses (Reflex, Fortitude, and Will) increase by 1.

The benefits described above are added to the scores Arani already had as a noble. She doesn't gain any of the benefits a 5th-level noble gains.

On achieving 15,000 XP, Arani becomes a 6th-level hero. She decides she'd like to continue along the soldier path, so she increases her soldier level instead of her noble level. Again she gains the soldier's benefits for attaining a new level rather than the noble's. At this point, Arani is a 4th-level noble/2nd-level soldier. Her combat skill is a little better than a 4th- level noble's would be because she has learned something about fighting during her time as a soldier. Her base attack bonus is +5 (+3 from her noble class and +2 from her soldier class) . Her Reflex, Fortitude, and Will Defenses each increase by 1.

At each new level, Arani decides whether to increase her noble level or her soldier level. Of course, if she wants to have even more diverse abilities, she could acquire a third class, such as scoundrel. At some point, she may also qualify for a prestige class. In general, a character can multiclass as many times as there are classes available.