Editing Multiclassing (section)

==Other Systems==
We can summarize this fairly easily: systems ''with'' rigid level progression generally offer a way to multiclass, systems with point-buy progression generally do not.  (Systems ''without'' classes like [[GURPS]] can be safely taken off the table for obvious reasons.)

In general, it's easy to see the reason why: the freeform nature of progression in these systems offers the same versatility that multiclassing normally would in others.  And while in ''theory'' multiclassing lets you do anything, in ''practice'' players pick classes that offer some kind of synergy anyway, so said point-buy systems are essentially just adding guard rails to the established practice.

===Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay===
This game has one of the best character advancement systems, called careers. At anytime you could stop a career and start a new basic career, or if you achieved all requirements for a career you could move to one of the allowed career advancements, which allows you to take more advanced career paths.

[https://i.imgur.com/aZFsIKe.jpg Graphical View of Career Paths]

===Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay===
In the earlier games such as  [[Dark Heresy]] and [[Rogue Trader]], players are pretty much railroaded into their role at character creation. The options for multiclassing encompass "Alternate Careers" which only change out what you get at one level and then return you to your original progression after that. Though some of the later splatbooks brought in unique/sweeping careers which gave you abilities that you would never otherwise get (such as psychic powers), by and large your original focus always remains the same, thus for example Sisters of Battle will always stay Sisters of Battle.

[[Deathwatch (RPG)]] did away with this, and basically added layers of character progression, so you could take your options from multiple careers if you so chose. In fact starting characters got FOUR classes before even starting their first mission ''(Generic Space Marine, Space Marine of a specific Chapter, Deathwatch Specialist, and whatever role they choose)'' Adding in more Advanced Specializations was a simple buy in deal that just gives you more options and never restricted you from what you already had.

[[Black Crusade]] and [[Only War]] took this a bit further and almost removes classes entirely. Instead you choose a starting package of skills and talents at character creation and after that EVERY skill/talent is available to you, modified only by your ever shifting [[Chaos|alignment]] (in Black Crusade) or allowing you to periodically change your aptitudes (in Only War). So you can change your role into whatever you can dream of using the rules.

===[[Exalted]]===
This game never lets a player play two castes at once or to change one's class once it's locked in.  One of the iconics actually has angst about this, since the Unconquered Sun made her an unparalleled assassin specifically ''because'' he knew she wouldn't enjoy it.  (It's... it's not really a punishment thing so much as a "won't abuse her power thing."). But actually, just about every splat gets to choose about half their abilities outside what their Caste (or whatever) gives them, and can get the rest at 25% more xp price anyway. So, functionally 'class' isn't a big limitation.

===[[World of Darkness]]===
Short of weird, game-breaking shit (like [[diablerie]] or turning into an abomination), the stuff you pick at character creation is the stuff you're stuck with.

Chronicles does offer a bit of multiclassing, however, for certain supernatural types.  Those who have a "Y" axis that represents status in an organization (and have a corresponding Status Merit) can potentially buy membership in multiple groups, and in doing so gain access to resources from both.  This often had limitations - often a cap on the total when split, or an XP surcharge for the second (or both, for Hunters) - but allowed for some traits from both to be taken.  Since these organizations have certain class-like properties (especially for Mages where the Diamond's structure resembles the four-man party and has certain tendencies, even if not monolithic ones), you can potentially gain abilities not normally available.  In 2e, Lost get something similar with the Court Goodwill revamp - after hitting 3 dots, you gain the effects of the Court Mantle as if you had that Merit at two dots lower than Goodwill.

===[[Legend of the Five Rings]]===
The AEG game is a bit of an unusual situation, because your "class" system is much, much more social-based.  See, instead of Classes you have Schools, which are taught either by one of the various clans and/or families in the setting, or run by some group with very specific requirements on who can join them.  This is based largely on certain aspects of older Japanese society where your position is much more stratified.

As a result of this unusual social aspect to the setting, multiclassing is a much bigger issue than in games like D&D.  In the first place, you have to pick up the Multiple Schools advantage each time you want to switch things up... and this is basically telling your old School that you have learned all you ever intend to learn from them, and you are quite done with them for the rest of your life.  Additionally, you have to have some major allies, connections, or favors in the new place you're going to learn from to justify them teaching you this new way of life, which can mean the GM may require you to take additional advantages or disadvantages to represent these other factors.

Now, you may think this is all arbitrary.  Sorry, but Advantages cost double their point value in XP after character creation, meaning you are definitely falling behind everyone else just to pick up a few new entry-level tricks.  If this doesn't seem a bad thing, keep in mind that some of the Schools have some truly powerful abilities at Rank 3+.  For example, many schools do not give you an extra attack until at least Rank 3 or higher, and dipping out of shugenja to pick up swordsmanship means you'll never be able to call upon the really powerful spells in the game.

There are, naturally, a few exceptions.  You can always learn any of the "basic" Ronin schools that aren't attached to a specific group.  This isn't so bad, to be honest: a lot of Minor Clans do not get their own schools for certain things, so the Ronin schools are essentially the only avenue some of them have to train in roles like bushi or shugenja.  But mechanically, the Ronin schools are definitely inferior in a lot of ways to their Great Clan counterparts: if your Mirumoto Bushi gets kicked out of the Dragon Clan, you are truly fucked if you think Ronin Warrior or Ronin Duelist will ever make up for some of your later techniques.

Having said all of this... it's not actually a big deal.  There's a lot of other tricks you can get to make up certain aspects of the game your character needs to be good at.  Your Kakita Duelist can, in fact, pick up Etiquette and Courtier skills to be almost as socially adept as your Doji Courtier cousins.  There is absolutely nothing stopping your shugenja from stacking up on Crab Hands and weapon skills; in fact, a lot of Kuni witchhunters do precisely this, because they have to engage in as much physical combat as their Warhammer Fantasy counterparts.  And your courtier can certainly learn combat skills like Jiujitsu and Defense, the better to protect themselves against assassins.  (Ninjas actually have it bad in this game: they need almost every skill imaginable for a variety of situations, because they are functionally the James Bonds of the setting, only if they fuck up nobody is going to save them from execution by the authorities.)  Depending on your edition, almost every skill is available to everyone (the earlier editions did occasionally have clan- and even family-locked skills for special effects, but these often were either made more general or incorporated into a school as a technique).

The restrictions DID lift from 2nd edition onwards if you hit rank 5 in a school, since the rules integrated the option to go up to rank 8.  At that point, you actually HAVE learned all they can teach, and can pursue other training with less stigma.  Of course, often the school or a related one had an advanced option, which was moretraditional, but nothing stopped you from applying to another regular school (especially if you married out of the clan).  The standard bushi/shugenja restriction still applied, but as every Great Clan had at least one courtier school, and several had monk, artisan, and non-existant ninja schools, everyone had some choice at that point even without leaving the clan.

In 2nd and 3rd editions, there also were options to use alternative paths to change schools without the merits, through the "egress path." For instance, there was a bridge path from the Doji courtiers into the Otomo, leaving the first fairly early into the alternative path one rank and then taking Rank one in the Otomo school the following rank.  This still meant not getting the higher level techniques for the Doji, though, and delayed getting yheyhem for the Otomo, but it was an option.  Fourth Edition did away with this, since Alternate Paths replaced the rank rather than being a separate rank, and this not having an egress path.

So the long story short here is, you can multiclass, but you shouldn't bother wasting time and XP doing it unless you have a very, very specific reason to do so, or have managed to hit rank 5 and don't have a better option for rank 6.  Just buy more Advantages and Skills and call it a day.

The new version of the RPG does away with multiclassing, but the spirit exists to an extent. You now follow a curriculum set by a school, which also limits the types of techniques you can learn (at least to start).  However, except for a starting ability and pinnacle technique, all techniques are purchased alongside skills and traits, and you can purchase any that are available to you if you have the XP.  This allows you to potentially learn another school's techniques, or develop your own, if given the opportunity without derailing your progression. The curriculum is designed to keep followers on certain paths and styles (i.e. Hida should hit hard and be tough, and their curriculum guides that), but you can buy things outside of advancement sequences if you want and have the chance - they just don't add to your insight.  This can allow said Hida to add swift strikes or spear tricks to their repertoire.

===[[Star Wars: Edge of the Empire]]===
This comes the closest, letting players buy access to other specialization skill trees from outside their base class at a price hike, but even here that's more of a way to gain access to skill unlocks and unique abilities than to seamlessly blend strengths.  In fact, "classes" in these games tend to mostly exist to grant price breaks and "unlocks" for particular skills and talents than to offer hard benefits!

===GURPS Dungeon Fantasy===
Well, GURPS is classless system, but Dungeon Fantasy provides rules to make it classy. Characters are build from 250-point templates that more or less correspond with D&D classes, and then advance them by taking those advantages and skills from their template they haven't bought before (attributes have no limitations). However they can scrounge 50 points for a Lens (package of stuff from another template; [[Fighter|Knights]] and [[Swashbuckler|Swashbucklers]] have enough spare points to buy it during character creation), and after that GM has two options - either they start getting abilities from two templates right off the bat, or they have to buy all the mandatory attributes, advantages and skills for their new "class" before they can do that. Finally, "Henchmen" splatbook allows players to combine a 125-point template with 125-point lens to get a hybrid character. Or if GM wills it, players can just disregard all that and do whatever the fuck they want.

===[[13th Age]]===
Multiclassing here is more along the lines of multiclassing in 2E or hybrid classes in 4E, in which two classes progress at the same time, though with reduced potency. For starters, multiclassing demands that you split your starting three talents (which give unique features to your classes) between both classes while your HP and Recovery Die is averaged between both classes and your class-exclusive stat boost can be assigned to any stat covered by either class. However, while you can select the highest between your classes for AC, PD, and MD, not only is the damage for every weapon attack reduced by one die size (Unless both classes are non-casting classes and aren't Monks), but you suffer any penalties associated with attacking with classes incompatible with your armor (Thus Fighter/Wizards suffer penalties for casting spells while in heavy armor) and your class ability and talent progression is held back by one step. Thus, no caster will ever gain their strongest spells when multiclassing.

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[[Category:Game Mechanics]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Mechanics]]