@Anduin I mostly played NWN on multiplayer servers so XP penalties weren't a big deal. For the OC and community made modules build planning would be key. I also tended to go for prestige classes as soon as I could.
I have an xp penalty of -20% from the difference of two levels between the fighter and the monk and then another -20% from the two level difference between the rogue and the monk. The wizard being a favoured class of gnomes is ignored. I'm know where near being able to take a prestige class... -40% xp penalty is horrible"
That should only be a 20% penalty; you shouldn't be getting the penalty for Monk more than once. Similarly, the subsequent examples shouldn't be taking as much in penalties as you describe. If the game is calculating the penalty from both Rogue and Fighter in your example that should be fixed (not at home atm so can't check).
I just checked my 3.5 Player's Handbook (I don't have time to dig out my 3.0 Player's Handbook) and Anduin is correct. The NWN wikia agrees. http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Multiclass_penalty I'm not sure if that's how NWN is coded for XP penalties or if the wikia just copy-pasted from the Third Edition rules.
It did not change between 3.0 and 3.5 except some favored classes, gnomes got bard instead of illusionist, tho I think a DM should decide favored classes and can see illusionist is the more traditional role.
NWNwiki also corroborates the correct interpretation of following the steps: 1. remove favored classes 2. note your highest class level from remaining classes 3. count the number of classes that are 2 or more levels lower than the highest class 4. apply 20 to the percentage penalty for the total of step 3
NWNwiki accurately states that a human can never receive a 40% penalty.
With a favored class you would need at least 6 classes in order to achieve an 80% penalty. One class wont count, one class will be the highest, and the remaining 4 will be 2 or more levels lower than that class. It's not a particularly useful strategy to take so many base classes.
If somebody wants to play the eternal college student that can't focus on a single major until they're 40 then D&D allows a somewhat accurate simulation of the experience.
In terms of the table top game it's non optional but there are many rules including that one which ppl choose to ignore. I wouldn't say it's better or worse to use or ignore a rule but it will change the tone of the game.
I'd say the only reason you shouldn't have 4 classes is:
-It's very time consuming to implement and thus steals time from other features which might be more important to more people.
Why?: -If you don't want to use 4 classes then don't. -It isn't unfair to people on PWs/in multiplayer because everyone can have it. -It allows more build diversity -Opens up more complex potential prestige classes such as Mystic Theurge and Arcane Trickster which require two base classes to prestige into and thus become very rigid without further multiclass options
Now, it's previously been stated in a stream that the major issue is a User Interface issue. Given that one of the most popular suggestions is a new UI, you'd hope that maybe this is quite a small addition given the scope of a whole new UI
@Anduin I mostly played NWN on multiplayer servers so XP penalties weren't a big deal. For the OC and community made modules build planning would be key. I also tended to go for prestige classes as soon as I could.
I have an xp penalty of -20% from the difference of two levels between the fighter and the monk and then another -20% from the two level difference between the rogue and the monk. The wizard being a favoured class of gnomes is ignored. I'm know where near being able to take a prestige class... -40% xp penalty is horrible"
That should only be a 20% penalty; you shouldn't be getting the penalty for Monk more than once. Similarly, the subsequent examples shouldn't be taking as much in penalties as you describe. If the game is calculating the penalty from both Rogue and Fighter in your example that should be fixed (not at home atm so can't check).
I just checked my 3.5 Player's Handbook (I don't have time to dig out my 3.0 Player's Handbook) and Anduin is correct. The NWN wikia agrees. http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Multiclass_penalty I'm not sure if that's how NWN is coded for XP penalties or if the wikia just copy-pasted from the Third Edition rules.
I have no idea where my 3.0 books are, unfortunately. The 3.5 PHB and the wiki both refer to the character's highest "class"; I've never before seen that interpreted as multiple classes.
The way I've always seen this played is that, in the above example, EITHER Fighter or Rogue is considered "highest". The other is within one level, and then Monk is outside, for a net 20% penalty.
I'm not a builder, but if I can figure it out I'll test by taking 3 characters against the same opponent: a level 9, a level 7/1/1, and a level 4/4/1 (no favored classes for any of them). The first character should get base xp, the second a 40% penalty. If I'm right, the 3rd should only get a 20% penalty.
Nope, Proont got it wrong too. @FreshLemonBun got it right, as did @Malclave. If you have a human Fighter 4/Rogue 4/Cleric 4/Barbarian 1, that is only a 20% XP penalty, not a 40% penalty as your (and Proont's) math would suggest. Each class can only trigger one penalty, not one penalty per class it is out of sync with. 3.5 says you suffer a -20% XP penalty for each class that is not within 1 level of your highest class, not counting favored classes, and as far as I am aware, the rule did not change from 3.0.
Nope, Proont got it wrong too. @FreshLemonBun got it right, as did @Malclave. If you have a human Fighter 4/Rogue 4/Cleric 4/Barbarian 1, that is only a 20% XP penalty, not a 40% penalty as your (and Proont's) math would suggest. Each class can only trigger one penalty, not one penalty per class it is out of sync with. 3.5 says you suffer a -20% XP penalty for each class that is not within 1 level of your highest class, not counting favored classes, and as far as I am aware, the rule did not change from 3.0.
you really have to work quite hard to trigger a penalty of more than 20%, and it's pretty easy to avoid the penalty all together unless you are deliberately trying to build a gimped character. It's a bit pointless really.
Comments
NWNwiki also corroborates the correct interpretation of following the steps:
1. remove favored classes
2. note your highest class level from remaining classes
3. count the number of classes that are 2 or more levels lower than the highest class
4. apply 20 to the percentage penalty for the total of step 3
NWNwiki accurately states that a human can never receive a 40% penalty.
With a favored class you would need at least 6 classes in order to achieve an 80% penalty. One class wont count, one class will be the highest, and the remaining 4 will be 2 or more levels lower than that class. It's not a particularly useful strategy to take so many base classes.
If somebody wants to play the eternal college student that can't focus on a single major until they're 40 then D&D allows a somewhat accurate simulation of the experience.
It will be fairly easy to disable 4th class if anyone wanted, so I see absolutely no harm in adding it.
EDIT: @Proont did me proud. Ignore.
-It's very time consuming to implement and thus steals time from other features which might be more important to more people.
Why?:
-If you don't want to use 4 classes then don't.
-It isn't unfair to people on PWs/in multiplayer because everyone can have it.
-It allows more build diversity
-Opens up more complex potential prestige classes such as Mystic Theurge and Arcane Trickster which require two base classes to prestige into and thus become very rigid without further multiclass options
Now, it's previously been stated in a stream that the major issue is a User Interface issue. Given that one of the most popular suggestions is a new UI, you'd hope that maybe this is quite a small addition given the scope of a whole new UI
The way I've always seen this played is that, in the above example, EITHER Fighter or Rogue is considered "highest". The other is within one level, and then Monk is outside, for a net 20% penalty.
I'm not a builder, but if I can figure it out I'll test by taking 3 characters against the same opponent: a level 9, a level 7/1/1, and a level 4/4/1 (no favored classes for any of them). The first character should get base xp, the second a 40% penalty. If I'm right, the 3rd should only get a 20% penalty.
you really have to work quite hard to trigger a penalty of more than 20%, and it's pretty easy to avoid the penalty all together unless you are deliberately trying to build a gimped character. It's a bit pointless really.