From: mlee@ocf.berkeley.edu (Michael Lee)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Dual classing
Date: 1 Oct 1992 00:16:26 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
NNTP-Posting-Host: planecrash.berkeley.edu

In article <5689@news.duke.edu> dks@acpub.duke.edu writes:
>
>	I have a few strange dual-class situations, and I want to know how
>some other people would respond to/rule on them:
>	We have a 9th level fighter, Str 15, Int 17, Con 15, proficient in
>the use of the staff, among other weapons. After years of study, he dual-
>classes as a magic-user (this is for 1st or 2nd ed.)... He takes dagger 
>proficiency as an m-u.
>	1) Does he get a "free" proficiency in the staff, so long as when
>he attacks with it he uses the mage tables?  He already knows how to use
>staff, and m-u's have staff on the allowed weapon list...  Does he mystic-
>ally "forget" and need to attack as an m-u with the -5 non-prof penalty?

	He gets the ability to use the staff, but if he does, he only gains
experience at half the normal rate until he reaches the next level.  He could
use it in with the -5 penalty and the mages tables with no penalty (which
makes no logical sense, b/c a mage is now kidding around with the enemies, 
purposefully not doing well with staff.)

>	2) (2nd ed in particular)  What happens to his non-weapon proficien-
>cies?  Languages I'd expect he'd retain at no penalty for their use. (Lang-
>uages are NWP's in 2nd ed, in many campaigns.)  Can he use all of his other
>NWP's at no penalty?  Only non-warrior group ones? Only the general and 
>(though unlikely to be possessed) wizard-grouped ones?

	Yeah, he can use them, he just gets the penalty of half experience
rate, unless the NWP was one of the ones he got from being a wizard.  This is
the idea where if you use your old tricks, then you start reverting back to
the old style, and that makes it difficult to make the transition from
fighter to mage.  Dual classed implies you decided to change your class (in
the game and not the real life.) and so you want to be just like that class.
This is where munchkinism really screws things, because people just decide
that they would like to be a human fighting mage and get all the benefits.
In the roleplaying situation, you're changing your whole lifestyle, because
you thought it interesting to do something else.

>	3) a) Say he somehow gains a point of Constitution (making it 16)...
>Does he get 9 extra hit points immediately? Wait until he gets to be a 10th
>lvl m-u, when he ordinarily starts getting extra hp's?

	Nope, no more hps from his last class.  He retains the hps he had
from that class, but it can't just magically appear.  But he does get the
bonus for the levels that he advances in the wizard class.

>	   b) Our lucky guy gets another Con point, up to 17... Since he
>got his original hit points as a fighter, does he get another 9 hp's (as the
>hp bonus goes from +2 to +3)?  Or since he's an m-u now, is he denied the
>extra 9?

	As a mage, he does not get the fighter con bonuses.  If he had the
increase in con before he became a mage, then he would get those bonuses
associated with the fighter class and his level, but now, he's not learning 
how to fight, and thereby get those extra hps, but he's learning to cast
spells.

>	I'd appreciate some opinions.

	Anytime.

>	I'll also come up with a signature in the meantime.

	I guess I should come up with one to.

				mlee


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