Interesting/Effective Multiclass Options/Builds?

Do your Players and/or PCs multiclass more often than sticking (mostly) to a single class all the wa

  • Yes (they are frequent multiclassers)

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  • No (most stay with one class or only add a few levels from other classes)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • It's about even (some multiclass quite a bit and some stick mainly to just one class)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
Begin relatively new to Conan d20, I don't have the extensive gaming experience with this system yet to have gotten a feel for how versatile the multiclassing can be.

When I've played D&D (especially 3.5) I tended to stick to single classes or go for PrCs early. However I realize that in Conan d20, multiclassing allows alot of flexibility.

What I was hoping is that some of you would be willing to share your experiences with multiclassing builds/concepts that you have found to be interesting, fun and/or particularly effective.

Another issue I'm curious about is whether people feel that the bonus feats at 1st, 5th & 10th levels are worth holding off on multiclassing until you've gotten them? Related to this, I could see perhaps holding off on multiclassing until after 5th level, so do many people see their Players or PCs waiting until 11th level to multiclass (is the bonus feat at 10th level "worth it")?

Thanks ahead of time for your insight.
 
Soldier seems a little blah, unless you multiclass with something else.
Conan was pretty much everything except Scholar, so multiclass away!

(On a side note, you may want to shrink your avatar down a wee bit.)
8)
 
Yeah I kinda saw how the Soldier lacked a bit of flavor without some multiclassing but I guess what I'm really asking is what types of charatcer concepts involving multiclassing have you seen in your games (or played yourself)?

Have some combos been particularly interesting (perhaps displaying unusual "side effects" due to the blend of abilities) and have some combos seemed "unbalanced" either because they were overly effective or because they were underpowered? Also what would you say was the most unique combo/concept you've seen?

Along with this, are there some multiclass concepts that seem to fit certain Races better than others (aside from just using the Race's Favored Class)?


(Oh and sorry about the Avatar size, I meant to use the smaller Thumbnail but must have linked to the larger sized picture... I hope it is fixed now, thanks for the heads up.) ;)
 
Just because the Conan RPG enables multiclasses easier than DnD doesn't mean it encourages it by any means.

First of all, the book itself says "characters are encouraged to stick to one class for at least ten levels so as to gain the maximum number of feats under the Favored Class rules." (Player's Guide, p. 57) Further, "[r]ather than allowing for easier multi-classing for characters of that race and class, favored classes grant bonus feats." (PG, p. 25)

Now, for some specifics. Barbarians and Scholars clearly gain level-dependent benefits such that switching class makes little sense, as we all agree. But other classes do as well. A Noble gets his "Do you know who I am" at 11th level - if you switch to Pirate to get Uncanny Dodge at 4th level, then you delayed that ability to 15th level (probably can't switch to Barbarian, see below), and can't get Absolute Power at the Noble 20th level. Borderer and Nomad each have special abilities that go up every several levels (I'm not talking about terrain) that can't be acquired elsewhere, e.g., Nomad's Mobility chain. Thieves and Pirates have sneak attack that will suffer if they go elsewhere.

Also, one basically cannot become a Noble later on ("it is not possible for a non-noble to gain a level in the noble class once play has begun, except with special dispensation from the Games Master"), so switching to that is not really an option. (PG, p. 72) One cannot easily become a Barbarian or Nomad ("a character who did not start out as a barbarian or nomad, for example, will need to live extensively with an appropriate barbarian tribe or nomad clan before he can reasonably take a level in that class"). (PG, p. 57) I would say that some similar situations would need to be the case for Pirate or Scholar as well. Therefore, there are limited options to even multi-class into, if multi-classing is desired.

Finally, what reason do people have to multiclass? To Soldier for some feats and combat, to Pirate for sneak attack and uncanny dodge, to Thief for skills and sneak attack. That's about it.

That doesn't sound like much encouragement to me - not from the book's general statements, not from the bonus feats for not changing, not from missing limited availability high level special abilities for many classes, not from what classes one can even switch into (these are limited), and not from what you can even get from another class with just several levels. So maybe with all this, you can see where I'm coming from as to why multiclassing is not encouraged in Conan.
 
Any combination is possible, and lacks the penalties that D&D classes have. For this reason, I take jsut the opposite view that slaughterj does: I feel multi-classing in Conan is highly encouraged by the system and warrants some generous playing around with.

Since multi-classing doesn't penalize, and instead actually just grants bonuses, the tracking and dual weapon capabilities of the Borderer can easily be incorporated to fit a multi-classing combo with a Pirate - master of the high seas and expert navigator.

I dont' think things are as set in stone either. Starting as a Thief and then gaining levels in Barbarian laster on seems perfectly reasonable in the light of telling an adventure story, particularly with class features like "Bite Sword". Keep in mind that this isn't D&D and the adding of additional classes to a character doesn't have to mean training and "living the life" necessarily. One could start as a Nomad until, one day, she gets married into a foreign tribe to become one a princess - Nomad/Noble.

The bonus feats can help this along by allowing a player that extra chance to sculpt the multi-classed character as he goes, albeit more slowly than if he were to stick to a single preferred class.

Try different things and see how they fit. Nothing it really off limits or unreasonabler in this game, also unlike D&D. I mean, you just dont' see very many Dwarf Sorcerers or Halfling Paladins, now do you?
 
Books like Free Companies, and the Hyborias' F series have some good multiclassing options too, where they actually let you pick unique abilities for taking levels of more than one class.

I don't actually own the Hyboria's F series, but Free Companies had some nice touches. Nothing mind blowing, but I felt it should be mentioned in this thread.
 
Personally I think that Conan strikes just about the perfect balance between encouraging single-classing and multi-classing. The favored class bonus feats are a huge incentive to stay in one class and I definetly perfer the "bribe" strategy to the dnd "penalize multi-classers" strategy. Meanwhile the lack of penalties and the stacking of several key class abilities (mobility, uncanny dodge, every class has a MAB, etc) make multi-classing a breeze.

I think it mostly depends on player taste and character concept, weither multi-classing seems like a good deal or not. And that to me speaks volumes for how good the system is.

Anyway, as for specific builds. The Soldier/Theif combo is a classic since days of yore and for a good reason, Soldier/Noble is a lot better combo than many people realize, Scholar/Thief has some potential if played right but is tricky (talk about having a glass jaw!). Barbarian is probably the class that rewards single-classers the most but it is still multi-class friendly if you intend to take it to either 5 or 10. Pirate, Nomad and Borderer all are good for a short dip if your campaign will see a lot of action in their "favored terrain".

Hope that helps.
 
It depends on the players involved rather than the setting. Some of my players multi-class a lot. And some stick to just one class.

With the optional rules in the "Hyboria's" series I hope to promote more multi-classing for Conan.
 
You also can't forget the quick boosts to Saving Throws you get from multiclassing. The majority of classes in Conan have two good Saving Throws -- Soldier, Thief and Scholar being the exceptions. A little bit of multiclassing can boost your Saves dramatically. And the saves are used for awesome things.

Fortitude Saves are vital, because Massive Damage comes pretty easily. Reflex Saves add to Initiative, and going first means a lot in Conan. Will Saves are the only things that can save you from a number of spells that are otherwise instant death. Additionally, if you're using some of the optional rules from Hyboria's Finest and Fallen, Will Saves willl be made to contest rolls of the social skills.

Additionally, most classes offer some pretty neat Feats at the first two levels. These can make dallying in other classes worthwhile as well, as the progression of special abilities tapers out or becomes less dramatic at higher levels. Soldier offers a bonus feat at first and second levels, for example. Thief offers Sneak Attack and Eyes of the Cat, which are good for everyone. Nomads give Track and a Bonus Feat. Borderers give Track and a fighting style feat. If you're playing a particularly skillful character, you can trade out out the Sorcery Styles from Scholar and pick up two Skill Emphasis feats.

I generally assume that my characters won't reach level 15. That's just not how my group runs their games. As such, it doesn't really matter to me how many cool abilities a 17th level Barbarian character can get. A Nomad 2/Soldier 2 character, however, packs more punch than a Nomad 4 or Soldier 4 character does.
 
Jakusotsu said:
You also can't forget the quick boosts to Saving Throws you get from multiclassing. The majority of classes in Conan have two good Saving Throws -- Soldier, Thief and Scholar being the exceptions. A little bit of multiclassing can boost your Saves dramatically. And the saves are used for awesome things.
Ah, but conversely their poor save tends to suffer a great deal. Specifically I'm thinking of Will saves. Failing terror saves and getting enscorled by sorcorers can both be nearly as deadly as a failed massive damage save.
 
Ah, but conversely their poor save tends to suffer a great deal. Specifically I'm thinking of Will saves. Failing terror saves and getting enscorled by sorcorers can both be nearly as deadly as a failed massive damage save.

It depends on how you level your character. If you take three in Soldier and then 3 levels in Nomad, for example, your Will Save doesn't suffer at all for your multiclassing. But if you alternate your Will Save increase is set back for 5 levels, but on that 6th level, you're back to normal.
 
Hmm... these are all some interesting points (both pro & con) regarding multiclassing in Conan. For those of you who have provided examples of multiclassing concepts/builds, thank you.

I am curious how well the various "warrior" classes mix. I realize that mixing warrior classes with classes like Thief or Pirate or Noble can provide new directions or abilities (though at the expense of pure combat capability)... but what about mixes between Borderer, Barbarian and/or Nomad?

I don't mention Soldier since I realize that Soldier (much like Fighter in D&D) is very prone to multiclass mixing due to its bonus feats (but general lack of special abilities & skill points).

Also do people mainly see multiclassing between just 2 classes or have some Players/PCs developed multiclassing concepts using 3 or more classes (I know the NPC stats write-up for King Conan has him mixing more than 1 class with his primary Barbarian class)?

Once again thanks for the insights and the examples, they really help to solidfy the possibilities while also sparking new ideas. ;)
 
Hyboria's Fallen (page 108) has a sample four-class multiclass progression.

Hyboria's Fiercest has all sorts of combinations for barbarians, borderers and nomads.
 
I am curious how well the various "warrior" classes mix. I realize that mixing warrior classes with classes like Thief or Pirate or Noble can provide new directions or abilities (though at the expense of pure combat capability)... but what about mixes between Borderer, Barbarian and/or Nomad?

I don't think Borderer/Nomad work together too well. Their Favored Terrain lists don't overlap and having a bunch of minor Favored Terrain bonuses is unlikely to help you in most campaigns. I house-rule Borderers to have Desert or Plains on their list if their country of origin has a significant amount of Desert or Plain (such as the Kothian Desert). They both have the Endurance Feat Tree, which is good, but not very dramatic.

Barbarian/Borderer and Barbarian/Nomad both work quite well. Especially if you're in a region where an exotic weapon is common, but you come from a race that doesn't receive a free proficiency (any of the bows, tulwars, greatswords, etc). The Barbarian's Versatility allows you to get decent use out of the superior weapon without spending that precious feat.

The advantages of Barbarian/Borderer are the additional dodge bonus from Favored Terrains, the continued progression along the Endurance Chain and the overlapping skill points. Barbarians get access to Uncanny Dodge, also, and that never hurt anyone.

Barbarian/Nomads have a little more built-in combat prowess at lower levels, with their extra Feat at Nomad 2 (more versatile than the Borderer's Combat Mastery) and their Nomad Charge at 4. They're Favored Terrain abilities aren't as good as the Borderer, but they have other abilities to compensate. Nomad's have both the Endurance Feat Tree and the Mobility Feat Tree, allowing them to progress in these abilities equally.

Both combinations have very strong Fort and Reflex saves and both will have Skill Focus: Survival from double-stacking Track Feats. Skill Focus: Survival can be really good, depending on your campaign. Additionally, a Barbarian raised as a pit fighter can change out Track for Power Attack, according to some optional rules in Hyboria's Fiercest. That handles the double-stacked Track, in case you don't want it.
 
one thing to always consider with multiclassing in conan is the Hyborian race. having every class as your favoured is great because you will always get those bonus feats no matter what you multiclass into.
 
Krushnak said:
one thing to always consider with multiclassing in conan is the Hyborian race. having every class as your favoured is great because you will always get those bonus feats no matter what you multiclass into.
Well this brings up another interesting point that I'm curious about... what Races do most people see in their games?

Are the Hyborians, with their great versatility/flexibility, a "favored" Race among Players for their PCs? Do people tend to stick to "stereotypes" (namely matching the Race they want to play with the Class they want to play: Nordheimer Barbarians, Shemite Nomads, Zamoran Thieves and Zingaran Pirates etc.)?

Are most groups composed of a wide variety of Races or do Players tend to pick similar Races (or at least tend to pick from a distinct limited "pool" of specific Races)?
 
In my game the players are a Hyborian thief, Gunderland soldier, Hyperborean soldier and a Zingaran pirate. Also had a Zingaran noble at one point but the player had to leave for RL reasons. But in general my players will take a race that gives specific bonuses to the class/character they want to create, although they all see how good the Hyborian race is and find it tempting to not just use that race all the time.
 
Racial stereotypes are part and parcel of REH's writing--love 'em or leave 'em.

I wanted to make a Zamoran pole-dancer NPC who had her own line of exercise videos, but the rules don't allow it! :D :lol:
 
FailedSpotCheck said:
Racial stereotypes are part and parcel of REH's writing--love 'em or leave 'em.

Well I didn't mean to sound negative towards REH Conan Stereotypes. I know they're an intricate part of the Hyborian Age stories and I accept that. In fact it is part of the fun of Conan (nice to be non-"PC" every once in awhile). ;)

I was just curious if people were more prone to play stereotypes in Conan than usual? I know in some of my games (and past RPG groups) people seemed almost determined to "play against type"... to the point that when someone did play a canon stereotype character it was the exception rather than the rule. ;)
 
As it should be. Conan was "against type" in a lot of his stories, at least eventually. He gained tollerance and a bunch of allies from other parts of the world, and even became King of another nation, the largest in the world. I'd say that was "against type" for a Cimmerian. (lol)

The player characters should be the exception to the rules culturally. They're out there trying to make a difference, be that for the world at large or just for themselves. It's an object lesson in not getting very far in life without developing racial tollerances while maintaining wariness based on hard cultural constants and immutables (like, Picts will be a pain forever - lol).
 
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