On Powerbuilding

[Jaeram]

*scratches his head* I understand the orc taking sorc to go for RDD in a power build, but what I meant was that on this server they can meet and beat all the requirements they want to but unless the DM's flag them for RDD it doesn't matter lol, then it's just an orc who gets to walk around with a little weasel or something because he was dumb enough to try to make this build without considering the fact that he can't take RDD unless it's approved and he probably isn't going to get approved lol. At that point the Sorcerer level is pretty much a garbage level for him. -8 health and - a high BAB punishment ftw.

[Machiavelli]

An excellent point... but people don't neccesarily know these things. You're assuming that people check the rules before logging into the server!

[sharringtonm]

then it's just an orc who gets to walk around with a little weasel or something

Its an Orc with a beetle who #1 can speak common better then the Orc, and #2 is Being RP'd as a dragon hatchling not a beetle.

The orc likes to sleep in the streets of Sundren too. Even my barbarian won't sleep in the streets! LOL. It was entertaining to say the least.

[sparkeh]

Personally I think that this kind of thing could be avoided with a simple rule stating that if you multiclass you have to take a certain number of levels in that class. The one level dip cannot be justified for any RP reason.

[Southuhnboi]

Personally I think that this kind of thing could be avoided with a simple rule stating that if you multiclass you have to take a certain number of levels in that class. The one level dip cannot be justified for any RP reason.

I respectfully disagree with that line of thinking, Sparkeh! (Dig the name btw). And I know I'm new to RP, but imagine if you will -

A call goes out in the city for all able bodied men of age to report for immediate duty to meet an invading orc warband, the largest seen in the region. Our hero, Herm the Worm, a rogue of some repute, decides to see the adventure first hand and signs up instead of sneaking out on the next boat/wagon/handcart of manure. So he arrives and signs up, but instead of just pushing him to the front lines they decide to school him a bit in the finer arts of brandishing a blade (since he obviously doesn't LOOK the stand-and-fight the orcs face-to-face type). He's not going to be a level 8 fighter by the time the campaign to repel the orcs out is over, but he'll probably learn about putting on armor heavier than his quilted doublet or leather jerkin, and he'll also have some more experience wielding something other than his trusy dagger. He'll also be tougher from marching, etc.

Sorry for critting the forum with a wall o' text, but ya see what I mean? He may get 2 levels fighter outta the deal, but perhaps not... maybe he decides after a while he's had it and goes AWOL from guard duty one night, back to his backstabbing ways.

Just my thoughts . Although I of course welcome criticism, and DM correction if I'm outta line... I promise I'll catch on.

[Machiavelli]

I tend to agree with Southuhnboi on this one! If someone has one or two levels of a class and they've thought out the reasons why that is so, and work it into their RP, then all is good. Something akin to the story provided in the post above this would provide ample justification as far as I'm concerned, and more importantly would serve as good background/RP material for driving character development!

[Bashir]

i've always been of the opinion that a 1-2 level dip in another class is ok.

Even Elminster had a level or two in fighter to balance himself out.

the reasoning behind it is that any character could seek out to balance themselves. what matters is their reason for it.

[Kangleton]

And when the level cap is only 15, to force someone to take a minimum of 2-3 levels per class is very limiting.

[Landaren]

Clearly because taking 1 level of fighter makes you into a powerbuild. Anyone that uses melee as their main damage source could consider 1 level in fighter as "long hours of training with various weapons and armor"

[Jaeram]

To tell you the truth, that what I didn't understand about the decision of moving HiPS to level 4 for Shadowdancers. The way I see it, from a role play perspective, the first thing a Shadowdancer SHOULD learn to do is dance in shadows... i.e. the HiPS. I can see why from a power build perspective they they would do it, but at the same time it kind of breaks some RP opportunities. For instance I had a backstory for my rogue/shadowdancer/ninja guy that he had traveled with a troupe of shadowdancers working the crowd as a pick pocket, in exchange the shadowdancers began to teach him, but over time he grew tired of the pickpocketing and decided to leave, cutting his training short and never learning to fully control the shadows like a real shadowdancer could (i.e. manifesting them, protecting himself with them, using them to daze his opponents (which btw that technique is actually pretty good I was able to daze creatures 5 levels higher than me with it), or to see through them). At 4th level he has those abilities though. :/

(I did not post this to reopen discussion about the shadowdancer HiPS change I only mention it because we are talking about level dipping from a RP perspective or for a RP reason, and this just happened to be a recent example I personally came across, where I feel the ability to level dip for a RP reason was removed. Personally I think it could have been controlled pretty easily by just taking away SD levels from people who didn't take it for a RP reason, but if that's the DM's decision then that is the way it's going to be).

In this case it happens to be shadowdancer, but who's to say that there are and aren't people who actually role play the reason for 2 levels of fighter and didn't just take it for the feats? It seems like most of the time a level dip is done to gain a certain power (whether it be SD for HiPS, fighter for bonus feats, cleric for domains) I figure if they are willing to give a reason for it, sure, if it's a blatant power build and has nothing to do with their character? Then you might want to take a bit of notice to it.

[Kangleton]

And to the original comment about an RDD, dipping in 1 level of Bard or Sorc for it, I don't see how that is bad RP. What if you had an RDD that had never really practiced magic, or has abstained from it for whatever the reason? They still have the blood in them, regardless, and that is all the class really is about.

[Jaeram]

I think if you are gonna did bard/sorc for RDD you should have to take it at level 1, because when you come into the game you should already have that blood/ability, not miraculously unearth it later right before you qualify for RDD, not sure if this guy did that or not, but if you are going to I think that's the only way a dip should be done in that manner. Just my opinion.

[Kangleton]

Well that is actually more advantagous anyways. You get more skill points if you take Bard at first level, than if you took Fighter or whatever else. And there is no downside.

[Jaeram]

Well, lower HP at the early levels, at like level 8 losing 6 or 8 hp might not be a big deal, but at level 3 it can offer a few more hits of staying power against the goblins, that's the only real downside to it, although the point was to make the dip for a role play reason, if it's in your blood it better be in your blood at the beginning.

[nickbeat]

I dunno. Landy had stuff in his blood from the beginning that he didn't even know about. Later he found out he was actually a spawn of evil.