Editing Multiclassing (section)

==3rd Edition & Pathfinder==
Third Edition changed the way leveling worked, and multiclassing is much more straightforward.

Whenever a character gained a flat amount of XP, the same for every class, he could ''choose'' to gain a level in ''any'' class, provided, again, that he met any restrictions that class had.  A barbarian could take a level in druid to become a rage-spellcaster.  A sorcerer could take a level in cleric to gain access to some nice spells and gish potential.  A ranger could take a level in rogue for skill points and special trap-disarming potential.  A wizard could never take a level in any class that might dilute their [[powergamer|world-smashing uber-powers]].  A fighter could take two levels in fighter before immediately reclassing into something else.  The only limit was your imagination, and possibly the viability of building your bizarre chimera-character, though there was ''one'' frustrating bit of unnecessary wonkery: XP penalties.  Taking anything but one of your "racial favored classes" as a class beyond the first gave your character a 5% XP penalty, and it stacked for every other class you took.  A lot of DMs didn't see fit to enforce that, and Pathfinder outright removed it, but it still sucked for those who ''did'' have to deal with it.

Ironically, although it calls it "multiclassing", the idea actually has its roots in the Dual-Classing system of AD&D, with you completely progressing in one class at a time; the difference is the ability to both use the abilities of your past classes at all times and to switch level growth between your classes, instead of the first class being stuck at whatever level you switched over at.

This edition also gave rise to the idea of a [[Dip Class]], one that a character would take only a few levels in for front-loaded initial benefits before reclassing out of for better-scaling ones.  The archetypical example is the pre-[[Pathfinder]] [[fighter]], which offered good hit-points and feat support for the first few levels before falling off later.  

In general, this class and multi-class system was pretty fun and functional. It had a lot to offer for people trying to build their own unique characters within a sane framework, and the addition of [[Prestige Class]]es helped encourage otherwise-neglected combinations. However, it had... internal problems:
* [[Monte Cook]]'s insane caster fetish ensured that magic classes were just balls-out more powerful than others, while a lack of broad quality control often meant that many classes were often poorly-designed and broken, in [[CoDzilla|both]] [[Truenamer|directions]].
* Redundant class powers didn't always stack, and pure casters rarely took levels outside their first when doing so meant losing a full level's worth of spells and caster-level progression.
* Because each class was affected only by its own level and not the character's total level, a poorly-built character could end up being ''weaker'' than a single-classed character of the same level, especially when it came to caster classes.
* Because base and core classes were often poorly-designed or had problems, prestige classes could feel all-but mandatory, and multiclassing an enforced necessity rather than a roleplaying choice.
* And, of course, the increased customization meant that it could be easily abused in the wrong hands, most infamously by [[Pun-Pun]].

The 3e [[Unearthed Arcana]] [[splatbook]] would later give old-school "advance in two classes simultaneously" multiclassing a return in the form of the [[Gestalt character]] rules.

===Pathfinder===
Multiclassing is still possible in [[Pathfinder]], but the higher number of more useful class features later into a class make it less used, though combos of [insert class]/Fighter 2, Sorcerer/Paladin 2/Eldritch Knight (and/or Dragon Disciple) and Wizard 3/Rogue 3/[[Arcane Trickster]] X remain popular. It also changed up the formula a little with the '''archetype''' system, which lets players play modified versions of base classes with altered class features, and thus takes a lot of the necessity out of realizing unusual character concepts.  In fact, the ''Advanced Class Guide'' is essentially a series of AD&D-style blent classes, which are fusions of two different classes(The Brawler is a fighter/monk, the Bloodrager is a barbarian/sorcerer, etc.) with the occasional new tricks of their own, while also providing new Archetypes that borrow a feature or two from other classes(such as a fighter that uses an alchemist's mutagens, or a magus with sorcerer bloodlines).  While actual multiclassing has thus become more rare, the ''spirit'' of multiclassing is stronger than ever.

For those that desperately want their character to be a combination of two classes but don't want to lose out on high level abilities, ''Pathfinder Unchained'' included rules for "Variant Multiclassing". Which was basically exchanging five feats from your characters progression in exchange for some of the core mechanics of another class such as [[Sorcerer]] Bloodlines, [[Barbarian]] Rage or [[Cleric]] Domains/Channeling that typically advance at about half the normal rate without interfering with your "Primary" class progression. Sadly some of the options are stupidly imbalanced where you've got variants like the [[Witch]] that only get a familiar and non-scaling hex that prohibits you from taking the good ones, by which point you won't care any more. While losing five feats can be crippling to particular builds of character, some combinations make up for it by synergizing really well with primary class mechanics ''(such as variant-[[Magus]] with [[Bloodrager]]; or variant-[[Rogue]] with just about anything)''. Other combinations such as variant-[[Witch]] or variant-[[Wizard]]? [[FAIL|not so much...]]

Like many systems introduced ''Pathfinder Unchained'', it was really just a beta test for PF2E, though this part was perhaps the most changed. Instead of the VMC introduced, multiclassing went back to being a feat-based affair as practically all of 2E's progression was measured by feats. Multiclassing only let you swap out class feats, but unlike 4E, you could multiclass into multiple classes since you only needed three feats (The Dedication multiclass feat and two others) to be allowed to pick elsewhere and there's a Human Ancestry feat that lets you pick up another multiclass feat while circumventing this whole affair.

===Pathfinder 2nd Edition===
Redone with 2nd Edition, where, like everything else, it's built around feats.

You're marred for life to the class you pick at level 1 but starting at 2nd level, instead of grabbing normal class feats, you instead can get a Dedication feat to an Archetype. Archetypes break class abilities into feats, so you can grab the parts your build needs while not gimping your main class abilities like by being a level 5 [[bard]] with the [[fighter]]'s armour and weapon proficiencies instead of going Lv3 bard/Lv2 fighter. In addition to the main class a Archetypes, it is also how you get your [[Prestige Class]]es.

When you take an Archetype, you must take at least 2 other of its feats before starting a new Archetype.

All the main classes have Multiclass Archetypes. To also save paper, many of the similar variant and Prestige classes from 1st Ed that were the same abilities copied and pasted onto other classes (like being good with scrolls or is [[Vigilante (Pathfinder)|Batman]]) became Archetypes if not already class feats.
For more on Archetypes, [[List of Archetypes in Pathfinder Second Edition|click here]].
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