Strange multiclasses...

[DungeonMaster]

I have always questioned why multiclassing was limited. I figure it this way. If a player can come up with a cohesive reason that fits with the game to have a multiclass of a given type, then it should be allowed. In the original rules, Ranger/Barbarian was unacceptable. But in 3.5, if one is Chaotic Good in nature, you can follow the path of the "raging ranger" as i have so titled this multiclass. I played 10 levels of this multiclass, and it is a fun and colorful roleplay, as you must use your ranger skills to keep you alive while you avoid major urban areas (after all barbarians and rangers both feel heavily out of place in the thick urban societies of men). You find yourself using your barbarian rage at all-too-appropriate times, such as when you are fighting your favored enemy. You also gain the dual wielding benefits of a ranger. On a further note, you easily could mesh the barbarian's natural movement speed increase with the trackless step of the ranger (being able to sprint through the forest to your secret hideout in an attempt to flee, while also leaving no tracks.) This class is a master of the wilds.

Also, you have the idea of a Sorcerer/Wizard. I played one of these for a while, and felt that with this combination, no need for prestige class in needed. You gain the naural spellcasting of a soprcerer, while also cramming your memory with the arcane knowledge of a wizard. You nearly double your spells per day, and you gain the ability to have a sorcerer familiar, as well as a wizard familiar. This is something most people do not expect in an encounter, especially when wizards only hacve one familiar. They do not know which to take down, not taking into account that both are supernatural, so they atack the spellcaster. This can be dangerous, but once you attain 3/3 you are a deadly caster, throwing melf's acid arrows and magic missiles like crazy. you become the veritable machine gun of the party.

Also, i do not understand why nobody plays things like 15 levels wizard, then 15 levels monk, then another 10 dragon disciple. You would have to rationalize forever to find a reason why you took that path, but at the end, you would become a nearly diety-like chasracter, capable of standing next to the king of some grand kingdom as his advisor and bodyguard, equipped with sharpened mind and body, not to mention scales and a breath weapon.

I would like to hear about some strange multiclass options that people can throw together and rationalize. If we could rationalize a multiclass, why not make it playable? Sure, your challenge rating could become insane, but the DM can always turn up the heat a little to compensate.

[Cain]

Just two small corrections to you there.
1) A wizard/sorcerer would only have a single familiar with abilities determined by adding together all classes that allow a familiar.
2) Wizards cant become dragon disciples, on of the requirements of that prestige class is to be able to cast arcane spells without preperation.

As for multiclassing a wizard/sorcerer while no prestige would be needed I would prefer taking the ultimate magus prestigue class at 6th level.
A 3 Wiz/2 Sorc/1 Ult mage can have the same spells as a 3Wiz/3Sorc But also casts as though a 4Wiz/4Sorc


As for fun multiclasses I like the Druid/Rouge a fun little package, that specializes in descreatly removing unatural intruders from the untamed lands. Works well also for any very wild druid that works well in a herd or pack.

[DungeonMaster]

cool. Druid/rogue is fun. I myself prefer Druid/Ranger, because it gives you the same stealthy abilities, while at the same time granting you the ability to wield a bow, and with rediculous accuracy at that. Of course, I like to play my spellcasters either as ranged strikers of close-range affliction (ex.- web, entangle, grease, evard's black tentacles, etc.)

[Larrin]

I've always liked the idea of a Evoker/Diviner multiclass.....the question is could you use it to aleviate prohibited schools or would you just have three of them
You could do the same with clerics but have 4 different domains......but then you just start getting silly (a fighter 2/fighter 2/fighter 2/ fighter 2 would have feats every level, but never qualify for weapon specialization ) Obviously no sane person would actually allow such things, but it amuses me.

the reason more people don't take straigh wizard10/sorc10 is that it becomes sad that you can only cast 5th level spells at level 20 sure you have have tons of spells, but none of them have as much kick.

[DungeonMaster]

An idea that I had long ago was one that I know now would be so rediculously uber that nobody allows it. Ranger 5, Barbarian 5, Weapon master (handaxe) 10. People get mad when I start it, and the highest level that i've achieved so far was 7 altogether. I have yet to reach weapon master status, but when i do... BWAHAHAHAHAHA! I mean... umm... lol

As far as multiple specialist wizard classes... i have never done it that way myself, but I have always gone by the old book rules on specialists, diviners would get divination of both arcane and divine nature (though divine spells would be arcane versions of those spells), and the same goes for all other schools of magic. under those rules, a straight-up single classd necromancer of neutral evil alignment was... droolifying. (not a word, i know, but when you have a character that animates dead and then casts negative energy spells on the undead (having it heal them) you have a character that is nearly unstoppable)

[Cain]

Evil clerics can already cast raise dead and negative energy spells. All of thier inflict wound spells heal undead. Alloweing any wizards to gain that just seems unballanced, though I don't see what benifit a wizard needs.
Actualy it seems slightly better to be a cleric as you can bolster undead if another cleric turns.
Well that is unless you have access to libris mortis, at which you can use the summon undead spells and corpse crafting feats. Then things get fun.

My favorite build for a necro was going to make sapper-type undead then keep them in a bag of holding till they were needed. Unfortunatly, in the way online games go I never got to see it to full capacity.

[DungeonMaster]

In all truthfulness, a Wizad/Cleric out of the libris mortis is the ultimate necromancer. Especially because he or she can raise the deads, heal them, and turn what they kill into undead, not to mention reanimate them if they should be disabled by something but not entirely destroyed. Wow... this discussion is almost worth making a character like that as a villain for the party to quest after.

[DungeonMaster]

Oh, this combo just occured to me, and I don't know anybody who has played it... ever... ranger/druid... dual-wielding scimitars... you get two animal companions, one magically bonded, one not... and you get druid spells as a ranger, plus as a druid, plus wild shape, trackless step, etc. You would have it made for you in a forest-setting as a ranger/druid. You would own royally.

[Cain]

Not really, a ranger's animal companion is treated as that of a druid with half as many levels, so a 10/10 ranger druid. He would have one 10th level animal comanion and one 5th level cannon fodder. As for spells he would only get a 1st level spell and a 2nd level level spell.
The only real benifits he would get from ranger class are better tracking, favored enemy, evasion, and three extra slots for feats.

[DungeonMaster]

...I don't think you're getting the idea. Here... picture this. Level 10/10 ranger comes out, tracking down some enemy. He uses his druid spells to camoflague himself, and he launches a point blank shot at the enemy. It turns and charges the ranger, and then it is dealing with 2 wolves, one much less powerful than the other. The ranger takes the opportunity to move out of the way, and he casts a magic fang and barkskin on the lower level one
while the creature deals with the pack, the ranger gets free heals on the pets and free shots at the enemy. Sure, your spell progression is slower, but you have more spells per day, and you can use those spells to summon more companions. Not to mention the fact that if you end up with two compatible animal companions, you could mate them and end up with a litter, which would grow up loyal to the ranger. So... by the time he's a 10/10 character, he would have the animal companions, their children, his nature's ally spells, and buffs and heals for the front liners. Then you just take a bunch of stuff like dodge, mobility, point blank, precise shot, shot on the run... by the time you reach that kind of level, you would be rather dangerous, even if you were so,loing, and if you weren't... Mystra save your enemies, especially if you have a mage in the group.