CHARACTER LEVELS

[Ross Heenan]

I have recently pick up a copy of the new T20 book and for the most part love it , but it seems a little confusing with regards to charater levels and mutliclassing .
First question is what happens to the xp gain from attending university ? Does it go towards the next character class or if you were employed as something else before Uni does it go towards that class levels ?
Second , when multiclassing a character that has earned a certain XP and levels , ie;30 000 XP - 8th level Marine and then multiclasses into the Traveller class for a term earning 6000 XP , does the character's XP go back to zero for that class and therefore the character would be a 4th level Traveller with all the feats,etc; or is it added to the 30000 XP gained whilst a marine and therefore the character would be at 9th level/36000 XP (a Traveller of this level) ?

 

[Reginald]

Um, before I answer, let me make this clear. You only keep track of one XP value. There is no separate XP for each class, just one.

To your first question: assuming you are taking university term first, it goes to one XP value. If you gain 1,000 XP, you gain 2nd character level, you may decide if you wish to advance your current class (to 2nd class level) or select a new class (that class begin at 1st class level).

Remember this:

character level = the sum of your class levels.

To your second question: If you have 30,000 XP and you gain 6,000 XP, then you have a total of 36,000 XP. That means you gain 9th level. If you select the Traveller class, then you have all the abilities of that class at 1st class level.

10th character level = Marine 9th + Traveller 1st

In order to reach 10th level, you need to gain 9,000 XP more (bringing your total XP to 45,000).

To sum this up, every time you gain a new character level, you have the option of advancing any one of your current classes, or select a new class (this class begins with 1st class level abilities).

character level is your character's total level of experience, determine by the XP you accumulate.

class level determines the abilities you have with a chosen class.

 

[GJD]

Yeah, we had this problem when we started playing D&D3e. The best way I have heard it put was that, f'rinstance, at 30K XP you are an 8th Level character, and of those 8 levels all are marine.

When you gain an extra 6K XP you become a 9th level character, of those 9 levels, 8 of them are marine and 1 (the new level) is as a traveller.

You also need to remember that when ever you take a level in a new class you don't get the starting bonus of 4x normal skill points and max stamina. or an additional feat for being first level. Feats are gianed every 3 character levels, and as bonuses when indicated.

Or am i just overcomplicating things?

 

[lightsenshi]

Think of it this way: it doesn't matter where the experience comes from, it all adds up. Much like money from several deposits into your bank account. It's just a running total.

 

[LcKedovan]

I myself had some similar "confusions" until I saw a post by DrSkull (I think that was the alias, appologies if not) where he pointed out clearly, and much more elequently than I am about to, that the important thing to remember is that your Employment "Class" or Service "Class" is different from your "Character Class".

When It became clearer that within your Prior history term you can multiclass into any character class (ie: a Academic L1 who is in an Academic Employment Term earns enough XP for the next level, he takes a level of Rogue and is now a L2 Character Academic 1, Rogue 1) then everything else fits into place for me. I think the problem is that in the T20 rulebook the word "Class" is used to represent more than one thing and is a bit ambiguous.

-W.

class

 

[LcKedovan]

One thing that I still am not sure I am clear on as well... You start a L1 Navy character, but he gains XP doing an education TERM and getting a degree, during that XP gain the way I read the rules that would mean he couldn't take levels in his starting class until he starts in the Navy after school... is that correct?

-W.

 

[notagoodusername]

Originally posted by LcKedovan:
One thing that I still am not sure I am clear on as well... You start a L1 Navy character, but he gains XP doing an education TERM and getting a degree, during that XP gain the way I read the rules that would mean he couldn't take levels in his starting class until he starts in the Navy after school... is that correct?

By the strict letter of the law you are quite correct, though I would let the player take Navy levels if they did OTC (simulationg Naval Academies and, well, OTC). If not, I'd prohibit them from taking further Navy class levels until they were serving in the Navy terms (simulating University without OTC or Academy first).

Hope this helps.

Shane

 

[LcKedovan]

Originally posted by Shane Mclean:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by LcKedovan:
One thing that I still am not sure I am clear on as well... You start a L1 Navy character, but he gains XP doing an education TERM and getting a degree, during that XP gain the way I read the rules that would mean he couldn't take levels in his starting class until he starts in the Navy after school... is that correct?

By the strict letter of the law you are quite correct, though I would let the player take Navy levels if they did OTC (simulationg Naval Academies and, well, OTC). If not, I'd prohibit them from taking further Navy class levels until they were serving in the Navy terms (simulating University without OTC or Academy first).

Hope this helps.

Shane</font>[/QUOTE]Does indeed, good to know I had the right interpretation. I would personally always aim to try and hit OTC if creating a Service char (that qualifies for OTC). Better benefits, and we all know those officers have it slack . Thanks for your intepretation Shane.

-W.

 

[sandman]

Originally posted by Shane Mclean:
By the strict letter of the law you are quite correct, though I would let the player take Navy levels if they did OTC (simulationg Naval Academies and, well, OTC). If not, I'd prohibit them from taking further Navy class levels until they were serving in the Navy terms (simulating University without OTC or Academy first).

One solution would be to disallow taking levels in a Service Class until you did your Basic Training and letting OTC counting as basic training.

Either that, or the character should have many of the basic feats/skills from the Service Class he/she wants to get into. ("Yeah, I was a Merc and I enlisted. So what if *I* didn`t go to Marines Nursery like *YOU* did!")

Unless you count Marines/Navy/etc lvl 1 as a fresh recruit.

No?