Multiclass mustering out

[pftmadness]

In prior history, you can take several different classes, right? As you change between them, do you do the mustering out benefits there and then, or wait and do 'em all at the end of character creation?
How do the Officer ranks (+1 on the benefits table) carry over from service to service.
i.e. Just because you were a Merchant officer, does this carry any weight in the army??

Help!!!

 

[Cleon the Mad]

Here is how I've been doing it, I believe I am correct. I'll give a hypothetical example and explain as I go.

Joe Traveller decides he wishes to leave his homeworld at the ripe age of 18, and thus signs up with a free trader. (i.e. he takes one term of Merchant). After this term, although he gets promoted to 01 in the Merchants he doesn't get a cash bonus, and thus jumps ship at age 22, and decides that he can best serve the Imperium and get to see the stars by enlisting in the Navy. (Otherwise, he musters out of the Merchants, and joins the Navy at start of term 2) Joe likes Navy life better, and stays in for three terms, getting comissioned and promoted to a Navy rank of 03.

Okay, how does Joe muster out?

Well, first he does his 1 term as a merchant, where he's an 01. Since he spent a term as a merchant, and got promoted to 01, Joe gets two rolls. He can take them as two cash rolls, one cash, one material benefit, or two material. Joe decides to take them both as cash. Later, he spent three in the Navy, and made 03 in the Navy. Joe now has 5 rolls, 3 for the three Navy terms, two more for rank. Joe can take one more cash roll if he likes (one can only take 3 cash rolls, period, not counting cash bonuses), or he can take them all as material. Joe decides to use his last chance for a cash roll now, and four material.

To sum up, Joe has two rolls on the Merchant table, one for the one term, one for rank 01. He has five on the Navy table, three for the terms, two for rank of 03. As I understand it, it's best to muster out of each service before switching career paths. This might be manditory, this might not, but if you look, a lot of the material benefits are stat increases, which could affect skill points (bonus to Int), if a character can get into University easier (bonus to EDU) or if the character could now qualify for the Noble class, where he couldn't before (bonus to SOC).

Hope my rambling made sense, I must admit I'm functioning a slight lack of sleep, mild insomnia. Please, if I am wrong or if someone can sum up better then I can, feel free to post.

 

[pftmadness]

Thanks! That makes perfect sense. But then madness does to a madman...

Okay, 3 more things, if I may.

(1)I was looking at a rather good example of character generation elsewhere on these boards and they seemd to be suggesting a rather strange idea:
Can you go up in a level of something (in prior history) in a class you have not actually served a term in...?

(2) Suppose you have now finished with the character generation thing, as a marine. You've been adventuring a while and have gained enough for a new level.From the rules, it looks like you cannot go up as a marine ever again (unless you play a sort of active-service campaign)????? Is that right.
I suppose you just have to become a professional or whatever, with your new level???

(3) A bloke goes to University and comes out as a level 2 Mercenary! Not the kind of stuff I learned at Uni

Hmmmmm....?

 

[DrSkull]

1) absolutely. As long as you meet the "multiclass restriction" listed under the class, you can level up in it during any career term of service. In fact, for the Core classes, you must have a level in the class BEFORE you can even enter the career.

2) Yes, for Army, Navy, and Marines you may not take additional levels in those classes unless you are still in the service. The Traveller class makes a nice substitute for aditional Navy levels, and Mercenary is pretty good if you're an ex-Army/Marine guy.

3) Notice in the example, the guy was a First level Mercenary when he entered the university and did not pass his exams. Too much time on the gun range or working as a bouncer to do much studying.

 

[pftmadness]

Nice answers! Cheers all.

Right, now I know my latest character creation is okay, by the book and all that.
Even if he is a little old....
I think the first mission will be a daring escape from the old folks home and then an armed robbery on the nearest post office to collect his pension.