3E Skills and multiclassing

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This might be a somewhat naive thought, as I'm new to all this, but I was creating a 2nd level multiclass character and found something that annoyed me. I don't like the idea of having four times the number of normal skill points at first level, when combined with the Third edition system of multiclassing. It seems to me that with a level each of say, wizard and rogue, the first class taken would be highly dominant and the other would be almost crippled through lack of skills. As far as I could see from BG, the 2nd edition multiclassing seemed to create low-level characters with much more balance between the classes. I like the idea of being able to start as a 1st level multiclass as well. Would anyone with more experience care to comment on the issue?

 

I don't see the problem. Wizard and rogues get more skill point, barbarians and fighters are better in smashing heads. A wizard of rogue might get out of a situation using skills, a barbarian would kick everybody's ass. I think it is fine that way, there is a difference but everybody has it's own qualities.

It is possible to start as a 1-st level multi-classed character. You would start with 1/2 level in both classes. It is called starting as an apprentace class. When you advance to level two, you would have 1-level in both your classes. It is described in the DM guide, as one of the variant rules.

 

My problem is that wizards and rogues rely on skills to be effective, and, unless I understand the rules wrongly, a wizard rogue would seem to have a strong bias towards one class at 2nd level. Starting as rogue and then taking wizard (say) would allow comfortable starting set of rogue skill points, exactly the same as any other first level rogue. Taking the next level as wizard would give the character only a quarter of the points a first level wizard gets to spend on spellcraft and the like, resulting in the rogue class being dominant despite having only one level of each class. Thanks for telling me about apprentice classes, I didn't know about them as I don't have the DMG. They sound like they might get around the problem of skills unbalance - I'll have to ask my DM about that.

[ September 12, 2002, 21:59: Message edited by: Ironbeard ]

 

Another point to consider is that, for a rogue or even a bard, skills are everything: that's what makes the class. For a wizard, the most important part is spellcasting - skills are just secondary to that ability. So it does make sense that the 1st level of rogue gets all the skills and the 2nd level of wizard gets fewer than a wizard character who didn't multiclass. On the other hand, if you took the wizard level first then the rogue level, you would really be cutting out the strength of the rogue class.

 

If its really bothering you, you can buy some of those wizard skills as cross class skills from your surfeit of rogue starting skill points. After all, a rogue with wizard level Int is going to have 40+ skill points at 1st level.

Or, as suggested above, convince your DM to let you use the variant 'multiclass at first level' rules.

The rule is in place to reflect that most of your learning is done prior to starting out as an adventurer. Your character is a rogue, who then studied a bit of wizardry. Its unlikely he would be as knowledgable as someone who studied wizardry since childhood.

 

Thanks guys, I ended up taking the first level as rogue and using cross-class skills to boost the wiz skills.