OSE: Multiclassing

In Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy, the optional multiclassing rules are surprisingly flexible and more lenient than those of many other games. A lot of the benefits stack, and there are no rules for "spell failure in armor" for multiclass characters, so for the most part, you get the best of both worlds. Stealth and armor are where the ability is limited, but this is common sense.

It is also possible to start a class later in your adventuring career, as long as you track each class's XP total, you will be fine. Do four levels as a magic-user and pick up bard? Your future XP is now split between them, and future hit points will be divided (and fractionals tracked) by the rules. Otherwise, it will work. The "using the best of" part of the rules for things like saves and attack bonuses will involve a few divergent comparisons, but it is not complicated.

"Best of" is pretty easy to grasp.

And I do not feel weaker in this system like I do in 5E. If my bard/magic-user ever gets to 14th level in each class, they will be a full-powered class in each, which is insanely powerful. I am not "giving up my 20th-level power" like I am in 5E, which just seems wrong and broken. Forcing us to give up powers in 5E is terrible design, and they shouldn't have to "incentivize" sticking with a single class like that.

If I ever level up a class that stops earlier, I can always go back to full XP in the class that can level past it. It "maxes out," and leveling goes back to normal. I can create a specialized 6-level micro-class in something a character could pick up (vampire, werewolf, gladiator, commander, ship captain, etc.), add it to a character, have them learn it as they level, add the powers and abilities as the class gets them, and then go back to normal when the micro-class maxes out.

Again, 5E creates problems that earlier editions do not possess.

All of 5E's classes need to go to 20th level, something BX does not require.

And 5E builds in negative reinforcement for multiclassing, which it does not need to do.

It will take forever and a day to get to my 14/14 magic-user/bard, and everyone else with a single class will be higher level, but I will have an amazing character who can reach full potential in both classes.

And OSE allows up to three classes.

Even many OSR games go out of their way to limit multiclassing, when it should be a group choice on what is allowed. Too many games cut too close to the cloth to emulate the original editions, when they don't need to, and allowing this to be anything you want is far more fun.

Especially when you start pulling in other BX-compatible games like White Star, Modern Necessities, or Dark Places & Demogorgons. Your ability to multiclass and create unique characters is far better than it is in 5E, much easier to manage, and it does not break the game. Secret Agent/Magic User? Sure, why not?

In rare cases, if it causes a problem, ban the combination. You have the power in BX; in 5E, I feel I do not.

The game suggests limiting race and class options to nonhumans, as in the original game, and creating allowed combinations that fit cultures and traditions. Some could even be disallowed, like paladin/assassin combinations, since they make no sense outside a god of assassins. Still, if you had one, you could do it; the game doesn't say you can't. And it allows you to freely mix and match, as long as you pay the piper with split XP.

Multiclassing in OSE is far better than 5E. It is not even close.

This is actually embarrassing.