Cross Classing For Level One Characters

[Crucible]

This my be too much for purists, but all comments are welcome. Has anyone else taken aspects from other genres and mixed them in for the sake of enjoyment? I personally like to do all sorts of things for players who have good ideas. I am about to allow Physical Training (Strength and Endurance), Paladin, and Sea Inquisitor...oooh...that hurt someone. I just think my son would enjoy it. He's 13 and had an idea of being a super hero type slayer of evil. Thought he would love it. My daughter is going to use Bowman/Hunter Vigilante, while my other daughter is going with Stage Magician and Major Psionic.

They're kids, so I allow a bit more. We will be starting in Heroes Unlimited and I am surprising them with Rifts. I also have a caveat. There is a Super Soldir leading them, he too has some Paladin abilities. I think they will enjoy being Super Heroes in a world that NEEDS Super Heroes badly.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

The closest I've gotten to anything like this is taking the Nautical OCC's from Adventures on the High Sea's and adding them to After the Bomb. When a pc rolls (or for game flow chooses) the right background that allows for the Sailor (I believe that's what it's called) Apprenticeship. I let them choose one of the AotHS Nautical OCC's instead. Use all the info from that as far as starting equip. etc. So far it hasn't seemed to throw anything out of whack.

[Crucible]

Rarely have I seen anything throw Rifts out of whack. MDC kinda levels the playing field for anything outlandish anyways. ATB is sorta similar to me in that "anything goes" type of thinking. I love the weapons from Aliens Unlimited too.

[Tor]

Rarely have I seen anything throw Rifts out of whack. MDC kinda levels the playing field for anything outlandish anyways.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'levels the playing field'. There are a lot of very powerful things in Rifts that are very overwhelming to things with limited MD/MDC.

[Crucible]

Rarely have I seen anything throw Rifts out of whack. MDC kinda levels the playing field for anything outlandish anyways.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'levels the playing field'. There are a lot of very powerful things in Rifts that are very overwhelming to things with limited MD/MDC.

Not in my experience. I kinda want to stay on topic because its just a fun discussion, nothing serious. In my experience I haven't had too much that unbalances the game. Maybe my guys just didn't want to go in that direction in the past. I have seen more GM based NPC's unbalance a game than simple character tweaks.

Had a guy playing a Cyber-Knight Weapons Master. That was awesome actually. I enjoyed it. He enjoyed it. Had a Mutant Paladin once with the Body Armor power. That was just pure fun there, I also think he had Energy Sword. One of the most memorable was the Mega Hero with Sonic flight, Super Human Strength, and Enhance Endurance. Didn't unbalance the game though. It was fun and the peril was real for them. Rifts has a ton of powered character types who can make life hard. Even a Vagabond with a Wilks Laser Pistol is something to think on.

I guess it just didn't bother me too much. IDK...

[drewkitty ~..~]

Looking at this as a liberal GM....

The Paladin, and Sea Inquisitor with physical training PC: Since the Phys. Training is a power cat. you can add what class skills you want underneath. Then there is the SI...they can be a Mod/MOS overlaid over a class nicely. However, the one limitation written into the SI mod is that the char has to have been some sort of psychic before becoming a SI to be converted into a SI. (TLotD in the HU setting..... definitely a new idea for the boards.) The Psi thing can be gotten through by GM Fiat...or making the char meet the psi requirement by GM Fiat. I would use ether the dragon EXP table or the Mega Hero EXP table for this char's advancements.

Stage Magician and Major Psionic: There is no real problem with this canonly except that each are from two different settings. If you are playing in a ">Class< Char Template" setting then you might want to select a skill's list from a class somewhere. In the NBMB the "The Psychic" class has a nice skills list for custom chars. Just using the Stage Mag. exp. table should be fine.
After getting to rifts earth you might want to juice this up by upping the psionics to a full PCC power level. (Just about any PCC would be fair game except the ones in RWB SA2 cause all of the found in that book are real RCC's and the Psi-Ghost which is also a RCC. It is more like a Clan Char Class cause it's intangibility power is really an inherited superpower.)

Bowman/Hunter Vigilante: You might want to consider combining the Ancient weapons Master Power cat in PU2 with the Hunter/Vigilante Power cat. Then add a Generic Skill List to it. Like the one "The Psychic" class uses.

[say652]

To quote the great Mills Lane "I'll allow it!!"

[Crucible]

That's great info Drew. Ancient Weapons Master would be much better for my daughter. Thanks man. Its all in fun. I've allowed a lot in my years of gaming, so I should know how to do this. lol

[say652]

Looking at this as a liberal GM....

The Paladin, and Sea Inquisitor with physical training PC: Since the Phys. Training is a power cat. you can add what class skills you want underneath. Then there is the SI...they can be a Mod/MOS overlaid over a class nicely. However, the one limitation written into the SI mod is that the char has to have been some sort of psychic before becoming a SI to be converted into a SI. (TLotD in the HU setting..... definitely a new idea for the boards.) The Psi thing can be gotten through by GM Fiat...or making the char meet the psi requirement by GM Fiat. I would use ether the dragon EXP table or the Mega Hero EXP table for this char's advancements.

Stage Magician and Major Psionic: There is no real problem with this canonly except that each are from two different settings. If you are playing in a ">Class< Char Template" setting then you might want to select a skill's list from a class somewhere. In the NBMB the "The Psychic" class has a nice skills list for custom chars. Just using the Stage Mag. exp. table should be fine.
After getting to rifts earth you might want to juice this up by upping the psionics to a full PCC power level. (Just about any PCC would be fair game except the ones in RWB SA2 cause all of the found in that book are real RCC's and the Psi-Ghost which is also a RCC. It is more like a Clan Char Class cause it's intangibility power is really an inherited superpower.)

Bowman/Hunter Vigilante: You might want to consider combining the Ancient weapons Master Power cat in PU2 with the Hunter/Vigilante Power cat. Then add a Generic Skill List to it. Like the one "The Psychic" class uses.

Ok Alien I'll warn your people once. Give back Drewkitty or face my wrath.

[Alrik Vas]

Hrm...I think the craziest game I ever ran class-wise was an Anti-Monster Maxi Man with dual thunder axes (rune weapon from atlantis, don't remember what they're actually called), a Titan Gunslinger with TW Ultra-Crazy implants that could dual wield ATL-7's with sharpshooting (his guns had 12 e-clips feeding them power, so big six-shooters), a Cosmo-Knight Invincible Guardsman and a Rahu-man Dragon-Juicer with a Holy Sword, Battle Fury Blade and dual Rune katanas (hunted evil dragons for blood).

Being 15 was pretty wild.

[Crucible]

Hrm...I think the craziest game I ever ran class-wise was an Anti-Monster Maxi Man with dual thunder axes (rune weapon from atlantis, don't remember what they're actually called), a Titan Gunslinger with TW Ultra-Crazy implants that could dual wield ATL-7's with sharpshooting (his guns had 12 e-clips feeding them power, so big six-shooters), a Cosmo-Knight Invincible Guardsman and a Rahu-man Dragon-Juicer with a Holy Sword, Battle Fury Blade and dual Rune katanas (hunted evil dragons for blood).

Being 15 was pretty wild.

That's the age range of the players.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Looking at this as a liberal GM....

The Paladin, and Sea Inquisitor with physical training PC: Since the Phys. Training is a power cat. you can add what class skills you want underneath. Then there is the SI...they can be a Mod/MOS overlaid over a class nicely. However, the one limitation written into the SI mod is that the char has to have been some sort of psychic before becoming a SI to be converted into a SI. (TLotD in the HU setting..... definitely a new idea for the boards.) The Psi thing can be gotten through by GM Fiat...or making the char meet the psi requirement by GM Fiat. I would use ether the dragon EXP table or the Mega Hero EXP table for this char's advancements.

Stage Magician and Major Psionic: There is no real problem with this canonly except that each are from two different settings. If you are playing in a ">Class< Char Template" setting then you might want to select a skill's list from a class somewhere. In the NBMB the "The Psychic" class has a nice skills list for custom chars. Just using the Stage Mag. exp. table should be fine.
After getting to rifts earth you might want to juice this up by upping the psionics to a full PCC power level. (Just about any PCC would be fair game except the ones in RWB SA2 cause all of the found in that book are real RCC's and the Psi-Ghost which is also a RCC. It is more like a Clan Char Class cause it's intangibility power is really an inherited superpower.)

Bowman/Hunter Vigilante: You might want to consider combining the Ancient weapons Master Power cat in PU2 with the Hunter/Vigilante Power cat. Then add a Generic Skill List to it. Like the one "The Psychic" class uses.

Ok Alien I'll warn your people once. Give back Drewkitty or face my wrath.

I did note the Sea Inc. limitation. But the question was way outside the bounds of canon so I let out my inner munchkin.

[Crucible]

Looking at this as a liberal GM....

The Paladin, and Sea Inquisitor with physical training PC: Since the Phys. Training is a power cat. you can add what class skills you want underneath. Then there is the SI...they can be a Mod/MOS overlaid over a class nicely. However, the one limitation written into the SI mod is that the char has to have been some sort of psychic before becoming a SI to be converted into a SI. (TLotD in the HU setting..... definitely a new idea for the boards.) The Psi thing can be gotten through by GM Fiat...or making the char meet the psi requirement by GM Fiat. I would use ether the dragon EXP table or the Mega Hero EXP table for this char's advancements.

Stage Magician and Major Psionic: There is no real problem with this canonly except that each are from two different settings. If you are playing in a ">Class< Char Template" setting then you might want to select a skill's list from a class somewhere. In the NBMB the "The Psychic" class has a nice skills list for custom chars. Just using the Stage Mag. exp. table should be fine.
After getting to rifts earth you might want to juice this up by upping the psionics to a full PCC power level. (Just about any PCC would be fair game except the ones in RWB SA2 cause all of the found in that book are real RCC's and the Psi-Ghost which is also a RCC. It is more like a Clan Char Class cause it's intangibility power is really an inherited superpower.)

Bowman/Hunter Vigilante: You might want to consider combining the Ancient weapons Master Power cat in PU2 with the Hunter/Vigilante Power cat. Then add a Generic Skill List to it. Like the one "The Psychic" class uses.

Ok Alien I'll warn your people once. Give back Drewkitty or face my wrath.

I did note the Sea Inc. limitation. But the question was way outside the bounds of canon so I let out my inner munchkin.

And I thank you for that. Thought about it and will only allow the Sea Inq. for my stage magician. I know this type of thing isn't what some guys like, hell I use to get up in arms about it sometimes too. Some campaigns I have only allowed mundanes, while in others I have allowed some crazy stuff to a point. Sometimes its fun to just let loose and do it.

[Tor]

the one limitation written into the SI mod is that the char has to have been some sort of psychic before becoming a SI to be converted into a SI.

No, 45% of Sea Inquisitors are non-psychics.

[say652]

I allow just about anything. As a GM it's not that hard to add in another wave of goblins or give the major badguy more hit points if the players are "winning" and not being tested.

[say652]

I made Destroy the supernatural a major super power. Minor version is destroy supernatural good/evil. The only inquisitor power I would not let run rampant was the negate ppe/isp ability.

[nilgravity]

I make every character cross class. First they pick their race and get all the abilities and skills (if they are human I have them pick a skilled class like rogue scholar or vagabond) then have them pick an OCC. After taking all the OCC abilities and skills they can have an OCC skill for each redundant skill and then all their secondary skills from their OCC.

[taalismn]

Don't know if this counts as cross-classing: I've combined the Heroes Unlimited Natural Genius with a full conversion cyborg chassis and N&SS Capoeira martial arts to create a genius character who was born so badly deformed that she required an artificial (cyberhumanoid) body just to survive, The (dance-based) martial arts was adopted as an extension of her desire to push the limits of her ability to move gracefully(not like a clunky robot) through physical training(although she wouldn't get any stat bonuses to her bionics from the exercise component).

[Alrik Vas]

That's just an flat-out interesting idea, Tal.

[taalismn]

That's just an flat-out interesting idea, Tal.

Well, I had previously gotten around bio-E limits in a combined TMNT/ATB-N&SS campaign by not giving my mutant horse fully functional hands....then choosing the Cyborg Soldier OCC with two bionic arms, allowing me to plow the saved bio-E into other attributes.