Replacing a half-elf's multiclassing...

[synjon]

According to the APG, the only alternate traits that can be switched out for multi-classing are arcane training & drow magic.

One of my players is going to play a half-elf zen archer monk, with no intentions of multi-classing. Has anybody seen anything that would allow a swap-out for something more useful (preferably official rather than house-rule, but whatever I can get that's reasonable)?

I've seen something here somewhere (these boards are a big place!) about the half-bloods getting some abilities from either of their 'core' races, but I'm not sure how that works or if it would apply to something like the multi-classing.

Any help would be great!

[blackbloodtroll]

Jungle Affinity and Water Child are options.

Drow magic is cool, can be reflavored, and allows him to qualify for Arcane Strike.

[blahpers]

Water child is quite good unless you know you're in a water-free campaign.

[synjon]

We're running RotRL, so I don't think Water Child is helpful, but thank you (sorry I didn't think to mention that in the OP).

I was looking more for something that would allow a swap for some of the elven alternate racial features, if that's possible. If it has to be house-ruled, any thoughts on what would be a fair swap?

[Kazaan]

Here's a trick you can use:

Arcane Training works even if you have no levels in the favored class so you can pick, say, Witch and have access to wands of Cure Light among other things, then pick up the Eclectic feat. It has a racial prereq of Human (which a H-Elf can satisfy) and it gives you an additional favored class. This will let you recover your favored class bonus for your Monk levels. Bing-bang-boom, for the cost of 1 feat, you get an effective level of Witch for spell-completion/spell-activation and your normal favored increases for Monk.

[synjon]

Thank you all for the ideas so far.

I was under the impression you actually have to have a level in a class to qualify for spell trigger/activation items - simply declaring it for a favored class wouldn't be enough...

CRB wrote:

Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin.

I was thinking of allowing the half-elf feat Exile's Path as a substitute for the Multi-talented feature. I don't think it's an unfair or unbalanced trade:

BoG wrote:

Prerequisite: Half-elf.

Benefit: Once per day, when you fail a Will save against an enchantment spell or effect, you may reroll that saving throw, but must take the reroll result even if it's worse.

Any thoughts or other ideas?

[Kazaan]

Arcane Training is a specific exception:

PRD wrote:

Arcane Training: Half-elves occasionally seek tutoring to help them master the magic in their blood. Half-elves with this racial trait have only one favored class and it must be an arcane spellcasting class. They can use spell trigger and spell completion items for their favored class as if 1 level higher (or as a 1st-level character if they have no levels in that class). This racial trait replaces the multitalented racial trait.

It's not just the declaring it as a favored class; it's the specific effect of the Arcane Training alternate trait. Instead of having two favored classes, you have one favored class that must be an arcane spellcasting class and, in addition to the normal favored class benefits, you also treat your level in that class as 1 higher for the purpose of spell trigger/spell completion items. If you're "lvl 0" in that class (you have no levels in it), you treat it as if you were lvl 1. So you can use wands, scrolls, etc. for that class's spells, even though you don't have any levels in it (and never intend to take any levels). With this alone, of course, you'd be giving up favored class bonus for the class in which you actually do take levels, but that's what the Eclectic feat is for; to recover the favored class bonus for your "actual" class.

[blahpers]

Kazaan wrote:

Here's a trick you can use:

Arcane Training works even if you have no levels in the favored class so you can pick, say, Witch and have access to wands of Cure Light among other things, then pick up the Eclectic feat. It has a racial prereq of Human (which a H-Elf can satisfy) and it gives you an additional favored class. This will let you recover your favored class bonus for your Monk levels. Bing-bang-boom, for the cost of 1 feat, you get an effective level of Witch for spell-completion/spell-activation and your normal favored increases for Monk.

This is good. You could also pick ranger, buy a wand of abundant ammunition, and go to town with all those expensive, non-magical specialty arrows (flurry of tanglefoot arrows FTW).

[Kazaan]

Ranger is a divine caster. Arcane Training requires you take an Arcane caster class. So Sorc, Wizard, Magus, Bard, Summoner, or Witch are your essential options.

[blahpers]

Oh yeah. Well, do that then.

[synjon]

My players love doing this to me: after more talking, she decided to hang onto Multi-talented, because she might want to dip a level somewhere along the line, and wouldn't want to lose the favored class bonus. This is the 2nd time (and 2nd player) to change direction on me during pc creation...

I guess my whole problem is you have to burn a feat to make the whole Arcane Training/ Eclectic thing work, whereas I was hoping to find a way to just do a swap, although I guess it's irrelevant now...

Thanks, anyway everyone!