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For the next campaign I run I want to do it with a gestalt or dual-class style rules but with an experience flavor similar to the older game editions, where rogues left wizards and priest in their dust leveling.
This might be a little difficult for me to explain, but I was thinking about dividing the classes into their training categories; intuitive, self-taught, and trained, then assigning a leveling experience progressing to each group. Intuitive classes get the fastest, self-taught get the medium, and trained classes get the slowest. With each character starting as level one of both classes and each class leveling with the appropriate experience.
After looking at the class and experience breakdown though I couldn't figure why anyone would consider playing a cleric/wizard when an Oracle/sorcerer would quickly out level and overpower
To balance this I'm considering flooding the trained classes with more feats while leveling, granting additional favored class bonuses to the slower progressing classes, and removing favored class options from the intuitive classes
If I could get some help and suggestions to balance and still let players feel trained classes would be a viable option I would be very grateful.
To be fair, sorc/oracles are getting their spells at best a level later. That is already a pretty big knock toward them so leveling a little faster would be good and maybe even it more. Prepared casters already have the advantage imo.
Giving them -more- with extra feats and removing favored class would ensure that intuitive wouldn't get used I think.
I feel kinda dumb now because I kinda forgot about the spell progression being different. I was putting most my focus on intuitive classes leveling twice as fast as my the trained classes.
My other concern would be rogue/barbarians, low levels favoring melee and both classes leveling quick I can see that being a hindrance to my plans.
The hybrid classes are another problem I can foresee mostly because I'm not sure I how I would categorize them. I'm leaning towards the slower of the parent classes.
It's gonna be a homebrew setting with magic items being rare and the characters will be using a low or standard point buy
If that is the case, then you definitely want most martial sorts going faster or they are going to be seriously hurting. Low wealth and point buy hurts them waaaay worse than anyone that is a caster of any sort.
Rogues I think you'll find will be heavily reliant on whatever their other class is. Without the bonuses from items they will have a difficult time landing their hits and actually delivering their damage. Barbarians will fare better due to high BAB and the rage boosts.
Personally I think you're making this harder on yourself than it should be. The breakdown is the issue. Going by intuitive, trained, and whatnot is where it gets sticky.
Personally I'd do it based on the classes or combinations of classes themselves. Divy it up into say 3 with as you said characters using the slowest of the two they pick. Put casters in slowest, med/partial casters in middle, and any pure martial sorts in fast. You may want to split casters between spontaneous and prepared and put them on slightly different tracks as well.
Just my thoughts though.
Currently this is how the class breakdown looks
Intuitive
barbarian, bloodrager, oracle, rogue and sorcerer
Self-taught
arcanist*, bard, cavalier, fighter, gunslinger, investigator*, paladín, ranger, shaman, skald, slayer, summoner and witch
Trained
alchemist, brawler, cleric, druid, hunter, inquisitor, magus, monk, warpriest and wizard
*split the difference
I do tend to make a hobby of making things harder on myself than i need to, but if I start categorizing things my own way dividing the casters into primary stat categories I'd get hung up on archetypes and trying not to show a bias towards my favorite classes
Out of curiosity, what are you looking to gain from this rule? That is to say, how is creating a more complicated leveling experience meant to enhance the gameplay?
Answer that one first, and I think a lot of the actual problems will become much more obvious.
To experiment and create a more unique and fun gaming experience for my friends and myself. If we enjoy my experimental experience house rules enough it just might become a staple in my games.
I was just considering scrapping the training categories and using a basic primary secondary advancement. characters still starting as first level in two classes, but their primary class advancing with fast XP and the secondary advances with the slow.
This would simplify my over complicating and eliminate my concerns of classes not getting considered for play because of a slow progression but still offer my small play group versatility and flexibility. Although doing this i would lose a lot of the thematic flavor g was hoping to achieve.