I've mustered out, now what.......
- Thread starter rmiracle
- Start date
Its simple. You finish prior history with enough experience points to put you between 7th and 8th level. Your not 8th level yet. You have to (earn experience to) finish 7th level.
Since prior history is over after the term, you begin play in between levels. How is that resolved when your last LEVEL is a service class in the service you are musting out from?
The problem comes with the fact that you can't advance in a service class other than Scouts other than in prior history, so if your last class level is a level in a service class, it creates an issue. Either you begin play on Active Duty or you have to take a non-service level as your last level. The whole point to "Mustering out" is when you leave your job in the military. You can't muster out while on active duty.
Say Machinegun Frank finishes 1 term in the Army and gets 6700 experience points. THat makes him 4th level with 700 experience ponts left over. He musters out and starts play. He is a 4th level army character. Those 700 experience points aren't lost and need not apply to another level of Army, even if he got them in army service. He doesn't have to stay in the army until he gets 10,000 experience or anything like that.
Several adventures later, Frank reaches 10,000 experience points (6700 from Prior History, plus 3300 from game play). Since he is no longer in the army, he cannot become a 5th level army character, but must multiclass (maybe into Mercenary or Traveller for instance) becoming Army-4/Mercenary-1.
Does that help?
Several adventures later, Frank reaches 10,000 experience points (6700 from Prior History, plus 3300 from game play). Since he is no longer in the army, he cannot become a 5th level army character, but must multiclass (maybe into Mercenary or Traveller for instance) becoming Army-4/Mercenary-1.
Does that help?
Its simple. You finish prior history with enough experience points to put you between 7th and 8th level. Your not 8th level yet. You have to (earn experience to) finish 7th level.
Since prior history is over after the term, you begin play in between levels. How is that resolved when your last LEVEL is a service class in the service you are musting out from?
The problem comes with the fact that you can't advance in a service class other than Scouts other than in prior history, so if your last class level is a level in a service class, it creates an issue. Either you begin play on Active Duty or you have to take a non-service level as your last level. The whole point to "Mustering out" is when you leave your job in the military. You can't muster out while on active duty.[/QB]</font>[/QUOTE]I think we are having a misunderstanding about timing here and when and how you level?? and I'm not sure I can explain this well, but I will try.
You have "finished 7th level when you have enough XP to attain 7th level. I don't recall the XP total, we'll say 30,000 XP. After that you are earning XP for 8th lvl, we'll call it 40,000XP.
So when your character musters out of the marines he is a 7th level Marine with some XP left over.
Does this answer your question?
Thats an interesting way of looking at things. Experience earned between levels isn't part of any level. I believe that to be against the spirit of the expereince point system, in that you earn experience and when you get enough you get new abilities. That is 7th level is 21,000-27,999 experience. The way I read what you said, 7th level is 21,000 experience, 8th level is 28,000 and in between is held in storage so when you get to 28,000 you then get the abilities.
I realize this is in the end is probably the same thing, just looking at it from the different side of the fence.
I'm pretty sure I read that you can't advance in a service class after mustering out, so viewing each level as a descrete item helps explain this. Thank you. However if a level is not descrete, that is a range of experience from Start to End, then you are still earning experience in that class even though you are no longer a member of it or can move to another class since your not at a level point.
I think I can explain this to the players who view a level as the range of experience, not a level +pool of points.
Thanks
Rob
It was written:
In game terms, he is a 7th level character. He is currently a single classed character, so he's also 7th Level Navy.
You only need 2000 XP to make 8th level. So you and your gang of Adventures successfully defeat a local noble in a duel and transport a cargo hold of cows several systems and collect the fee from the buyers before they got arrested (and Fox wants to cancel Firefly...).
Bottom line, you get your 2000 XP. That makes Gurmesh a 8th level character. So...since you mustered out of the Navy, you can't take your next level in Navy (unless your GM lets you run your character as still being in active Navy service, but that's another ball of wax we'll eave alone right now). So you can multiclass into any class you can according to the rules (academic, rogue, mercenary, traveller, merchant, and noble spring to mind). You apply the level you just earned to that class.
So...Gurmesh Vulleian is now an 8th level character, multiclassed. 7 levels in Navy Class and 1 level in, oh to pick one at random, Traveller. You get all the starting feats of the Traveller class, but not the x4 skill multiplier, which is for first level characters, which Gurmesh is not, he's an 8th level character.
You assign your new skills using the Traveller class core skills, not Navy.
Gurmesh Vulleian starts play as a soph retired from the Imperial Navy.
In game terms, he is a 7th level character. He is currently a single classed character, so he's also 7th Level Navy.
You only need 2000 XP to make 8th level. So you and your gang of Adventures successfully defeat a local noble in a duel and transport a cargo hold of cows several systems and collect the fee from the buyers before they got arrested (and Fox wants to cancel Firefly...).
Bottom line, you get your 2000 XP. That makes Gurmesh a 8th level character. So...since you mustered out of the Navy, you can't take your next level in Navy (unless your GM lets you run your character as still being in active Navy service, but that's another ball of wax we'll eave alone right now). So you can multiclass into any class you can according to the rules (academic, rogue, mercenary, traveller, merchant, and noble spring to mind). You apply the level you just earned to that class.
So...Gurmesh Vulleian is now an 8th level character, multiclassed. 7 levels in Navy Class and 1 level in, oh to pick one at random, Traveller. You get all the starting feats of the Traveller class, but not the x4 skill multiplier, which is for first level characters, which Gurmesh is not, he's an 8th level character.
You assign your new skills using the Traveller class core skills, not Navy.
Or more accurately, 7th lvl is 15,001-20,000 XP. After that you are on your way too 8th lvl.
Gaining a level IS a discrete function. Once you have attained suffcient XP to reach Y level you get all the benefits of that level. So to say once you have 20,000 xp you are working to complete 7th level makes no sense. You already have all the benefits of being 7th level. What are you working for???
The best way to explain it to your players is that each level threshold is the COMPLETION of a rung on the latter, not the next step.
What I plan on doing (if I ever get a Traveller game going) is to use the d20 Modern classes instead of the T20 classes (remember that you need a "core rulebook" for T20, which D20 Modern is). I'll be using the Prior History rules of T20 with D20 Modern classes. It just makes more sense to me, and is more flexible when my players get around to creating characters.
So, a Marine will probably be a hero with a mixture of Strong and Tough classes. A Noble will most definately have classes in the Charismatic class, and then multi into whatever makes sense for the character concept.
If I go this route, I'll just make the special abilities in the T20 classes Feats that can be taken as bonus feats with the requirement that the character had to be active in the Prior history careers before they can take them.
(hope this wasn't too muddled. If you have questions about D20 Modern you can go to the wizards website and look at the SRD, or post them here, and I'll try to answer them.)
So, a Marine will probably be a hero with a mixture of Strong and Tough classes. A Noble will most definately have classes in the Charismatic class, and then multi into whatever makes sense for the character concept.
If I go this route, I'll just make the special abilities in the T20 classes Feats that can be taken as bonus feats with the requirement that the character had to be active in the Prior history careers before they can take them.
(hope this wasn't too muddled. If you have questions about D20 Modern you can go to the wizards website and look at the SRD, or post them here, and I'll try to answer them.)
notagoodusername
SOC-13
I get precisely what you mean Anton.
By the strict letter of the rules you would have to stop character creation then and there as you can only take prior history terms in classes you have levels in and you only have the Navy class, but have chosen to muster out of it. Therefore you have no classes you can take any more terms in and must stop.
That said, that is kinda game-nazi to say that outright - lots of people get out of the forces and do something completely different, so I'd allow a player to take further terms in a prior history that fit the character as long as the next level he/she took was in that history's class. After that the normal rules apply again.
One other possibility is that if this happens the only prior history term you can take next is Traveller, though you can take any class you qualify for at level-up. This represents that little bit of "finding your place" after service life ends.
Or you can go to University and get the XP needed to take another class level as Garf mentioned.
Help any?
Shane
PapaGolfWhiskey
SOC-13
You're getting your point across.
I just don't agree with it.
As soon as you gain experience for eight level Regardless of were that experience came from you may level up in any class you qualify for.
if you don't have experience for the next level yet it's not an issue. continue with your character's life until that experience is earned. It may not make complete sense to you. Chalk it up as a game mechanic kludge.
I just don't agree with it.
As soon as you gain experience for eight level Regardless of were that experience came from you may level up in any class you qualify for.
if you don't have experience for the next level yet it's not an issue. continue with your character's life until that experience is earned. It may not make complete sense to you. Chalk it up as a game mechanic kludge.
E
EvilDrGanymede
Guest
That's a damn fine idea actually. And quite possible to do because the prior histories aren't themselves tied to the classes that share their names. Though presumably you'd have to determine what T20 skills and feats were allowed for which of the d20Modern classes.
Doesn't make chargen that much less complicated, but does make it a damn sight less confusing
hunter
Ancient - Absent Friend
I think Hunter meant to write "Can't" here.
If you think that the THB has to stand by itself with enough examples that you need nothing else, then you need to read the d20 pages from WotC (and the front of the THB).</font>[/QUOTE]That's what I get for posting a quick reply! Yes it should be we "can't". Thanks for pointing that out (I have fixed it in the original post).
Hunter
PapaGolfWhiskey
SOC-13
Re: my friend's complaints.
I'm just forwarding those complaints. I know they had trouble. Trouble to which I seem to be blind do to my love of the core material.
I note for interest sake that the person who had the most trouble was the one operating on only the vaguest ideas of 3e based on 2e experience.
It suggests that the problem is with the d20/t20 interface not with the game itself.
I'm just forwarding those complaints. I know they had trouble. Trouble to which I seem to be blind do to my love of the core material.
I note for interest sake that the person who had the most trouble was the one operating on only the vaguest ideas of 3e based on 2e experience.
It suggests that the problem is with the d20/t20 interface not with the game itself.
Shadowdancer
SOC-14 1K
Maybe a better way to look at this is the XP are a currency, like money. You save your money (XP) until you have enough to "buy" your next level.
Using the Navy character that started all of this, he has completed 4 terms and is a 7th level character, i.e., he has earned enough "currency" to "buy" 7 levels in the Navy class. And he has some "currency" left over. He musters out and starts adventuring. He earns more "currency." When he has enough "currency" saved up to "buy" his next level, he can buy anything he's qualified for. He can't buy a level of Navy because they only sell those levels to active duty personnel.
I know, I know, you say "what about my first character level? I didn't have any currency then, and I bought my first level." Well, it's sort of like a drug dealer getting a new client hooked. The first one is for free -- you have to pay for all the others, and the price keeps going up.
Probably not the best analogy you've ever heard, but it seemed to work for my players.
Using the Navy character that started all of this, he has completed 4 terms and is a 7th level character, i.e., he has earned enough "currency" to "buy" 7 levels in the Navy class. And he has some "currency" left over. He musters out and starts adventuring. He earns more "currency." When he has enough "currency" saved up to "buy" his next level, he can buy anything he's qualified for. He can't buy a level of Navy because they only sell those levels to active duty personnel.
I know, I know, you say "what about my first character level? I didn't have any currency then, and I bought my first level." Well, it's sort of like a drug dealer getting a new client hooked. The first one is for free -- you have to pay for all the others, and the price keeps going up.
Probably not the best analogy you've ever heard, but it seemed to work for my players.
Our group agrees with the last analogy.Left over experience is the cumulation of experiences that were on the fringe of your previous occupations and usually represent life experiences that did not earn concrete awards, promotions, or skills. It represents all the little ideas,stupid skills,or just plain first-hand living, that fail to advance you in your last job, but still make you a "better" person.
well, even in D&D3E you have a 'Character Level' that is your overall level. So, if you're 9th level you're a 9th level character. Now, mixed into that you can 'take levels' in different classes -- i.e. jobs.
So, to follow the question that started this thread you start off and go through a service profession and 8,000XP. Well, you're a 7th level character with 8,000XP -- You *have* 7 levels in Navy, but you're a 7th's level character. When you get enough XP to be 8th level you can choose to take a level in any profession you qualify for. You don't have to choose until you are at that level.
The problem is that this system is now more skill based and is not class based -- it bridges the two systems by having a character class and placing on top of that levels purchased in 'professions' akin to skill groups.
hope this helps
So, to follow the question that started this thread you start off and go through a service profession and 8,000XP. Well, you're a 7th level character with 8,000XP -- You *have* 7 levels in Navy, but you're a 7th's level character. When you get enough XP to be 8th level you can choose to take a level in any profession you qualify for. You don't have to choose until you are at that level.
The problem is that this system is now more skill based and is not class based -- it bridges the two systems by having a character class and placing on top of that levels purchased in 'professions' akin to skill groups.
hope this helps
