Let's see whether I have this right.
Per T20:120 your character can take employeement during prior history in a class in which you have at least one level of experience. Presumably you get this level of experience between terms by spending XPs on it.
In the D&D3 Player Handbook:56, 1st para under "Adding a Second Class" one does so by electing to become Level 1 in the 2nd class rather than going up a level in one's current class. The implication is that you spend the XPs on Level 1 in the new class instead of in Level X in the current class.
Question: Am I reading this right?
This suggests that it's more expensive to multiclass if you're at a higher level in another class, e.g., if you're 4th Level Marine coming out of a term of service with 4000 XPs burning a hole in your worksheet and you've an eye towards getting work as a Professional for your next term, you could spend the XPs that would have increased your Marine level to 5th level (coincidentally 4000 XPs), instead on remaining a 4th level Marine and becoming a 1st level Professional. You could then get work for your next term in the Professional career field.
It seems then that it's much wiser to make your multiclassing choices early on, rather than later on because the XP cost to go up another level in one's current class increases as one increases in levels.
It seems, too, that if you spent your entire prior history as a member of a service class, e.g., Marine, when you finally end prior history and enter play you will multiclass in to SOME other class. Per the very bottom of the first column of T20:34 you cannot gain levels in that (Marine) class unless you're on active duty (e.g., in a military campaign). There appears to be nothing to limit your acquisition of XPs, however (you just can't go up levels), so it would seem that as soon as you have enough XPs to go up to the next level in that (service) class, you would instead acquire Level 1 in another class.
E.g., When you end a term of prior history service you get barred from re-enlistment as a Marine. You were a 6th level Marine with 18000 XPs and you need 21000 XPs to get to 7th level (i.e., you still need 3000 XPs). You decide to start game play and it's not a "military" game so you need to multiclass to continue to go up in levels. Once you'd accumulated enough XPs (in this case, 3000) in play to get to Marine 7, you'd then become Marine 6 / New Class 1, the New Class being picked from those available (e.g., not a Belter, not a Scout, etc.).
Question: Am I reading this right?
Tx!
