Favored Class variant

[RobbyPants]

I've never been a big fan of the multiclassing penalties associated with the favored class mechanic.  It seems common to do away with it entierly.  I thought up a variant for the favored class used as a benifit instead of a hinderence.

Each level a character advances in his favored class grants an additional skill point.  If the character's first level is in his race's favored class, he gains four skill points.

I don't feel humans need a boost, so I'd use them as-is.  As for half elves, I would simply give them the human's skill point bonus to help bring them up to par.

I understand this makes all non-human PCs stronger, but I don't feel so much stronger as to seriously affect game balance.  Now, a player has incentive to play a favored class without a penalty.  Although I guess they're penalized by comparison.  So what do you think?

[TheChrisWaits]

Pathfinder gives a choice of either +1 hit point or +1 skill point if you take a level in your favored class. I think it's a good alternative.

[AstralFire]

I'd just ditch anything and everything relating to favored classes.

[Shadowhowler]

Favored classes bother me. I don't know why elves should be wizards anymore then Rangers or Druids... I really think there is no need for the favored class, or any need to encoruage them.
 
That said, if you just really like them... I don't see anything to imbalancing about your idea... tho it does seem that humans get the short end of the stick on this.

[dman11235]

And humans weren't really good to begin with?  Doesn't matter that they do.

If you use FC (I hate it personally), then this is a much better alternative to the xp penalty.  Oh, and you get rid of the penalty too, right?

[Arcane-surge]

I like the idea of favoured classes, partly because I use a homebrew campaign setting. I use them as guidelines for what a race's society is going to look like. Elves have more time to invest in study and so there are more elven wizards than say...Elven barbarians. Dwarven society is militant, orcs have a sort of ritualized societal interaction that I think you'd get when most of your race flies off the handle at the start of a fight...That said, I change the favoured classes of races when placing them, because it changes the way they do things. My Centaurs favour scout, not...I think it's Ranger?

Getting rid of multiclassing penalties is a good idea, too. I don't even understand why they're in there except that maybe they thought that, like in 2e, multiclassed characters should just suck more. Instead, every character gains a +2 competence bonus with one skill of their favoured class. If they have a level in that class (people with favoured class Any count their first level as their favoured class), they get a +2 competence bonus to another skill. Tiny benefits, but essentially free, so no one's complained.

[Chemus]

I might agree with Shadowhowler here; though humans get a free open feat, you must qualify for it at 1st level (outside of Embracing and then Shunning the Dark Chaos), and then you get +1 skill point per level (which many can get for 'free' by choosing a favored class). If RobbyPants means that humans get an additional +1 skillpoint in one class, then I agree that it's fun and flavorful and humans are OK. If not it's still fun and flavorful, but see my first line.

[Brainpiercing]

The trouble is that races are at the same time supposed to prefer a certain class, while actually these classes are not taken by the majority of the population. Instead we have warriors, adepts and experts. So what's the point of the favoured classes?

IMHO this is just an example where fluff turns into bad rules. Fluff should be about atmosphere, not about restrictions. Hence -> Favoured Classes = bad.

Aptitudes to certain classes should be obvious from racial traits. Any race that gets +2Int obviously makes good wizards. +2Str makes good fighting characters. Why this need for an additional rule?

IF you want to give a benefit to races that already have a certain aptitude, then you should make much broader categories, for instance:

Elves get a benefit if they take a prepared casting class.
Dwarfes get a benefit if they take a fighting class
Halflings get a benefit if they take a class with many skills

[RobbyPants]

... tho it does seem that humans get the short end of the stick on this.

Yeah, they do somewhat (espescially when half elves get their ability for free).  I wasn't sure a good way to handle it.  It seemed just giving humans an extra skillpoint on top of the one they already get is a bit too much.  One option would be to have them pick a favored class at 1st level, and treat them like every other race.

If you use FC (I hate it personally), then this is a much better alternative to the xp penalty.  Oh, and you get rid of the penalty too, right?

Yeah, I guess I did forget to explicitly mention that.  This would replace the XP penalty rule.

Getting rid of multiclassing penalties is a good idea, too. I don't even understand why they're in there except that maybe they thought that, like in 2e, multiclassed characters should just suck more.

That was always my take on it.  It always seems like the multiclassing penalties showed WotC wanted to loosen up the strings on multiclassing from 2E, but they didn't want to drop the restrictions all together.