Multiclassing

There are two forms of multiclassing available to characters: standard and variant. These forms are mutually exclusive, and a character who takes one form of multiclassing cannot take the other.

Standard Multiclassing

Instead of increasing the level of your current class and gaining the abilities granted by it, you can instead take a level of a new class, gaining the 1st-level abilities of it, adding all of those abilities to your existing ones. This is known as multiclassing. At each level, you can choose which class to place a level into, or pick another class to begin at level 1.

For example, let’s say a 5th-level Fighter decides to dabble in the arcane arts, and adds one level of Wizard when they advance to 6th level. Such a character would have the powers and abilities of both a 5th-level Fighter and a 1st-level Wizard, but would still be considered a 6th-level character (their class levels would be 5th and 1st, but their total character level is 6th). They keep all of their bonus feats gained from 5 levels of Fighter, but can now also cast 1st-level spells and pick an arcane school. When they reach 7th level, they could choose to put that level into Fighter to become Fighter 6/Wizard 1, they could put it into Wizard to become Fighter 5/Wizard 2, or they could put it into a third class, say Cleric, to become Fighter 5/Wizard1/Cleric 1.

Note that there are a number of effects and prerequisites that rely on a character’s level or Hit Dice. Such effects are always based on the total number of levels or Hit Dice a character possesses, not just those from one class. The exception to this is class abilities, most of which are based on the total number of class levels that a character possesses of that particular class. Taking a level in a new class does not grant you additional general benefits of a first level character, such as Flaws, background Traits, and maximum hit point rolls. Additionally, Base Attack Bonuses and Base Saving Throw Bonuses require a bit more effort to calculate for a multiclassed character. An embedded calculator is provided below to automatically determine Base Attack Bonus and Base Saving Throw Bonuses based on your levels in each class. For information on the math behind this calculation, see Class Level Calculations below.

Class Level Calculations

Class Base Attack Bonuses and Base Save Bonuses are calculated on a fractional system based on good, medium, or poor progression. Additionally, Base Save Bonuses have a non-stacking bonus for classes with good progression in them. All bonuses are combined and then rounded down to the nearest integer.

Base Attack Bonuses

A class with a good Base Attack Bonus progression increases their BAB by +1 per level. medium progression increases by +3/4 and poor progression increases by +1/2. The total BAB for all levels in each class is added, then rounded down to the nearest integer to get the character's BAB. Good/medium/poor Base Attack Bonus progression can be determined by looking at the progression in each class table (for quick reference, good BAB has +20 at level 20, medium has +15, and bad has +10).

Base Save Bonuses

A class with a good save progression in a save increases that save by +1/2 per level and a creature with poor progression increases that save by +1/3 per level (there is no medium save progression). Having at least one level in a class with good progression in a save provides a non-stacking +2 bonus to that save's base bonus. Each save has its total base bonus added from all levels in each class (including the +2 bonus, if applicable), then rounded down to the nearest integer to get the character's base bonus for that save. Good or poor base save bonus progression for each save can be determined by looking at the progression in each class table (a good save progression have a +2 to that save at level 1).

Example: A character has taken 5 levels in Fighter, then takes a level in Wizard, becoming a Fighter 5/Wizard 1 at 6th level. Their 5 levels of Fighter provide a +5 to their BAB, and their 1 level of Wizard provides a +1/2 bonus to BAB, totaling +5 1/2. Since bonuses are rounded down, that gives a total BAB of 5. The Fighter has good Fortitude Saves, providing +2 1/2 for 5 levels, and poor Reflex and Will saves, providing +1 2/3 for five levels. The Wizard has poor Fortitude and Reflex saves, providing +1/3 for one level, and good Will Saves, providing +1/2 for one level. Totaling them together gives +2 5/6 Base Fortitude, +2 for Reflex, and +2 1/6 for Will. Fortitude gains a +2 bonus because the Fighter has good Fortitude saves, as does Will from the Wizard's good Will saves, then they round down to the nearest integer for an effective +4 Fortitude, +2 Reflex, +4 Will.

Variant Multiclassing

This optional system allows a character to trade out half their feats in order to gain the benefits of a secondary class. These rules enable characters to gain many of the benefits of multiclassing without sacrificing advancement in their primary classes, and creates opportunities to explore novel character concepts, such as a Barbarian whose rage stems from being afflicted by the gods with an Oracle’s curse and revelations. A character who selects this option doesn’t gain feats at 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th levels, but instead gains class features from their secondary class as described in each class description below. Alternatively, a character who selects this option can trade out their feats at 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels to gain each of the class features below two levels earlier than listed.

Alchemist

A character who chooses Alchemist as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Alchemy: At 3rd level, they add their character level as a Competence Bonus on all Craft (alchemy) checks and can use Craft (alchemy) to identify potions.
Bombs: At 7th level, they gain the ability to create a number of bombs per day equal to their Intelligence modifier + 1/2 their character level. The bombs deal damage as an Alchemist of their character level, but since they don’t have the Alchemist’s throw anything class feature, they don’t add their Intelligence modifier to the damage.
Mutagen: At 11th level, they gain the mutagen class feature, with a duration equal to 10 minutes per character level. They count as an Alchemist for the purposes of drinking a mutagen.
Swift Poisoning: At 15th level, they gain the poison use and swift poisoning abilities.
Poison Immunity: At 19th level, they become immune to Poison.

Barbarian

A character who chooses Barbarian as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Rage: At 3rd level, they gain the rage class feature for a number of rounds per day equal to their Constitution modifier + their character level.
Uncanny Dodge: At 7th level, they gain uncanny dodge.
Rage Power: At 11th level, they gain a rage power. For the purpose of which Rage Powers they can select, their effective Barbarian level is equal to 1/2 their character level, but for the purpose of the rage power’s effect, their effective Barbarian level is equal to their full character level.
Damage Reduction: At 15th level, they gain DR 3/—.
Greater Rage: At 19th level, they gain greater rage.

Bard

A character who chooses Bard as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Bardic Knowledge: At 3rd level, they gain the bardic knowledge class feature, treating their character level as their effective Bard level.
Bardic Performance: At 7th level, they gain the ability to inspire courage and inspire competence as a Bard of their character level – 4 for a number of rounds per day equal to their Charisma modifier + their character level.
Versatile Performance: At 11th level, they gain versatile performance in one Perform skill of their choice. They can retrain all their ranks in the two associated skills for free.
Lore Master: At 15th level, they gain lore master as a 5th-level Bard.
Additional Performances: At 19th level, they gain the ability to use dirge of doom and inspire greatness as a Bard of their character level – 4.

Cavalier

A character who chooses Cavalier as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Order: At 1st level, they choose an order. They must follow the edicts of their order.
Challenge: At 3rd level, they gain the ability to issue a challenge as a Cavalier of their character level – 2 once per day. They add the appropriate order adjustment to their challenge based on the order they selected.
Order Ability: At 7th level, they gain the 2nd-level ability of their chosen order, treating their character level as their effective Cavalier level.
Tactician: At 11th level, they gain the tactician class feature, treating their character level as their effective Cavalier level.
Greater Order Ability: At 15th level, they gain the 8th-level ability of their chosen order, treating their character level as their effective Cavalier level.
Greater Tactician: At 19th level, they gain the greater tactician class feature, treating their character level as their effective Cavalier level.

Cleric

A character who chooses Cleric as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Deity: At 1st level, they must select a deity within one Alignment step of their own. They gain the Cleric’s aura, bonus languages, code of conduct, and restriction from casting spells of opposed alignments. They also gain the Cleric’s spontaneous casting ability, which they can use with any prepared casting classes that have the appropriate spells on their Spell Lists.
Domain: At 3rd level, they select one domain their deity grants, gaining that domain’s 1st-level granted power, treating their character level as their effective Cleric level.
Channel: At 7th level, they gain the ability to Channel Energy as a Cleric of their character level – 6 a number of times per day equal to their Charisma modifier + 1.
Improved Channel: At 11th level, their ability to Channel Energy improves to that of a Cleric of their character level – 4.
Improved Domain: At 15th level, they gain the additional domain power of their chosen domain, treating their character level as their effective Cleric level.
Greater Channel: At 19th level, their Channel Energy ability improves to that of a Cleric of their character level – 2.

Druid

A character who chooses Druid as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Code: At 1st level, they gain Druidic as a bonus language and must abide by the druidic code of conduct—respecting nature, not teaching the Druidic language to outsiders, not wearing metal armor, and so on.
Wild Empathy: At 3rd level, they gain wild empathy, treating their character level as their effective Druid level.
Companion: At 7th level, they gain an Animal Companion as a Druid of their character level – 4. No ability other than Improved Companion can ever increase their effective Druid level for this purpose.
Improved Companion: At 11th level, their Animal Companion increases to that of a Druid of their full character level.
Wild Shape: At 15th level, they gain the ability to use wild shape to turn into a Small or Medium animal two times per day for up to 1 hour per character level each time.
Greater Wildshape: At 19th level, their wild shape improves to include the 6th-level Druid options, and they can use wild shape three times per day.

Fighter

A character who chooses Fighter as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Bravery: At 3rd level, they gain the bravery class feature as a Fighter of their character level – 1.
Armor Training 1: At 7th level, they gain armor training 1.
Weapon Training 1: At 11th level, they gain weapon training 1.
Armor Training 2: At 15th level, they gain armor training 2.
Weapon Training 2: At 19th level, they gain weapon training 2.

Inquisitor

A character who chooses Inquisitor as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Deity: At 1st level, they must select a deity within one Alignment step of their Alignment. They gain the Inquisitor’s code of conduct and restriction on casting spells of opposed alignments.
Stern Gaze: At 3rd level, they gain the stern gaze class feature, treating their character level as their effective Inquisitor level.
Judgment: At 7th level, once per day, they can use the judgment class feature as an Inquisitor of their character level – 3.
Solo Tactics: At 11th level, they gain the solo tactics class feature.
Additional Judgment: At 15th level, they can use the judgment class feature twice per day.
Second Judgment: At 19th level, they gain the second judgment ability.

Magus

A character who chooses Magus as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Arcane Pool: At 3rd level, they gain the arcane pool class feature as a Magus of their character level – 2.
Magus Arcana: At 7th level, they gain one magus arcana. They treat their character level as their effective Magus level when determining whether or not they can select an arcana.
Spellstrike: At 11th level, they gain the spellstrike class feature, but they can use it only with spells that are on the Magus Spell List, even though they can cast them using another class’s spell slots.
Improved Arcana: At 15th level, they gain one additional magus arcana.
Greater Arcana: At 19th level, they gain one additional magus arcana.

Monk, Astoran

A character who chooses Monk, Astoran as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Armor: At 1st level, they lose all their secondary Monk abilities when wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load.
Unarmed Strike: At 3rd level, they gain the Improved Unarmed Strike feat and the unarmed damage of a Monk of their character level – 2.
Evasion: At 7th level, they gain Evasion.
Ki Pool: At 11th level, they gain the ki pool class feature of a Monk of their character level – 2, with a number of ki points equal to 1/2 their character level. They only ever gain ki pool (lawful) if they are of lawful Alignment.
AC Bonus: At 15th level, they gain a +3 Dodge Bonus to AC.
Improved Evasion: At 19th level, they gain improved Evasion.

Oracle

A character who chooses Oracle as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Mystery: At 1st level, they must select a mystery. They never qualify for the Extra Revelation feat.
Curse: At 1st level, they must select a curse. They gain all effects of the curse, treating their effective Oracle level as equal to 1/2 their character level.
Revelation: At 3rd level, they gain one of the following revelations from the list of those available to their mystery as an Oracle of their character level – 6 (minimum 1). They must have an effective Oracle level high enough to select the revelation.
- Battle Mystery: Battlecry, battlefield clarity, combat healer, iron skin, resiliency, skill at arms, surprising charge, war sight.
- Bones Mystery: Armor of bones, bleeding wounds, death’s touch, near death, raise the dead, resist life, soul siphon, spirit walk, undead servitude, voice of the grave.
- Flame Mystery: Burning magic, fire breath, form of flame, gaze of flames, heat aura, molten skin, touch of flame, wings of fire.
- Heavens Mystery: Coat of many stars, dweller in darkness, guiding star, interstellar void, lure of the heavens, mantle of moonlight, spray of shooting stars, star chart.
- Life Mystery: Channel, delay affliction, energy body, enhanced cures, healing hands, life link, lifesense, safe curing, spirit boost.
- Lore Mystery: Arcane archivist, automatic writing, brain drain, mental acuity, spontaneous symbology, think on it, whirlwind lesson.
- Nature Mystery: Erosion touch, life leach, natural divination, speak with animals, spirit of nature, transcendental bond, undo artifice.
- Stone Mystery: Acid skin, clobbering strike, crystal sight, earth glide, mighty pebble, rock throwing, shard explosion, steelbreaker skin, touch of acid.
- Waves Mystery: Blizzard, fluid nature, fluid travel, freezing spells, ice armor, icy skin, punitive transformation, water form, water sight, wintry touch.
- Wind Mystery: Air barrier, gaseous form, invisibility, lightning breath, spark skin, thunderburst, touch of electricity, vortex spells, wind sight, wings of air.
Orison: At 7th level, if they have a Charisma score of 10 or higher, they choose an oracle orison to cast as a spell-like ability at will. They use their character level as the caster level and Charisma as the orison’s key ability score.
Curse Focus: At 11th level, they add 5 to their effective Oracle level for the purposes of determining their curse’s effects.
Improved Revelation: At 15th level, they gain one additional revelation.
Greater Revelation: At 19th level, they gain one additional revelation.

Paladin

A character who chooses Paladin as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Code: At 1st level, they must follow the Paladin’s code of conduct and gain the Paladin’s aura of good.
Detect Evil: At 3rd level, they can Detect Evil as a 1st-level Paladin.
Lay on Hands: At 7th level, they gain the ability to lay on hands a number of times per day equal to 1/2 their character level, healing as much as a Paladin of their character level – 4.
Smite Evil: At 11th level, they gain the ability to smite evil once per day as a Paladin of their character level – 4.
Mercy: At 15th level, they select one mercy from the Paladin’s 3rd-level mercy list.
Divine Bond: At 19th level, they gain a divine bond to a weapon as a Paladin of their character level – 3.

Ranger

A character who chooses Ranger as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Track: At 3rd level, they gain the track class feature, treating their character level as their effective Ranger level.
Favored Enemy: At 7th level, they gain the 1st favored enemy class feature.
Favored Terrain: At 11th level, they gain the 1st favored terrain class feature.
Expert Tracker: At 15th level, they gain the woodland stride and swift tracker class features.
Quarry: At 19th level, they gain the quarry class feature.

Rogue

A character who chooses Rogue as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Trapfinding: At 3rd level, they gain the trapfinding class feature.
Sneak Attack: At 7th level, they gain the sneak attack class feature. They can deal 1d6 points of extra damage. This extra damage increases by 1d6 for every 4 levels beyond 7th, to a maximum of 4d6 at 19th level.
Evasion: At 11th level, they gain Evasion.
Uncanny Dodge: At 15th level, they gain uncanny dodge.
Improved Uncanny Dodge: At 19th level, they gain improved uncanny dodge, treating their character level as their effective Rogue level.

Sorcerer

A character who chooses Sorcerer as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Bloodline: At 1st level, they must select a Sorcerer bloodline. They treat their character level as their effective Sorcerer level for all bloodline powers.
Bloodline Power: At 3rd level, they gain their bloodline’s 1st-level bloodline power.
Improved Bloodline Power: At 7th level, they gain their bloodline’s 3rd-level bloodline power.
Blood Feat: At 11th level, they gain one of their bloodline’s feats or Eschew Materials.
Greater Bloodline Power: At 15th level, they gain their bloodline’s 9th-level bloodline power.
True Bloodline Power: At 19th level, they gain their bloodline’s 15th-level bloodline power.

Summoner

A character who chooses Summoner as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Summon Monster: At 3rd level, they gain the Summoner’s summon monster spell-like ability as a Summoner of their character level – 2. They can use this ability once per day; the casting time is 1 full round, and the duration is 1 round per effective Summoner level.
Eidolon: At 7th level, they gain the ability to summon an Eidolon, using the statistics of an eidolon for a Summoner of their character level – 4, except with half as many evolution points. This eidolon can only be summoned using their summon monster spell-like ability.
Additional Summons: At 11th level, they can use their summon monster spell-like ability three times per day.
Shield Ally: At 15th level, they gain the shield ally class feature.
Aspect: At 19th level, they gain the aspect class feature, except they can divert only 1 evolution point from their eidolon to themselves.

Warlock

A character who chooses Warlock as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Patron: At 1st level, they choose a patron. They never qualify for the Extra Hex feat.
Warlock’s Familiar: At 3rd level, they gain a Familiar, treating their character level as their effective Warlock level.
Hex: At 7th level, they gain a Warlock Hex of their choice as a 1st-level Warlock. If they choose the slumber hex, it can affect only creatures with Hit Dice less than or equal to their character level.
Cantrip: At 11th level, if they have an Intelligence score of 10 or higher, they choose a Warlock cantrip and can cast that cantrip as a spell-like ability at will. They use their character level as the Caster Level and Intelligence as the cantrip’s key ability score.
Improved Hex: At 15th level, they gain a second Warlock Hex as a 1st-level Warlock, and their first hex advances as if they were an 8th-level Warlock.
Major Hex: At 19th level, they gain a major Warlock Hex as a 10th-level Warlock. They cannot gain the ice tomb hex.

Wizard

A character who chooses Wizard as their secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

School: At 1st level, they choose a school of magic in which to specialize. For all powers of that school, they treat their character level as their effective Wizard level.
Familiar: At 3rd level, they gain a Familiar, treating their character level as their effective Wizard level.
School Power: At 7th level, they gain the 1st-level powers of their chosen school. If any of those powers grant an extra effect at 20th level, the character does not gain that extra effect.
Cantrip: At 11th level, if they have an Intelligence score of 10 or higher, they choose a Wizard cantrip from their chosen school and can cast that cantrip as a spell-like ability at will. They use their character level as the Caster Level and Intelligence as the cantrip’s key ability score.
Discovery: At 15th level, they gain an arcane discovery or Wizard bonus feat, treating their character level as their effective Wizard level.
Greater School Power: At 19th level, they gain the 8th-level power of their chosen school.