Switching Classes

Intro

    A player switching the class of a long-running character can make for an interesting moment in your campaign. Why would the character suddenly change their entire skillset? For the player, it is usually because they got bored of playing their old class, or they're creating a complex build. In-game, it can create an interesting narrative moment. It can be interesting to consider what would motivate a character to make such a drastic change, and mechanically it can lead to some interesting subsystems.

    The typical way for a character to gain a new class in OSR games is through dual classing. This system works fine when switching between very different classes, like a thief to a magic-user, or a magic-user to a cleric, but it's a bit awkward when switching between classes of the same type, largely because it starts the character over at first level. A fighter who dual classes to become a paladin or ranger will have to relearn the same fighting skills they already know from being a baseline fighter. This always seemed a bit awkward to me, especially regarding paladins. 

    Paladins become fighters when they break their oaths and regain them if they perform some sort of redemptive quest for their diety. This means that the only real difference between a fighter and a paladin is the approval of their god. So shouldn't a fighter who fits the requirements be able to become a paladin of equivalent power by completing a similar redemptive quest? I think that there should be a system of switching between classes of the same archetype for this sort of situation. The following is my attempt to write one.

Class Switching Rules

    All old school D&D classes fit vaguely into one of four archetypes relating to the core classes, often referred to as warriors, priests, mages, and rogues. Members of these archetypes are variants of fighters, clerics, magic-users, and thieves respectively. As an example, here are the classes from Advanced Fantasy OSE split into the different class archetypes:

Warrior: Barbarian, Fighter, Knight, Paladin, Ranger

Priest: Cleric, Druid, Bard

Mage: Illusionist, Magic-User

Rogue: Acrobat, Assassin, Thief

    Within this system of swapping classes, each PC is able to switch between classes of the same archetype as long as they perform some sort of task; the exact details of which vary depending on the class. A fighter becoming a paladin might need to prove themselves with a holy quest, while a thief hoping to become an acrobat would have to find a master to teach them. The character does not maintain their previous level but does have the same amount of experience. That means a newly minted paladin may be a lower level than they were as a fighter. Should race-as-class be used, demi-humans are not able to switch between classes.

    Some classes do not quite fit into the typical class types. Monks for example primarily function as warriors, are priests within the game world, and usually have thieves skills like a rogue. In those cases, I would allow the player to switch classes to the core class of any of those types, fighter, cleric, or thief, but none of the subclasses like ranger, druid, or assassin. The referee may also consider them too different from any other class for the skills to transfer over and use dual classing instead.

    This rule of class switching would work well for players who have grown bored with their original class but don't want to retire their character. Many first-time players start as fighters or thieves while learning the rules of the game, but want something more complex once they have gotten used to the system. Class switching would allow them to branch out while staying in their comfort zone and not having to start over from the beginning. It can also be used in dramatic points in your campaign. A fighter may perform a heroic task for a diety and receive paladin powers as a response, or train with a master hunter and become a ranger. Such things can easily lead to interesting campaigns.

Conclusion

   This is just a general house rule. I tried to format it in a way that makes sense. I think I mostly succeeded in this, though I fear it rambles on a bit. I was inspired a bit by how BECMI deals with paladins and druids, by allowing 9th level characters to choose them as subclasses. I like the BECMI system a lot, though I get that a lot of players like being able to start as their preferred class. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments, I'd be happy to read them.