Part 1 of 3
When a player chooses to multiclass a character, they generally have to come to a compromise. Afterall, by multiclassing, their character delays learning one class's abilities to gain some of the abilities of another class.
Starting in Complete Adventurer, a new series of feats was introduced that lessened the impact of multiclassing between two classes. Although they were only included in a small handful of books, there are a total of 18 of these feats, covering over 14 classes. This article will help you make sense of these feats, what they can do for you, and how to get the most out of them.
First of all, here is a list of all the 'synergy' feats. Click the name of any of the feats in the table below to be taken directly to information about the feat and how to use it effectively.
| Feat | First Class | Second Class | Source | Page |
| Ascetic Hunter | Monk | Ranger | Complete Adventurer | 105 |
| Ascetic Knight | Paladin | Monk | Complete Adventurer | 105 |
| Ascetic Mage | Monk | Sorcerer | Complete Adventurer | 105 |
| Ascetic Rogue | Monk | Rogue | Complete Adventurer | 106 |
| Ascetic Stalker | Monk | Ninja | Complete Scoundrel | 73 |
| Daring Outlaw | Rogue | Swashbuckler | Complete Scoundrel | 76 |
| Daring Warrior | Fighter | Swashbuckler | Complete Scoundrel | 76 |
| Devoted Inquisitor | Paladin | Rogue | Complete Adventurer | 107 |
| Devoted Performer | Bard | Paladin | Complete Adventurer | 107 |
| Devoted Tracker | Paladin | Ranger | Complete Adventurer | 108 |
| Elemental Stalker | Shugenja | Ninja | Dragon #357 | 86 |
| Martial Stalker | Fighter | Ninja | Complete Scoundrel | 79 |
| Master Spellthief | Spellthief | Arcane Spellcaster | Complete Scoundrel | 79 |
| Sacred Outlaw | Cleric | Rogue | Dragon #357 | 86 |
| Sacred Performer | Bard | Cleric | Dragon #357 | 86 |
| Swift Ambusher | Rogue | Scout | Complete Scoundrel | 81 |
| Swift Avenger | Druid | Scout | Dragon #357 | 87 |
| Swift Hunter | Ranger | Scout | Complete Scoundrel | 81 |
What these Feats Do:
- Ascetic Hunter: Improve stunning attacks on favored enemies, stack levels to determine unarmed strike damage.
- Ascetic Knight: Stack levels to determine unarmed strike damage and smite evil damage.
- Ascetic Mage: Sacrifice spells to improve attack and damage rolls, stack levels to determine AC bonus, use Charisma to determine monk AC bonus.
- Ascetic Rogue: Unarmed stunning sneak attacks are more difficult to resist, stack levels to determine unarmed strike damage.
- Ascetic Stalker: Stack levels to determine size of ki pool, unarmed strike damage, ki strike class feature.
- Daring Outlaw: Stack levels to determine grace class feature bonus, sneak attack damage.
- Daring Warrior: Stack levels to determine grace class feature bonus, qualifying for feats that require fighter levels.
- Devoted Inquisitor: Ability to daze foes when you use smite evil and sneak attack at the same time.
- Devoted Performer: Stack levels to determine smite evil damage and frequency of bardic music ability.
- Devoted Tracker: Stack levels to determine smite evil damage, bonus for wild empathy, ability to make special mount into animal companion.
- Elemental Stalker: Stack levels to determine power and frequency of sense elements ability, AC bonus, size of ki pool.
- Martial Stalker: Stack levels to determine size of ki pool, AC bonus, qualifying for feats that require fighter levels.
- Master Spellthief: Stack levels to determine the maximum level of stolen spells, caster level for arcane spells, share ability to wear light armor without penalty to arcane spellcasting.
- Sacred Outlaw: Stack levels to determine turning checks and damage, sneak attack.
- Sacred Performer: Stack levels to determine turning checks and damage, frequency of bardic music.
- Swift Ambusher: Stack levels to determine skirmish bonuses, stack skirmish and sneak attack bonuses to qualify for ambush feats.
- Swift Avenger: Stack levels to determine skirmish bonuses, frequency of wild shape.
- Swift Hunter: Stack levels to determine skirmish bonuses, favored enemies, skirmish works against favored enemies regardless of critical hit immunity.
Looking closely at the benefits each provides, it's quickly evident that these feats don't remove all of the penalties that can occur from multiclassing, but certainly reduce them by allowing some class abilities to keep growing regardless of which class is leveled up in or providing new abilities that utilize strengths from both classes.
How to Get the Most out of These Feats:
Two-Class Combinations
Ascetic Hunter
Upsides:
- High Fortitude saves
- High Reflex saves
- Access to divine magic
- Several skill points
- Unarmed strike damage like a character with only monk levels
- Lower base attack bonus than a ranger
- Virtual reliance on two-weapon fighting
- Ability to deal more powerful stunning attacks against favored enemies is very gimmicky
This character should be focused on using their hands, and the extra attack granted by two-weapon fighting is a boon to the character. The animal companion and magic provided by ranger is a great augment to the monk's already formidable abilities. Such a character should look into increasing their Armor Class through feats like Dodge.
Ascetic Knight
Upsides:
- High Fortitude saves
- High Will saves
- Access to divine magic
- Unarmed strike damage like a character with only monk levels
- Smite evil damage like a character with only paladin levels
- Armor is a hindrance for this character
- Lower base attack bonus than a paladin
- Rigid moral code
This character is a virtual wrecking ball when pitted against evil opponents. The ability to smite evil coupled with powerful unarmed attacks is a potent combination. Consider Extra Smiting (Complete Warrior), Improved Smiting (Complete Divine) or any other feat that improves the character's smite evil class feature or allows it to branch out into more diverse roles. Divine feats provide extra options for the character's turn undead class feature and can also be a boon.
Ascetic Mage
Upsides:
- More reliance on Charisma than Wisdom for monk abilities
- Armor Class bonus like a character with only monk levels
- Ability to sacrifice spell slots to make powerful attacks
- High Will saves
- Ability to spontaneously cast arcane magic
- Hit points much lower than a standard monk
- Lower skill points than a standard monk
This character is made to have a high Charisma, not unlike a normal sorcerer. Consider taking the Arcane Strike feat (Complete Warrior), and Battlecaster Offensive or Battlecaster Defensive (Complete Mage). This character would be well served by learning spells that augment Armor Class, like Mage Armor as well as spells that require touch attacks, like Vampiric Touch. The character is virtually meant to run across a battlefield and using an unarmed strike, release a devastating spell upon an opponent. Spells like Expeditious Retreat and feats like Spring Attack can ensure that the opponent won't be able to strike back.
Ascetic Rogue
Upsides:
- High Reflex saves
- Not hurt as much by lack of armor
- Unarmed strike damage equal to that of a character with only monk levels
- Higher number of skill points
- Ability to deal more devastating unarmed stunning attacks during a sneak attack is gimmicky
- Low base attack bonus
This character is best served when stalking the shadows and waiting to unleash a devastating sneak attack upon an opponent. Ambush feats are good choices, as are Weapon Focus and Weapon Finesse, which can help offset the character's very low base attack bonus. This character should maximize their Hide, Move Silently and Tumble skill ranks and look into skill tricks like Acrobatic Backstab, Shrouded Dance and Slipping Past (all from Complete Scoundrel).
Ascetic Stalker
Upsides:
- Ki pool equivalent to that of a character with only ninja levels
- Ki strike ability equivalent to that of a character with only monk levels
- Unarmed strike damage equal to that of a character with only monk levels
- High Reflex saves
- Moderately high Will saves
- Low base attack bonus
- Armor Class bonuses don't stack between classes
A lower Armor Class than a full ninja or monk is a hindrance and can be remedied slightly with feats like Dodge. Using Ambush feats or Ki feats (which can be found in the pages of Dragon Magazine issues #342 and #351) can provide excellent new options for abilities granted by the ninja's ki pool and sudden strike. Also consider Weapon Focus and Weapon Finesse to help offset this combination's woefully low base attack bonus.
Daring Outlaw
Upsides:
- Grace bonus equivalent to that of character with only swashbuckler levels
- Dodge bonus to Armor Class equal to that of a full swashbuckler
- Sneak attack damage of a full rogue
- Moderately high Reflex saves
- Lower skill point total than a rogue
- Lower hit points than a swashbuckler
- Lower base attack bonus than a swashbuckler
- Low Will saves
Defensive fighting options are a good choice with this kind of character, as are feats that improve the character's ability to flank. Consider Combat Expertise, Deadly Defense (Complete Scoundrel) or Vexing Flanker (Player's Handbook II). Dodge is also a great feat choice for this character, as it improves their reliance on light armor.
Daring Warrior
Upsides:
- Grace bonus equivalent to that of character with only swashbuckler levels
- Dodge bonus to Armor Class equal to that of a full swashbuckler
- Qualify for feat prerequisites like a character with only fighter levels
- High base attack bonus
- High Fortitude saves
- High hit points
- Low number of skill points
- Low Will saves
- Reliance on light armor
This character can take all of the feats afforded to an ordinary fighter, while still gaining some other class abilities. Consider taking Dodge to augment the character's Dodge bonus to AC. Also look into feats that improve the character's ability to charge, like Overrun.
Devoted Inquisitor
Upsides:
- Moderately high Reflex saves
- Moderately high Fortitude saves
- Synergy between class skill lists for Charisma-focused characters
- Ability to daze an opponent for 1 round when you sneak attack and smite evil at the same time is gimmicky
- Many rogue abilities are hampered by heavier armor
This is probably the least impressive of all the synergy feats, as it provides only one, very gimmicky ability. Still, if you're looking to use this feat, consider taking levels in Shadowbane Inquisitor or Shadowbane Stalker (both are in Complete Adventurer), both of which require paladin and rogue abilities to qualify and both of which provide fairly good abilities, still, you don't require this feat to qualify for either class.
Devoted Performer
Upsides:
- Bonus damage equal to a character with only paladin levels
- Bardic music frequency like a single-class bard
- Both classes use Charisma to power class abilities
- Fairly even progression of saving throw bonuses
- Heavy armor tampers with the ability to cast bard spells
With bardic music, bard spells, lay on hands, smite evil, divine grace and turn undead all working from Charisma, this character will already be fairly potent. Consider taking Divine feats or Bardic Music feats to gain new outlets for this character's abilities. Snowflake War Dance (Frostburn) can provide powerful battle abilities that will work well. Do not forget that your character is hampered by poor armor. Battlecaster (Complete Arcane) can allow your character to don medium armor without penalty to spellcasting.
Devoted Tracker
Upsides:
- Smite evil damage like a character with only paladin levels
- Wild empathy bonuses like a ranger of equivalent level of the character
- High base attack bonus
- High Fortitude saves
- Special mount gains animal companion abilities
- High number of hit points
- Restricted to light armor for some class abilities
- Maintains two very small spell lists
- Low number of skill points
This character screams out to be a mounted warrior. From the back of her augmented special mount, a ranger/paladin wielding a double weapon can be a terrifying opponent. Focus on feats that provide bonuses to mounted combat. Consider playing the non-spellcasting versions of these two classes (which can be found in two versions in Complete Warrior and Complete Champion), both of which can provide much needed class abilities while getting rid of the measly number of spells this combination will obtain.
Elemental Stalker
Upsides:
- Sense elements ability is as powerful as a single classed shugenja's
- Ki pool is sized for a character with only levels of ninja
- Unarmored AC bonus equal to that of a character with only ninja levels
- Moderately high Will saves
- Fairly low number of hit points
Shugenjas don't have armor proficiencies; ninjas gain a bonus to their Armor Class when not wearing armor. This class is a match made in heaven. A ninja/shugenja can use their considerable divine spells to augment the ninja's sneaking and movement based abilities to better deal damage. The downside is that this class has a glass jaw and if you're not careful you can get laid out dead quickly. Focus on spells that boost your character's natural abilities, especially defense. Spells like Shield of Faith, Barkskin, Cat's Grace, Invisibility and Haste are all excellent choices to augment your character. Feats like Dodge and Battlecaster Offense (Complete Mage) are good feat choices for the same reasons.
Martial Stalker
Upsides:
- Qualifies for fighter feats as if they had only fighter levels
- Unarmored AC bonus equal to that of a character with only ninja levels
- Ki pool is sized for a character with only levels of ninja
- Base attack bonus higher than a single classed ninja
- Inability to effectively wear armor
- Poor Will saves
A ninja/fighter character with this feat should focus on fighting. Combat Expertise and Dodge are must-have feats. The ability to qualify for weapon specialization, greater weapon focus, greater weapon specialization, melee weapon mastery (Player's Handbook II) and weapon supremacy (Player's Handbook II) are all great for this character, by augmenting the ninja's so-so attack skills. This character is guaranteed to turn heads.
Master Spellthief
Upsides:
- Ability to steal spells like a single-classed spellthief
- Ability to cast arcane spells in light armor
- Add spellthief levels to the other class's caster level
- Generally a high Will save
- Usually has a low Fortitude save
- Usually has a low base attack bonus
This combination is unusual in that it lets any character that can cast 2nd level arcane spells and has at least 1 level of spellthief obtain it. Duskblade and hexblade (from Player's Handbook II and Complete Warrior respectively) are often overlooked and potent choices, although they usually require higher levels than a sorcerer or wizard to meet the prerequisites (5 levels of duskblade or 8 levels for hexblade). Both have higher Fortitude saves and base attack bonuses that help offset the spellthief's usually lower amounts as well as class abilities that can greatly augment the character's abilities. With this kind of combination, look into feats like Weapon Focus for duskblade/spellthief characters or the Hex feats from Dragon Magazine #339 for hexblade/spellthieves.
Sacred Outlaw
Upsides:
- Turn undead like a single-classed cleric
- Sneak attack like a character with only rogue levels
- Many rogue abilities can be augmented with clerical spells
- Low base attack bonus
- Low Fortitude saves
A character using sacred outlaw becomes a bane to the undead through spells like Grave Strike (Complete Arcane). The fact that they can keep themselves healed or protected from damage can strengthen their resolves in battle. Look to prestige classes like Shadowbane Stalker or Temple Raider of Olidammara (both can be found in Complete Adventurer) for excellent class features that will be very easy to obtain.
Sacred Performer
Upsides:
- Turn undead like a single-classed cleric
- Bardic music frequency of a character who has only levels of bard
- High Will saves
- Low base attack bonus
- Low Fortitude saves
- Dual spell lists powered by two different ability scores
A sacred performer character is a born leader. With the bardic music abilities and the cleric's healing abilities and other divine miracles, this character can easily come to lead a small community in very little time. In terms of abilities, Bardic Music feats and Divine feats can give both sets of class features a number of new and useful abilities. This class is a shoe-in to qualify for a prestige class like mystic theurge.
Swift Ambusher
Upsides:
- Skirmish ability like a character with only scout levels
- Ability to combine skirmish and sneak attack abilities to qualify for Ambush feats
- High Reflex saves
- Low base attack bonus
- Skirmish and sneak attack don't often come into play at the same time
This kind of character should focus on obtaining Ambush feats so they can produce as many debilitating effects on opponents as possible, as they are already dealing sizable damage with skirmish. Consider taking feats like Vexing Flanker and Adaptable Flanker (from Player's Handbook II) to increase the number of times in a battle they can both sneak attack and use their skirmish ability.
Swift Avenger
Upsides:
- Skirmish ability like a character with only scout levels
- Wild shape a number of times per day equivalent to a single-classed druid
- Class features between both classes are highly complementary
- Weapon proficiencies extremely limited
- Low base attack bonus
A character with this feat would be well advised to find a way to take advantage of the scout's skirmish abilities by putting it into a package that is less vulnerable than a humanoid form. Feats like Lion's Pounce or Fast Wild Shape (both in Complete Divine) are good choices as is the ever-popular Improved Skirmish feat (Complete Scoundrel). Flying forms like hunting birds are also great choices as they allow the character to use their skirmish ability in three dimensional combat.
Swift Hunter
Upsides:
- Skirmish like a character with only scout levels
- Continue gaining favored enemies as you take scout levels
- Ability to use skirmish against opponents usually immune
- High Reflex saves
- Class abilities are very complementary
- Access to only a few ranger spells
- Animal companion may not be able to keep up with character and will not be as effective as normal
Swift hunter are in the unique position of being able to choose common creature types, normally immune to critical hits, such as undead or constructs, or even less common ones like plants and oozes. By selecting these as favored enemies, you can deal skirmish damage more often. Feats that complement your fighting like weapon focus are boons to improving this character's good-but-not-great base attack bonus.
So, that's an in-depth look at all 18 feats and how they can be used to get the most out of their abilities. Next week we'll return to these feats with an article on some great ideas for 3-class combinations that utilize these feats.
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