Changes - 3 Wise DMs Absolutely Best Tips For The Player That Wants To Change Their D&D Character Class

3 Wise DMs

What do you do when your player is unhappy with the direction of their class and wants to change over into a new class mid-campaign, but with the same character?

In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave answer a listener question about their player that wants to change their character’s class from Paladin to Sorcerer at 5th level. We delve into not just the narrative components of a change like this, but also the mechanical effects that such a change would inevitably bring. Along the way, we offer tips, tricks, and questions you should ask yourself if you’re planning on something like this in your own games.

3:45 First questions: will this completely break immersion and is this an offer you’re ready to make for all the players?

4:30 DM Chris fondly remembers Clyde from Every Which Way But Loose and discusses the “Buyer’s Remorse” of character choices and how to work with it.

7:00 The benefit of starting at lower levels and the character building that comes with it. How a 5th level character might feel a little more “pregen”, as DM Tony refers to it.

8:45 The benefits of One-shots, Session Zeroes, and Playtests to understand better the choices you’re making. What if Aragorn never leaves Bree?

12:30 DM Tony’s workaround for swapping power sets in 4th edition.

13:14 Learning the rules of the class as you level… the kid who hates the elite sports car they just got.

16:30 How we have and would narratively approach changes like this in our own games.

18:00 How do you handle the mechanical changes that would come with such a change?

28:50 DM Tony recounts how DM Thorin had narratively and mechanically done this very thing in a 4th edition game… the return of Cassidus, the wizard made of a pile of undead bugs!

30:35 “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to”.… the time needed to evolve the character and how to balance realism and fantasy.

34:05 Final Thoughts