Be sure to check out the updated playtest version of hybrid characters!

Last month, we posted a playtest version of a new character-building option slated for release in Player’s Handbook 3: the hybrid character. Thanks to your feedback, we’ve improved the hybrid character rules, now available for your perusal. We’ve also added the eight classes appearing in Player’s Handbook 2, meaning that the number of hybrid combinations available for playtest jumps from 56 to a whopping 272!

Designed to let you mix two classes together more thoroughly than the existing multiclass system, the hybrid character system represents a bold experiment for Dungeons & Dragons. Character classes aren’t designed to be broken down and recombined like building blocks, so this new system presents a plethora of potential pitfalls.

We also believe, however, that the benefits to be gained are equally great. Perhaps you seek to craft a character backstory or persona that the current class system can’t supply. Or maybe you’re just looking for a unique combination of features and powers that let you feel different from everyone else at the table. The point is, hybrid characters offer a freedom that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the current edition of D&D.

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About the Author

Andy Collins co-designed the 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons game, and works for Wizards of the Coast as the Manager of Development and Editing for RPG R&D. His credits stretch back a decade and include Magic Item Compendium, Draconomicon, Unearthed Arcana, and the Epic Level Handbook.