Looking for Judgement calls on an ACF multiclassing thing

[Jowgen]

I love alternative class features, substitution levels and variant classes in all of their glory; but I am not afraid to admit that the rules can get a bit screwy when they're used on full throttle.

The UA other variants feature several straight up trades of class features between classes. To quote:

These variants simply swap one or more of that class's features for one or more class features of another class. A class feature gained works just as it did for its original class, including the level at which it is gained and any other effects, except as noted below.

What I wonder is how people think multiples of a (progressing) class features, gained from different classes using ACFs while described in the form of "as CLASS X", should stack up. The book states that "Identical class features should stack if gained from multiple versions of the same class (except for spellcasting, which is always separate).", although this is neither clear nor nessecarily 100% applicable.

As a simple example, lets take a character whos taken Ranger 1, Barbarian 2, and Paladin 2; while making a point of choosing the Barbarian and Paladin variants that grant "Favored enemy (as ranger)".

In your book, would this example character have gained 3 seperate Favored Enemies, or have just gained a 2nd Favored Enemy (and boosted either one) like a 5th level Ranger?

And while we're at it: the Barbarian variant in question also comes with Archery Combat Style (as Ranger). In your book, does this character gain Rapid Shot at Barbarian 1 (because of the prior Ranger level), or Barbarian 2?

EDIT: For clarification, the question is whether one should stack identifical "as class X" class features along a continous progression (e.g. calculate effective Ranger level for class feature), or stack them as seperate instances of the same class feature (e.g. count as several ranger class features of lower level taken together).

[Venger]

for balance purposes, by all means allow it. the player's invested a ton of resources in a bunch of really weak classes, so giving him a tiny leg up isn't going to screw anything up.

[Jowgen]

for balance purposes, by all means allow it. the player's invested a ton of resources in a bunch of really weak classes, so giving him a tiny leg up isn't going to screw anything up.

There seems to have been a miscomunication, my bad, should've worded it clearer.

The question is whether one should a) stack identifical "as class X" class features along a continous progression, or stack them as seperate instances of the same class feature. With option a), you'd simply count how many levels worth of progression for a "as class X" class feature a character has (e.g. 5 levels of favored enemy progression as ranger gives 2 Favored Enemies). With option b), you'd count each instance of getting the class feature as starting down a fresh progression (e.g. 3 instances of getting the Favored Enemy feature of a level 1 ranger).

I personally don't think either options is strictly better, it really depends on the intended effect.