Do prestige classes curb creativity?

I'm making up a new character after my dwarf fighter died. I'm looking into an elf Wizard and I've noticed that I either go for a prestige class and spend resources on stupid things that don't fit the character to gain something that does (the prestige class), or I go straight wizard and actually be able to build the character I envision.

So, do other people see prestige classes as making too many player choices for you?

Blind adherance to rules will curb your creativity. If you have a DM who understands your concept, look for other self-inflicted limits or resource expenses that would balance the PrC, instead of the listed pre-reqs.

In other words, if you stared into madness long enough to lose 4 points of Wisdom, perhaps you don't need any silly feats to qualify for Alienist.

-- N

I see them as substituting mechanics for roleplaying.

Forgive me, I'm really having a bad day today.

I always considered building my character the way I envisioned to be the way to go because it truly will reflect the way I want to roleplay my PC.

Short answer, "Yes."

Long answer, "Prestige Classes where the worst design decision in 3rd edition. They curb personification, tend to promote stereotyping, are generally unbalanced and unbalancing, probably cannot be playtested extensively, and represent a step backwards in character creation in that they are much closer to the 1st edition notion that every distinct set of skills needs to be represented by a unique class (Archer, thief, alchemist, mariner, blacksmith, cook...) Third editions flexible base classes, multiclassing, skill system, and feats were designed to elimenate that problem - instead PrC's have made the problem in the extreme cases worse than ever. How many scores if not hundreds of PrC's are out there now? PrC's are an inelegant solution to a rather simple problem. We already have an elegant solution to that problem and its called a 'feat'.

What makes the flaw they represent it even worse is that players have come to see PrC's as being some that they have control over and that taking a PrC is no different than taking a feat or assigning skill points. The PrC's aren't in the DMG for nothing. At best, PrC's are a great way for a DM to create a large organization of identical faceless mooks. At worst, they are an almost limitless buffet where min/max powergamers can load up on front ended, unplaytested power, gain free bonus feats, and in general up thier characters effective CR for a given level."

Prestige classes bug me more and more every day. When I first explored them, on getting 3.x, they seemed like a nice way to reward or develop a character. Since then I've come to realise that if you want to take a PrC you pretty much (not always, I know) have to have that career path in mind at first level. And I have yet to create a character at first level where my "idea" for him survived actual contact with the game.

Case in point, Aneirin in the Maissen game in my sig. When that game started, Aneirin was bound for Horizon Walker and was going to be a Fighter with rangery tendencies. Whoo boy, that didn't last.

Only as much as classes themselves limit creativity. If you're going to have classes might as well have more options.

Captain Tagon said:

Only as much as classes themselves limit creativity. If you're going to have classes might as well have more options.

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They are actually more restirctive then classes. Classes don't requre anything to be taken, prestige classes do.

But there are a wide enough choice of them that I don't see the pre-reqs as being that counter-creative. It's like going to school for a business degree and having to take art history. The pre-reqs are I mean. I dunno, my brain is frazzled today.

Crothian said:

I'm making up a new character after my dwarf fighter died. I'm looking into an elf Wizard and I've noticed that I either go for a prestige class and spend resources on stupid things that don't fit the character to gain something that does (the prestige class), or I go straight wizard and actually be able to build the character I envision.

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Do core classes curb creativity? If I wanted to make a character that can cast arcane and divine spells, straight wizard or cleric wouldn't let me build the character I envision. The Mystic Theurge prestige class would be just the thing.

On the other hand, prestige classes can provide opportunities for more creativity. For example, my DM had to make up various side quests and disgusting rituals for my Shadowdancer character to perform as he advanced through the Guild hierarchy.

I don't see your problem as a "creativity" issue. I mean, putting all those prestige classes in 3e hasn't curbed your ability to make an interesting wizard. It's just that they just haven't published a prestige class that matches your character concept. Too bad. Be a straight wizard, and don't succumb to "prestige envy".