How Prevalent Are Prestige Classes in Your Game?

[Gaius]

The title says it all. How often do you find your players taking levels in any one of the numerous prestige classes that are floating around in the d20 world? When I ran the Forgotten Realms, one out of seven players used a prestige class. However, now that we're transistioning to the Scarred Lands, it seems like over half of my players are looking at taking prestige classes at some point in their character's career (Gold Knight, Renewer, Keeper of the Eternal Flame, Aerial Cavalier).

So what do you think about prestige classes in general? Do you like having a group heavy in them or what?

Gaius

 

[Crothian]

In the first game I ran 3 of 4 Pcs choose prestige classes (one guy actually took 2). The second game no one choose any. Of the 4 characters I've played one had a prestige class, one didn't, and the other two are working towards prestige classes.

Basically, it's not something that has to be done or not. It depends on the concept and fleshing that out to the best ability.

 

[the Jester]

I find that prestige classes aren't nearly as common in my game as they are in milder games with more merciful dms, but that's because I kill off characters like flies in summer (which is to say, the fast ones manage to get away).

I've had a number of prc's, either homebrew or official, come into play as pc choices. The ones I've seen in use as pcs include the assassin, healer, eldritch master, black turtle, cavalier, bone witch, contemplative, psiblade... hm... can't think of any others that have been taken off hand.

I've seen and played lots more pcs shooting for a prc that died without making it or else are still going but haven't made it yet. I've seen people going for tempest, blighter, duelist, dragon priest, pale master, battlemage, war beater, gatecrasher, um... prolly another one or two in there somewhere.

Often a player finds the "perfect" prc long after their character is already mid to high level, and it makes it take a lot longer to qualify (my ranger/rogue is a great example- he was already 12th level when MotW came out and I want to be a tempest, but I still need Weapon Focus, Dodge, Mobility and Spring Attack... yeesh!) Personally, I like prc's because they tend to differentiate between high level characters more.

I tend to think that prc's are decently-balanced, with a few exceptions I don't allow in my game anyhow. I've yet to see them cause problems.

Another thing that's great about them is the potential for interesting villains. What's neater: a 12th-level necromancer or a 6th-level necromancer with a skeletal arm that drains the life right out of you (pale master levels)?

 

[Wormwood]

Our first game was full of them.

Our new game? None allowed.

 

[Olive]

Our first game was full of them.

Our new game? None allowed.

how come?

 

[fba827]

I think it depends on:
a) how available the DM is with PrCs (doesn't care if you take them or not, has a bunch of home brew ones that the PCs would have to learn about, etc etc)
b) I would think the more you play, the more likley the players are to look into PrCs for the variety that they can then offer (hey, the core classes can only get you so far - when you want variety beyond a change of feats it is the PrCs that offer new abilities altogether)

As for the games I am in..
they haven't enetered the picture yet as we are too low a level although we do talk about them on occasion

 

[Nightfall]

Well I have to say I have plenty in my generic games that I've played. In the Scarred Lands, I imagine there would be not as many but perhaps there might be more, at least for Paladins, since most follow Corean and thus the Swords of Corean are pretty common, in some degree.

Arcane magic wise, I'd say Crypt Lords might get more play, but right now very few powerful arcanist exist outside of a few loremasters that I can think of.

As for me, what's neat would be to see a Crypt Lord Necromancer versus just a regular one.

 

[RigaMortus]

We have yet to get to a level that would be considered the minimum for most PrCs. I think the highest level character is a 6th or maybe 7th level Paladin atm.

 

[Nightfall]

Generally most Pr-classes are achieveable between 5th and 7th.

 

[Rashak Mani]

Except for spellcasters most PCs should tend toward a PrC.... in our higher level campaign half the players have a PrC and the cleric is going toward one.

Most PC classes can be quite flat and weakish at higher levels if they are pure... after all how many useful feats can a fighter have ? Who cares about Barbarian levels if they give back so little... PrC after 8th lvl are a natural tendency.