TROLL POLL #3: Prestigious or not? Vote on "Class" warfare!

[TrubbulTheTroll]

Do you use 'em? You know, prestige classes? Do you like them all? Just a few? Not a one?

Take the poll and let everyone know if the D&D designers and writers are fulfilling your prestige class dreams or if they are wasting their time and your money...

 

[ColonelHardisson]

You really should give "other" as an option in your polls. I consider Prestige Classes on a case-by-case basis. I take into account if a particular role in my campaign world would best be served by the inclusion of a PrC, or whether a PrC's role would be better filled by a core class or judicious use of multiclassing. I think that too many times core classes and multiclassing get overlooked, when they would fit the bill quite well.

 

[JeffB]

You really should give "other" as an option in your polls. I consider Prestige Classes on a case-by-case basis. I take into account if a particular role in my campaign world would best be served by the inclusion of a PrC, or whether a PrC's role would be better filled by a core class or judicious use of multiclassing. I think that too many times core classes and multiclassing get overlooked, when they would fit the bill quite well.

Exactly.

Great concept, bad execution (in general )

I voted about 25%. Most of them just don't fit my gaming style/campaign. But there are a few truffles underneath all the manure.

 

[TrubbulTheTroll]

Excellent points... I will definitely consider them on my follow-up Prestige Class poll that focuses on gamers who like PrC's as to how those classes are used in campaigns.

 

[Zogg]

I chose 25%. When I think about PrC's, I think

a) they are unorganized
b) they are not {anywhere close to being} balanced
c) many are ambiguous
d) many are silly
e) many aren't even "prestigious"

I would prefer to see an OFFICIAL be-all end-all prestige class supplement made by people who

a) have playtested the PrC's
b) know what they are doing

As it stands, flipping through dozens of supplements trying to find a cool PrC is not fun at all. It's a big mess, and until somebody get their head out of their ass it's never going to get any better.

 

[Nifft]

I use my Prestige Classes. The ones I wrote, or modified, or the very few that I approve unchanged.

Most PrCs that I read are fuel for ideas, but they're not suitable for use IMC without serious modification.

-- Nifft

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I voted "Rarely..."

PrCs are a mixed bag of cool and silly ideas that are mostly solutions to a problem that hardly exists -- if it exists at all. To my mind, it is using a sledgehammer to drive in a nail.

I like the concept of PrCs, but there is no coherent philosophy for building them. The result is that PrCs are all over the map in quality -- reminding me of the more annoying aspects of AD&D1.

Many PrCs could be entirely replaced by a feat chain with interesting prereqs. Many PrCs could be replaced by imaginative multiclassing and minor tweaks by the DM. Many PrCs are ridiculously overpowered relative to the core classes; a few ridiculously weak.

 

[drnuncheon]

Hmm. I'd like to vote for several options, since you didn't exactly make them mutually excusive.

Great concepts, cool ideas - definitely one of the coolest aspects of the game.
I am always looking for a way to incorporate a Prestige Class I like into a game.
I use/like about 50% of the prestige classes I come across.

J