Help my wold design - Your favorite prestige classes?

Psion · Nov 22, 2006

Okay, my favorite races thread is turning out well.

Same situation here. I am looking at fleshing out some parts of my new world with an eye to giving players a place to ground their characters. To that end, I am considering organizations and cultures appropriate to common popular Prestige Classes.

So what do you think? What prestige classes do you like that might make good candidates for some background materials? For extra credit, if you have had organizations or cultures associated with published PrCs in your game that you thought were interesting, what were they?

Prestige Class haters, no thread crapping please. Thanks.

Enkhidu · Nov 22, 2006

Are you the sort that believes Prestige Classes need to be tied to organizations> Or the type that believes the PrCs are more to model abilities and combos that aren;t done justice by the 20 level classes?

Suggestions will likely differ based on that preference.

Crothian · Nov 22, 2006

Oozemaster!!

Ciaran · Nov 22, 2006

Uh... shouldn't you be telling us something about the world first?

Psion · Nov 22, 2006

Enkhidu said:
Are you the sort that believes Prestige Classes need to be tied to organizations> Or the type that believes the PrCs are more to model abilities and combos that aren;t done justice by the 20 level classes?

Suggestions will likely differ based on that preference.

I do believe prestige classes can exist independent of organizations. They can be (a favorite) the private studies of a wizard with a curious interests, etc.

But I also think that it's great when you can make a PC reflect the world background, so I am interested particularly in PrCs that would be a representative of certain sorts of organizations or cultures.

Psion · Nov 22, 2006

Crothian said:
Oozemaster!!

I had a feeling with your name attached, I'd hear reference to the oozemaster.

Now, what sort of organizations or cultures would produce oozemasters?

Psion · Nov 22, 2006

Ciaran said:
Uh... shouldn't you be telling us something about the world first?

I can show you a picture if you would like.

The world is almost a blank slate right now. I am trying to build it AROUND using materials that players find interesting.

Some discussion about the world can be found here:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=32667

I'm just adding to it. Since then, I've placed Bluffside, Freeport, Naranjan, Hamunaptra, Cauldron, Bard's Gate, and Mayfurrow (Necromancer Games/Shades of Gray). I have 3 major continents and more in the periphery to place a variety of cultural regions.

Olgar Shiverstone · Nov 22, 2006

I'm a fan of organization-based prestige classes (assassin, red wizard, temple raider of Olidammara etc are good examples) -- if designed well, almost always yes.

Otherwise:

Prestige classes which make you sacrifice to be a very focused concept specialist, mostly yes (master thrower, dragon hunter).

Prestige classes designed to make flavorful suboptimal choices workable ... maybe (lasher, for example).

Prestige classes which make you an uber-specialist without sacrifice, no (Peerless archer).

Prestige classes designed to give you the benefits of multiclassing without most of the downsides (and no particular flavor) ... doubtful (arcane trickster, eldritch knight, mystic cheeseurge ...).

Prestige classes designed to get around the TANSTAAFL rule, absolutely not (and arcane spellcasting PrC with full progression plus feats and special abilities ...).

Simm · Nov 22, 2006

All prestige classes in the DMG except Red wizard, which I don't like the flavour for, and Thaumatergist, which is fine but I don't see its point, should exist. These classes are general enough that they can be useful for more than one organizeation or area and specific enough that the have a charecter distinct from a base class. Also they are all actually used by pcs because each provides an extra edge over the power of basic classed pc.

Wik · Nov 22, 2006

I really like Dwarven Defenders. I've always loved the idea of an organization of the louts running around, being all "defendery".

The Hospitaler Remake is a great idea of an organizational PrC. A bunch of hospitaler fortresses lining the roads would be a great addition to the campaign world.

The Fochlucan Lyricist is another organizational PrC that gets a lot of attention. I currently have a player who wants this PrC so bad... I mean, a bard/rogue/druid combo is kind of neat, isn't it? I like the idea of a druidic organization - it fits the original D&D Druid to a tee.

I happen to love the Initiate of the Seven Fold Veil, but it's probably over-powered. Still an interesting idea, though.

Kensai is one of those PrCs I would love to play, but will prtobably never get a chance to. I've put them in my campaigns, though - dropped the oriental feel to them. No one's played one, yet.

Really, I think a game works well if you only have about 20 or so PrCs to choose from, and they're all tied to the game world. But that's just me.