3, 5 or 10 Level - What are your favourite Prestige Classes?

[Psychic Warrior]

Kind of an odd question but I want to see if anyone else think like i do. I really like the 5 level prestige classes. I'm not 100% sure why as is does encourage a lot of multiclassing. I think I like them because while they usually have some really good abilities I haven't found any yet that are real game breakers. Short and sweet seem to be my mottos for PrCs.

How about you - any preference or am I just weird(er)?

 

[Jolly Giant]

As long as a PrC is cool and it's balanced Ok, I don't care how many levels it has.

I liked how the dragon PrC's in Draconomicon all had 12 levels, though!

 

[Wombat]

I am good with any number of steps, although the lower numbers have the advantage of being able to "complete" in a reasonable amout of gametime. Three-level classes in particular have been satisifying to my players.

For me, all I care about is 1) good flavour and 2) decent mechanics.

 

[Turhan]

In the game I DM I have one Player who has a rogue wizard who recently started taking Embermage levels. He has about 3-4 of them. I've told him he can use up to all 10 in the designed class, but all of us in the group have talked it over and it seems that you don't really need a 10 level PrC. We see a wizard as being someone who spends more and more time growing older and more powerful and more unique all at the same time. The game doesn't have too many wizard organizations so there are few calls for multiple wizards of the same style. We sort of like it that way, even though I have been working more magic scholls into the back ground plots. Only the one guy really wants to delve into the PrC possibilities. The Others just find odd ways to play up their individuality.

But I can live with one level or 10 levels for a PC's pursuit of a PrC.

 

[Orius]

Balance is more important than the number of levels.

 

[Vrecknidj]

I didn't vote because none of them fit what I prefer. I like 6-level and 8-level prestige classes best because they do the best job with balancing BAB and saves.

Dave

 

[drunkmoogle]

Balance is the most important, but assuming equal balance (and not really frontloaded)...

I really like the 5 level prestige classes. But it's because I dislike level 15 onwards.

 

[Starglim]

There's a place for each of these models, and others - I've written a 7-level prestige class and could perhaps see the use for a 13-level class. However, I think the specialisation of a prestige class is most often best suited to 5 levels.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I like 10 level Prestige Classes. That way they can be taken beyond 10th level in the Epic Rules. I'm currently running a necromancer 3/cleric 3/true necromancer 2 in a friends Ravenloft game (I have no doubt that she'll be a darklord in no time). The True Necromancer is a 14 level prestige class. There are other PrCs that go beyong 10th level without going epic, but I cant remember them, I think a couple of them are in the Rokugan setting.

 

[Jdvn1]

I think the length of a PrC is signficant for how much of a career defining class it is. Like, the True Necromancer (huge PrC, 14 levels) is a pretty big character-defining PrC. The three level PrC that helps you Teleport isn't.