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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zor" data-source="post: 131666" data-attributes="member: 3993">This is a good idea for a PrC.  There aren't many designed to function out of the dungeon-crawling environment (justifibly so, due to 3E's idea of returning to the dungeon.)That being said, I'm going review this class for balance in a standard DnD campaign - standard money, standard magic, with a focus on how aspects of the class will affect dungeon crawling.Requirements:Alignment req. isn't a balance factor.Needs 1 feat, Leadership, which on its own is a nice feat, and you would be a fool to not take Leadership if you wanted the most of this PrC.  I like this requirement, since it doesn't feel like you are throwing away a feat (like having to take toughness or skill focus), and is just there to make sure you are already specializing in what the PrC is trying to do.  Very good.The special req. isn't a balance factor, and is something you want anyway if you take this PrC.However, you do need 55(!) ranks in skills to become this.  Minimum rank is 10, so targetted entry level is 8th.  Which means the class is finished up when you are 18th level.  This is important when looking at how powerful the given class features are.Because of the large number of knowedge ranks required, this class is easiest to get from Wizard and Bard.  For anyone else to take it at a reasonable level, you need a high int and the Educated feat.  Because this class is focused on high-powered diplomacy, I would consider lowering the number of needed knowledge skills and replacing them with Bluff and Sense motive (10 each), which are essential skills for a landed noble.Class features:d6 hit die, wizard BAB, all saves good.  I'd personally drop the good fort and reflex saves, because they don't make sense with this kind of class.  Lots of skills, and a skill list which reflects the type of stuff the PrC will be doing.  Also, the munchkinable skills (spot, listen, tumble) are left out.  Good stuff here too.Spells:I would suggest giving the class +1 levels of spellcasting progression at every even level.  The two classes which this PrC are built for (Wiz and Bard) already have spells.  Up to 4th level spells for Wiz and 3rd for Bard.  This is my opinion, but it REALLY feels like a kick in the nuts to have to abandon spellcasting progression and start over in a new one.  Also, getting continuing spellcasting progression, even if slowly, means the character will still be at least a little useful to a high level adventuring party.  For an NPC oriented PrC, the existing spells would be fine, but for a player who plans on working with a party (and in the context of a standard DnD campaign) it needs something to do when the fights break out.  Also note that almost every spell on the spell list is a spell already available to the PC if he came in as a Wizard.  Considering the level of the character getting these spells, he would have an easier time just getting magic items for the spells he wants to cast alot.Special Abilities:Lots of this babies, and fairly spread out.  There isn't any level where you don't get a new toy <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> .Statecraft: No problems, Diplomacy isn't exactly a super-powered skill.  In any case, with +skill items being SO cheap, any skill related power just isn't a big deal.Benevolence: Another good power.  Cohort level is capped at (your level - 1) so no dangers of getting a super-cohort.  This power just means that you have a LOT of low powered followers, which a landed noble is going to need in spades.Percipacity:  I would change the time to figure anything out to 1 minute.  6 seconds of talking to someone to find out their alignment seems to hard to swallow for an (Ex) power.Stoicism: This the first "meaty" power of the PrC.  A big bonus to a save, combined with naturally good will saves and probable entry from a class with good will saves make him nearly immune to mind affecting things at 9th character level.  Its powerful, but so are things like 5th level spells, which a straight Wiz would have by now.Inspirational Oratory:  Good for helping out the fellow Party Members.  Gets very powerful as the PC's charisma gets higher, however the PC now needs to have high Int, Wis, and Cha to make the best use of all his powers.  I would swap the level of this power with Privy Council, just to spread out the combat-applicable powers a little bit.Prosperity:  Not very powerful, assuming the extra wealth is spent on his lands on not for his own personal use.  Which shouldn't happen with the Lawful Good requirement.Privy Council:  Cool idea, and marginally applicable to adventuring.  No problems here.Preserve Body/State: Another powerful defensive ability, which comes in at 11th total level.  But being defensive, its not too powerful.  The PC is still vulnerable to being burned to a cinder (bad reflex) or hacked to bits (low hp).  Straight spellcasters get 6th level spells here, and fighters get a 3rd attack.  This doesn't seem too powerful compared to those.Skepticism:  Seems very powerful on paper, but considering the great will saves this character already has, going to immunity isn't very mighty.  Especially considering the lack of ability to receive certain beneficial spells.  I would try to clarify exactly what kinds of effects fail to work on the PC.  Maybe make it so any morale and competence bonuses fail to affect the PC?Solomon's Wisdom:  13th character level, which means 7th level spells for spellcasters.  Using +1 spells at every even level, this character casts spells at 10th level of ability, which is only 5th level spells.  Detecting any and all lies is very good for what this PrC is focused on, but doesn't help during fights one lick.  Seems perfect to me.Code of Laws:  It wasn't clear, but even using this as many times per day as needed isn't game-breaking.  LG characters shouldn't be doing any stupid things with this power.Platonic Ideal:  This is a really cool idea, and would greatly increase the ability of the PC's lands, which is fitting for an 18th level character getting the ultimate ability of a PrC focused on ruling.********************Final Thoughts:  I don't see this class unbalancing in the slightest, and seems to me to be a good example of what a PrC should do: become very capable in one area and end up lackluster in everything else.  The capable area of this PrC isn't even related to adventuring, which makes it hard to see as unbalancing.  When adventuring, this character is either at mediocre spellcaster (+1 progression at even levels) or a terrible spellcaster (using the original spell chart).-Zor</blockquote>

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