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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Driddle" data-source="post: 1567327" data-attributes="member: 3447">Sorry, HM, but when someone allows himself to be distracted by a message gimmick, it usually means he's run out of useful things to say on topic.Anyway, Zodiki reaffirms my initial position when he says, "I prefer writing my own." -- This suggests that gamers would rather build their characters using very specific elements of their own choice than cobbling together a bunch of unrelated "prestige" class levels that don't exactly fit.Then, as Thotas notes, "The issue of whether a PC takes the PrC is the least important part of the process. Especially since some PrCs are clearly meant to be opponents (ie, they are actually 'monsters' in disguise)." This reflects another odd aspect of the average DM mindset, in the belief that the campaign-development process has to be fair and transparent to the players. Let's face it, the DM runs the world; he sits behind a screen and controls 'fate' by various encounters and dice rolls, which he may or may not decide to 'fudge' at any moment to help the game progress. There's no reason it should be necessary for a DM to design a "prestige class" for a DM-controlled monster -- if Monster X needs access to Ability Y in Scenario Z, then *poof* he's got it! No further explanation necessary to the players (as long as it's internally consistent, that is. Remember, I'm talking about number-crunching behind the screen.). So there are actually three different takes on the "prestige class" system that would be better reworked down different paths concurrently: 1. For players/PCs, allow them to buy special abilities separately as it fits the character concept without being forced to take a "level" of something else, and then apply a "title" to the character later as necessary. 2. For the DM-player relationship, offer preset special prestige class recipes (i.e. the standard prestige class levels as they exist now) as an incentive for players to invest in the campaign. 3. For DMs alone, totally ignore prestige classes and do whatever the heck is necessary behind the screen to offer exciting game scenes.</blockquote>

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