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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Li Shenron" data-source="post: 6789404" data-attributes="member: 1465">I had many conflicting feelings about these 2 UA articles <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=":)" />1- I am in favor of introducing prestige classes to 5e, as long as we try to stay away from all the traps. The first and most obvious trap is of course that of starting to turn every concept into a prestige class just to fill tons of books, but this is at the moment fortunately impossible with WotC current publishing rate and policy anyway.But personally I think that the worst trap in 3e was with prerequisites. They were almost always garbage! Really the idea of a prerequisite should be seriously re-discussed among designers... In the Runes Scribe example they still worked like a TAX, as something you pay and then it's gone so totally forget about it.There is only 3 types of things that should ever be prerequisites (for prestige classes or anything else):a) LEVEL: this ensures you know exactly when a PC will get each feature, and can balance it with the rest of the gameb) NARRATIVE: to let the DM control access to the prestige class or whatever, by connecting it to the fantasy setting and storyc) ABILITIES that following features are BUILT UPON: so if the prestige class improves your spellcasting, you must have spellcasting in the first placeEverything else is a design mistake. Requiring a proficiency that the prestige class doesn't ever mention afterwards is wrong. Not to mention that in 5e it's very hard to gain proficiencies after 1st level, so you'll have stupid situations like a player who after months of playing the game discovers a prestige class option, but cannot use it because she didn't pick a proficiency at 1st level, unless the DM allows feats. She has to ask the DM for letting her spend a feat just to get Skilled, wait a few more levels before finally entering the prestige class, and then she doesn't even ever uses that proficiency because the prestige class does not offer anything related to it... (And don't get me started on ability scores prerequisites).For the purpose of DM's control over prestige class access, the only thing you really need is narrative, plus minimum level to help the DM avoiding granting too early access. Nothing else is needed, and anything just becomes a tax for players.Then I think the Runes Scribe is a great character concept, but probably doesn't need to be a prestige class, not with the current abilities at least, because they are not very "progressive", so why implementing them as a level progression?OTOH all the runes were really cool... so I just feel like I'd like to have those magic runes in my game, but not the prestige class.------------------------2- All the Underdark article material was great in concept, but sprinkled with implementation issues...- Great to see new Fighting Styles, but the first is clearly overpowered, and the second is unnecessarily clunky with its "activation" mechanic combined with infinite OA loophole (it could be simpler and loophole-proof)- The Ranger archetype is great, except that it's got nothing to do with the Underground (except darkvision and spells)- The Sorcerer archetype is great and with only minor issues- The Warlock archetype is great too, again minor issues only, but I would have made it more strongly focused on a "light" theme rather than "light + fire", I don't think the "fire" aspects fits well with the positive plane concept. So I would change all fire spells and features into something else</blockquote>

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