Dipping in Prestige Classes

[Storme]

Is it cool to "Dip Into" prestige classes to pick up level one abilities?

I want my sorcerer (who gets exactly ZERO class features) to dip into Mind Bender to get Telepathy. I have no intention of staying. I plan to hit Initiate of the Veil next.

Is that allowable?


Storme

 

[javcs]

By RAW, it's legal, unless there are PRC specific rules, ala paladin and monk multi-classing, then you just can't go back to it later.

However, I do know that some DMs houserule that you have to take a certain number of levels per PRC, to diminish the occurrence of dipping into front-loaded PRCs.

That said, unless your DM has house-ruled otherwise, and you should check, you could, theoretically, take every level in a different class or PRC; it wouldn't be an optimal character by any means, but you could do it.

 

[rgard]

Is it cool to "Dip Into" prestige classes to pick up level one abilities?

I want my sorcerer (who gets exactly ZERO class features) to dip into Mind Bender to get Telepathy. I have no intention of staying. I plan to hit Initiate of the Veil next.

Is that allowable?


Storme

As JAVCS says, it's cool raw-wise. Unless you've heard something different from the DM, go ahead and do it.

It's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.

Also, as JAVCS points out, a bunch of one-level dips in arcane casting classes wouldn't be optimal. You'd have an outrageous will save, but nothing for BAB, reflex save or fort save. HP will remain mostly the same.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Shape D.]

You'd have an outrageous will save, but nothing for BAB, reflex save or fort save.

That's your biggest downfall, especially the BAB, ranged touch attack start getting harder to pull off....

I've got a 8th level character that I'm playing currently.

Cleric 3, Wizard 3, Mystic Theurge 2 and my base stats are like so...

BAB 4, Fort 4, Ref 2, Will 9

With a strength +0 and dex +1 modifiers my attacking ability kind of blows... (ranged touch +5)

although with my +4 mod in wisdom my will save is a +13

 

[Nifft]

I want my sorcerer (who gets exactly ZERO class features) to dip into Mind Bender to get Telepathy. I have no intention of staying.

That's the only sane use of Mind Bender, IMHO.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

It's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.

Also, as JAVCS points out, a bunch of one-level dips in arcane casting classes wouldn't be optimal. You'd have an outrageous will save, but nothing for BAB, reflex save or fort save. HP will remain mostly the same.

I disagree. If you are going to spend the time to build up to a PrC and then find out the the DM does not allow that optional class? Too easy to get into arguments and drama. I much prefer a player to approach me and say "I am trying to accomplish this with my character and the best way I can see is to grab just 1 level of this PrC..."

I just might have recently read a cool option that would work better for the character concept... or I might really not want to deal with the special ability the player is seeking to exploit...

 

[Greg K]

I agree with tPrimitive Screwhead. As a DM, the player is better off talking to me ahead of time for the reasons he listed. Then again, I am big on using a few additional base classes and several class variants (many from UA).

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Agreed. At the very least, make sure you have a decent reason for multi-dipping...some DMs get hot and bothered about "well the prerequisites stack and they synergize well," so something more reasonable might be in order.

And I agree with Nifft; Mindbender-1 is a great class, Mindbender-2+ is not.

Brad

 

[czak808]

It's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.

The correct quote is "It is easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission"

Twenty years in the military drilled this into my head....

Fools are made to suffer, not to be suffered

 

[the Jester]

It's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.

Except that, in the real world, when you ask for forgiveness it's too late for the dm to stick you in another room for an hour while you rewrite your character sheet to reflect the fact that he isn't buying it.

I would certainly advocate open honest communication with the dm in question, or you might find that you're undermining your group's social contract, pissing your dm off and/or wasting a lot of time on work that the dm is just going to make you undo.