Do Prestige Classes Cause XP Penalties?

[rtricher]

As per the title, if I have a multi-class charachter and I want to pick up a prestige class will that class cause an XP penalty if the class levels are off??

Example: Human Swashbuckler 4, Figther 2, Duelist 5

Thanks

 

[arwenarrowny]

Per the RAW, no. I have played in campaigns where it has been house-ruled that multiple PrCs are subject to XP penalties (and am not entirely opposed to that idea), but the default assumption is that as part of the so-called "package of goodies" you get from a prestige class, PrCs impose no XP penalty

 

[Jack Simth]

Nope. Specifically in the rules that PrC don't incurr multiclassing penalties.

Bah; two minutes late. Oh well, my signiture planned for this contingency....

 

[Shin Okada]

Depends on which written rule your DM uses.

3.5e DMG does not state that prestige classes ignore multiclassing XP penalties.

Complete Warrior does.

Some DMs say DMG is just an editiorial miss.

Some DMs say Complete Warrior is not the primal source, thus by RAW prestige classes cause XP penalty.

Personally, I say they don't cause XP penalties. Because if prestige classes cause multiclassing XP penalties, so many prestige classses do not work at all.

 

[dcollins]

As per the title, if I have a multi-class charachter and I want to pick up a prestige class will that class cause an XP penalty if the class levels are off??

They're not supposed to. 3.0 said so; among 3.5's glitches were that they dropped that important rule. The following is from the 3.5 FAQ p. 4 (even though it really belongs in Errata):

In the previous version of the D&D game, having levels
in a prestige class never caused you to pay the experience
penalty for being a multiclass character without uneven
class levels. (The prestige class levels didn’t count when
checking to see if you had a penalty.) The section on
prestige classes in the new DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide no
longer mentions that you don’t suffer an experience penalty
for having levels in a prestige class. Is this a change or an
error?

It’s an error. Having levels in a prestige class won’t give
you an experience penalty.

 

[Jdvn1]

They're not supposed to. 3.0 said so; among 3.5's glitches were that they dropped that important rule. The following is from the 3.5 FAQ p. 4 (even though it really belongs in Errata):

If you have a copy of the 3.5 DMG that includes errata (I know the special edition DMG is this way, I assume newer printings of the DMG will follow suit), it does say that prestige classes don't incur multiclass penalties.

 

[Storm Raven]

If you have a copy of the 3.5 DMG that includes errata (I know the special edition DMG is this way, I assume newer printings of the DMG will follow suit), it does say that prestige classes don't incur multiclass penalties.

The SRD also contains the correct rule - prestige classes do not impose multiclassing penalties.

 

[rtricher]

Thank-you all very much for your replies.

 

[Ranger REG]

Depends on which written rule your DM uses.

3.5e DMG does not state that prestige classes ignore multiclassing XP penalties.

From what I hear, the recently released leatherbound Special Edition 3.5e DMG added that missing rules sentence. So, it may no longer a matter of personal opinion but it is a rule by default.

 

[Shin Okada]

From what I hear, the recently released leatherbound Special Edition 3.5e DMG added that missing rules sentence. So, it may no longer a matter of personal opinion but it is a rule by default.

I am curious. So that newer DMG has changes not in official errata?