How often are prestige classes allowed & used?

[Glyfair]

I've seen a lot of discussion and complaints about prestige classes. I've heard discussion of campaigns where everyone has taken a prestige class, or multiple prestige classes. In my experience, very rarely are prestige classes used. While most of my campaigns have been mid-level, almost never are players even considering a prestige class.

So, I'm curious about the campaign your run (if a DM) or the main campaigns your play in (if you only play & don't DM). How restricted are prestige classes in the game? How often do players take prestige classes, or plan to take prestige classes?

 

[Ranger REG]

You want to elaborate (with examples) what's loose, medium, and strict restrictions mean?

 

[Glyfair]

You want to elaborate (with examples) what's loose, medium, and strict restrictions mean?

You know, I had included that and decided I would probably be limiting people too much, so I removed the definitions.

Loose: Most prestige classes are allowed. Some limitations are there, but generally the GM will try to allow a class to be used, or adapted for the game as long as it fits the campaign flavor. Might disallow 3rd party products and the like. Still, there should be a very wide choice of prestige classes to choose from.

Strict: Most prestige classes aren't allowed. Other restrictions might be included (only 1 prestige class per character, must finish a prestige class if you finish it).

Medium: In between loose and strict.

 

[Haloq Jakar]

Current group 8 players 3 plan on prestige classes

a radiant servant of Pelor
a war priest of Pelor
and a dwarven defender

 

[Sejs]

Loose restrictions (source, balance, appropriateness to the campaign, and availability being the main ones), occasionally used.

The current party consists of:

A druid, who may or may not look into nature's warrior later on.
A spirit shaman
A ranger/fighter/rogue looking to mainly be a shadowdancer as their core focus.
A cloistered cleric/monk/sacred fist
A hexblade/warlock
A spellthief

One person has a PrC, one person is strongly working toward a PrC, one is kinda-sorta considering a PrC somewhere down the road maybe, and three who have no interest in PrCs at all.

 

[Jdvn1]

Loose restrictions (probably leans towards medium), and relatively often used.

PrCs inspire characters sometimes.

 

[Gold Roger]

I'm very strict on it, but a few would be allowed (mostly transformative ones).

However, I do this under the standing offer to create feats and alternate class features based on PrC's if a player wants a certain ability.

 

[Razz]

Prestige Classes are fun for the players. Simple.

People tend to let the whole X/X/X/X/X thing on their Class entries for their character sheets grate on their nerves. I say don't let the damn three or four titled character do so. It's just a few names mashed together, when in your campaign world the character may be a new brand of "class" or warrior or possibly a type of spellcaster banned for ages (or looked up to). Put in parentheses your own class name and enjoy the darn game.

DMs who complain about broken mixes or whatever, shut up and deal. A proper DM would make use of it with his NPCs and PC's antagonists. I do all the time. My motto is always "You can have your 50 Strength, my baddies will just have 150 to match the challenge".

As for the ones that say the concept doesn't fit in your world, fine. But if a player wants to play, it's the DMs right to make it work in the campaign. The multiverse is infinite, I'm sure every DM's world has planes of existence, the character can come from beyond if that Warlock dwarf really won't fit at all in your world. He's a dwarf from another world, possibly. Whatever works. It's about the player, not the DM, and let them have their game.

So, yeah, my feelings and rant on the prestige class thing. I love them, personally. Makes characters unique from one another and brings life to a game. My player has a Samurai/Psychic Warrior/Elocator, but in-game he's "A samurai of Clan Kaisetsu who received the "gift" upon his maturation and has mastered a particular style of fighting carried within his family's clan for decades. His mind opened up to a specific path for his mind, gearing him towards a hyperawareness of space and time and he combines this with the Kaisetsu Style."

That's what he sees, and what I as the DM sees too.

 

[Piratecat]

DMs who complain about broken mixes or whatever, shut up and deal. A proper DM would make use of it with his NPCs and PC's antagonists. I do all the time.

It's cool that's what you see, but I bet you can express it without insulting people!

I agree with your philosophy, though. I have medium restrictions in my epic lvl game, and probably 2/3rds of the heroes have prestige classes.

They're only occasionally defined by them, though; the fighter/monk/sacred fist/shaman is really just seen by the world as a shaman. The halfling diviner/planewalker/alienist is seen by the world as a halfling wizard who occasionally has an eyeball pop out of his head on a small tentacle. The ranger/cleric/divine agent is known as a priestess who can literally talk to God, but so is the PC who's a straight cleric 23. Both have leadership positions in their churches.

In comparison, some prestige classes in my world are defined by the organizations built up around them. The paladin/hunter of the dead/radiant servant has a defined responsibility and role for each of his classes, and is recognized by the world as belonging to the organizations associated with the prestige classes.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

I have to agree with Razz - I like PrC and love finding unqiue ways to fit them into my campaign world. Heck I have even re-written 2 PrC for my players to take (and they are taking them - yay!). That said I find that very few of my players (2 groups 11 players total) take PrCs. Of those 11 only 3 are planning on or have taken PrCs. In my previous campaign there was only 1 out of 6 players with a PrC when the campaign ended at 15th level. I voted loose restrictions rarely used.