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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Li Shenron" data-source="post: 2438921" data-attributes="member: 1465">Why do the players take prestige classes? Is it because they are looking for something to add to their PC's story, background, motivation, etc? Or is it because they see the PrCls nifty abilities and want a power boost? Or does the PrCl open up some new strategic option?For the concept itself, they are not required to enter a PrCl. Gamers too often assume that if you belong to the Arcane Order the you have to take a level in the associated PrCl, otherwise you're only "about to enter" the group. IOW, that all associates have levels in the PrCl and viceversa, which is quite BS. For power and option I am rather demanding that the game provides them to the base classes, without the need for a PrCl. Feats are much more simple and clean to use: if you just want to be a better archer with a specific trick, you should be able to get it as a feat provided you meet some prerequisites. The original mistake the designers made with feats was to give too few of them.If you build a PrCl around that ability you're complicating the matter a lot. Now you have a whole class, which requires you to balance it about other features (BAB, HD, skills, spellcasting levels...) which have nothing to do with your archer special ability. Furthermore, the requirements designed will fix a minimum char level to qualify which is discriminating for some base classes, and a similar thing happens if the PrCl doesn't provide full BAB or full spellcasting.The result is that if your archer PrCl satisfies the party fighter-type, it will be probably uncomfortable for the rogue-type and terribly penalyzing for the caster-type. Then you have to make other new PrCl for those as well...At least if the PrCl shows a clear progression of the features (and not a mere collection of them) then it makes more sense to make it a class. But in general I wish the gaming options weren't so much tied to prestige classes at all. I am quite sure that it would be possible and even easy to break down all prestige classes into feats.Very good point you make with your example. I think this problem still has to do with how PrCl work, but at least for those who like PrCls there are examples with the Harpers about how to do this: make more PrCl associated with a single organization.</blockquote>

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