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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Abe.ebA" data-source="post: 2440073" data-attributes="member: 32545">My take on PrCs has always been that they existed as options to represent organizations, special training, or developments under unusual circumstances in a campaign world.  Even the seemingly utilitarian ones like Exotic Weapon Master were, I assumed, meant to be used in conjunction with some guild of exotic weapon users in the DM's game.  Approaching PrCs from that viewpoint, it's the concept of basic, utilitarian PrCs that seems odd since it encourages PCs to just pick up levels of them as a way to add basic functionality to their character.  Oddball niche PrCs, from this point of view, would make more sense as they would come with a background built in.  They only become available when your PCs run into the organization or trainer or whatever that would allow them to take levels of it and then it's up to them if they want to take their character that way.  Or perhaps you're running a Cormyr campaign and everyone has to have a level of purple dragon knight at some point to represent the fact that they're all supposed to be in the military together.On the other hand, I don't really like the proliferation of dozens of 5 and 10 level PrCs.  If it's basic and utilitarian, the options should be made available to normal PCs without having to take levels of a PrC.  If it's really weird and organization specific and gives you little more than a decoder ring, I don't think it should require more than a 3-level investment.  Maybe a few 1-level PrCs would be a better idea.  You take a single level of Harper Agent or whatever and you get your decoder ring, then you move on without having taken too big a hit.  As it is, every book has page upon page of 10 level PrCs that are, more than likely, not going to see use in most campaigns.  When you have to take 10 levels of a class to see all its abilities in action, that represents a pretty big chunk of game time.  I remember there was a poll here not long ago about how many of the core races and classes people had played.  As it turns out, most people haven't played most of the possibilities available even in just the Core set.  Throw in a hundred plus PrCs that require half of your character's pre-Epic advancement each and you have pages upon pages upon pages of material that, for most people, is wasted.  So the only way that this makes sense, other than from a 'something to fill page count and make us more money' standpoint, is that PrCs really are meant as a DM option.  But if that's the case, why even bother with odd niche PrCs?  If they're for NPCs, shouldn't they all give weird powers to help the DM stop the players cold?Oh well. The whole prestige class thing is weird and, IMO, a bit out of control.  I personally prefer esoteric PrCs that give the character something really unique, even if it's not very tactically useful.  I'd like to see more 3-level (or even 2-level or 1-level) PrCs to allow PCs to add a little flavor to their character rather than making a single PrC the focus of their entire campaign experience.</blockquote>

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