Most broken prestige classes?

[Land Outcast]

Mystic Theurge + Ur Priest

OMFGWTFBBQ!!!1

 

[Christian]

Yeah, that Ur-priest does look messed up. Fortunately, it looks like it's impossible to qualify. Feat requirement is Spell Focus (evil); but the Spell Focus feat indicates that you 'choose a school of magic'. Evil is a descriptor, not a school, so it's not an option for Spell Focus. Whew!

 

[Thanee]

There is a feat Spell Focus (evil), actually.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Kurashu]

Christian. Head a little further in Complete Divine to the feats. Spell Focus is extended to Lawful, Chaotic, Evil, and Good descriptors.

 

[Quartz]

Note that the +1 caster level in the text says at each level, not at certain levels. According to errata policies, when the text and the table disagree, follow the text. That makes the rainbow servant pretty broken.

I don't have the book in front of me, but does it mean that you may only get +7 levels of spells but +10 levels of caster level? Like the Practiced Spellcaster feat?

 

[Mistwell]

I think my definition of broken is different than some other people's.

Powerful /= broken. Overpowered relative to other prestige classes /= broken. More powerful than a core class /= broken.

Broken to me means breaks your game. It means people don't have fun using that thing. Almost none of these seem inherently broken. Some seem broken in particular tricky use or combination. But most mentioned just seem slightly more powerful than the core class they are based on. That isn't broken in my opinion. As Thanee said, I don't think a prestige class that gives more than it takes is by definition broken.

For example, Shadowcraft Mage is not broken in normal use. However, when combined with so many feats, including some from Dragon Magazine, that a failed save on one of their shadow spells does MORE than 100% damage, then it breaks because the game will be unfun at that point. But the prestige class itself doesn't break on it's own that way, just with a combo.

 

[Kurashu]

If text and table disagree, go with the text. The text says full progession.

Rainbow Servant gets +10 levels of arcane spellcasting class.

 

[Mistwell]

If text and table disagree, go with the text. The text says full progession.

Rainbow Servant gets +10 levels of arcane spellcasting class.

Except errata should override all.

 

[Pyrex]

Also the Mage of the Arcane Order is pretty nifty and certainly gives more than it takes (which seems to be what many here take as broken already ).

We had someone use the MotAO in our tabletop game not too long ago and considering the costs required (both to enter the PrC and the cost in actions required to use the Spellpool) it really didn't come across as all that broken in play.

 

[Mistwell]

We had someone use the MotAO in our tabletop game not too long ago and considering the costs required (both to enter the PrC and the cost in actions required to use the Spellpool) it really didn't come across as all that broken in play.

I think Thanee means when a sorcerer with that spell preparation feat takes the prestige class to spontaneously cast a lot more spells all of a sudden. Thanee likes sorcerers, and thinks that make sorcerers hum with power