Most broken prestige classes?

[rgard]

Not to mention that it's impossible for a 5th level wizard to qualify for Ur-Priest.

Yes, thanks. I was about to point out the skill requirements. Brutal unless you mitigate it with Able Learner.

Thanks again,
Rich

 

[rgard]

Not to mention that it's impossible for a 5th level wizard to qualify for Ur-Priest.

Going back to the Wiz/UrPriest/MT combo, it was fun figuring out the earliest (lowest level entry) for both Ur Priest and MT and the desire to get 9th level arcane and 9th level divine by 20th character level. And it was fun playing the character up to Epic.

That said, you are capped out at one 9th level divine spell (barring an outrageous wisdom bonus) and it never gets better.

I won't ever re-engineer the Ur-priest part of the character, but once you get to Epic levels you do find yourself wondering whether the fast spell progression was worth the loss of numbers of higher level divine spells as compared to the Cleric or Favored Soul.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[jasin]

¿Did you check the last two "secrets"?

I quite forgot about that, since they're so crap.

Which actually illustrates my point: +2 to Fort is better than an extra 1st level slot for a 10th or so level wizard, but I find it less annoying if the PrC grants +2 Fort than another 1st level slot. Because a wizard with +2 Fort is a wizard, only tougher. A wizard with extra spell slots is a wizard, only more wizardly, which I don't think is a valid concept.

 

[WarlockLord]

Somebody mentioned True Necromancer as overpowered. How?

 

[NilesB]

Yes, thanks. I was about to point out the skill requirements. Brutal unless you mitigate it with Able Learner.

The Fortitude requirement keeps anyone who hasn't taken any levels of a class with good fortitude saves out until at least 10th level.

 

[Felon]

Not just any undead, in order for greater turning to have any meaningful effect on play the undead must be:

Turnable, for by the time the ability is gained an increasing number of undead have to many hit dice and turn resistance to be turned.

Not destroyable, for the weakest undead can already be destroyed without the aid of this ability.

Capable of flight and dangerous return, many undead when turned, are either bashed to death without resistance while cowering in a corner, or simply removed from combat and never thought of again by the DM.

Finally, it must not be the first encounter that meets these criteria in the day, for any cleric with the Sun domain may use greater turning 1PD.

I would expect all told, the median number of times per campaign an RSoP's greater turning ability is actually relevent is zero.

...until the players realize that turn undeads are now no longer actually for turning undead, but rather for powering divine feats. Don't even need a good Cha for most of'em.

 

[Felon]

Heh, my group's character creation looks more like:

"We need a healer."

...

...

"Guys, we really do need a healer."

"Playing a cleric sucks..."

"I've already got a cool backstory worked out for my Barbarian."

"Ugh, look: my ranger has CLW on his spell list so keep me stocked with wands and we'll be fine.")

Heh, my group also believes a ranger with CLW wands is all the healing that's needed. MMORPG's teach a lot of folks that it's far better to be buffing or attacking than healing. Healing is just bailing water out of a sinking ship. It's far better to be really good at blasting those icebergs into little pieces before they can do any real damage.

Which is probably why I'm ultimately indifferent about the RSoP's excessiveness.

 

[Elethiomel]

...until the players realize that turn undeads are now no longer actually for turning undead, but rather for powering divine feats. Don't even need a good Cha for most of'em.

This raises the question: Do Greater Turning attempts count as Turn Undead attempts for the purposes of Divine feats? It is a different ability, after all.

 

[pawsplay]

This raises the question: Do Greater Turning attempts count as Turn Undead attempts for the purposes of Divine feats? It is a different ability, after all.

The question itself is wrong. Greater turning describes what you can do with a turning attempt. It does not provide any turning attempts.

 

[DarkJester]

There are very few prestige classes I think are outright broken. These are some of the ones I think are pretty powerful.

Frenzied Berzerker
Initiate of the Seven Fold Veil
Abjurant Champion
Master Specialist
Incantatrix
Planar Shepard
Dweomerkeeper
Shadowcraft Mage
Teflemar (sp?) Shadowlord (combined with other teleportation effects)
Walker in the Wastes
Hulking Hurler (Generally unplayable)
UR Priest
​

Others that I dislike single level dips into but I would probably still allow (either to easy to get into, or you get to much out of it in the first couple levels):

Runesmith
Mindbender
Spellsword
Deepwarden
​