Most Unbalanced Prestige Classes?

[Count Arioch the 28t]

The 'Fist of Razial' out of the "Book of Exalted Deeds" strikes me as being broken. I've played one. If you're a paladin, your smite continues to stack once you take this class(not a big deal by itself). If you make sure to get one level of cleric before taking this PrC, you continue to add spell levels to your existing spellcasting class for every level of this PrC you take.

With this PrC your smite gets to be pretty good. You end up with a chain lightening effect and your weapon acts as a holy weapon.

If by "Chain lightening effect" you mean "Deals a piddly amount of damage to creatures that, by the time you get the ability, will barely even notice", then YES, it DOES have a chain lightening effect.

2d6 (2d8 if evil outsider) damage isn't a big deal at 16th level.

And if you take one level of cleric, WOW, you cast as a 10th level cleric when you hit 16th level, then you can get 4 more.

14th level cleric casting is meaningless at 20th level. Better than paladin casting, but not that great.

The only case where this class is really good is when you take it as straight cleric, and even then, I don't think it's that bad, I have a cleric 8/fist of Raziel 4 in my group, and he is not really overshadowing the rest of the party.

I don't think that many PrCs are overpowered, but the one that sticks out is Dweomerkeeper from the Complete Divine update on wizards.com.

However, I am of the beleif that weak classes are just as unbalancing as the strong ones, so I will list a few I find unbalanced in that regard:

Mystic Theurge (Except when mixed with Urpriest, then it's too good.)

Vermin Lord (Except when using the 3.5 swarm rules, then it becomes ungodly powerful to the point that the game reality breaks down.)

Meta-mind (Can't do anything a straight psion can't do better, it does nothing, and charges you out the ass to do nothing.)

Spellsword (The channel spell is nice, but poorly written. It's overpowered when liberally interpreted, and too weak otherwise.)

Actually, add to spellword pretty much every PrC in complete warrior. (Haven't looked at most of them too deeply, but I think I might check hulking hurler a bit closer as it seems to be really munchable.)

Also, there's a lot of turkeys in CD, but I still need to study the book a bit more, as I don't make too many judgements until I've done a bit of testing.

 

[FireLance]

The 'Fist of Razial' out of the "Book of Exalted Deeds" strikes me as being broken. I've played one. If you're a paladin, your smite continues to stack once you take this class(not a big deal by itself). If you make sure to get one level of cleric before taking this PrC, you continue to add spell levels to your existing spellcasting class for every level of this PrC you take.

With this PrC your smite gets to be pretty good. You end up with a chain lightening effect and your weapon acts as a holy weapon.

-Jamie

It is, in fact, possible to go Fist of Raziel with 8 levels of cleric. Over 10 levels, you get +10 BAB and +9 spellcasting levels. Mix it with another PrC that gives fighter BAB and half spellcaster progression, like Warpriest or Sword of Hieroneous (both from Complete Divine) and you get a character with BAB +18 with the spellcasting ability of an 18th level cleric.

The most abusive combination I can think of requires the use of the Human Paragon and the Presitige Paladin from Unearthed Arcana. A Cleric 4/Human Paragon 3/Prestige Paladin 3/Fist of Raziel 10 has BAB +18, casts spells as a 17th level cleric, and gets Detect Evil, Divine Grace, Aura of Courage and Divine Health in addition to all Fist of Raziel abilities.

 

[Psion]

Where is the Divine Crusader Written up?

Complete Divine.

 

[Nightfall]

Should have guessed...

Btw I will defend Viligant. If only say in the Scarred Lands, when you're facing down a pack of Asaatthi, you'd want a Ranger/Rogue/Viligant in your party. And they don't outshine the party paladin either. Well usually not...

 

[Psion]

Btw I will defend Viligant. If only say in the Scarred Lands, when you're facing down a pack of Asaatthi, you'd want a Ranger/Rogue/Viligant in your party.

You'd want the overpowered class in the party? No shock there. We had a DM that let clerics spontaneously cast without reducing their spell list. We wanted her in the party too.

C'mon, I love R&R and defend it against all comers, but I think you gotta own that one.

 

[Nightfall]

Okay fine. So it's not the best of the bunch. But hey take the good with the bad...

 

[Pants]

What I find humorous is that 95% of the listed PrC's are from WotC sources
Does that just mean that WotC books simply get more circulation or that WotC makes crappier PrC's?

 

[Psion]

What I find humorous is that 95% of the listed PrC's are from WotC sources

I thought the original poster asked about official sources.

If you want unofficial sources... oh the tales I could tell...

You know, there are would be designers out there who still beleive in the "role playing disad" principle...

 

[Pants]

I thought the original poster asked about official sources.

You know... you're absolutely right. I never even noticed that. *slaps forehead*

 

[Celtavian]

re

I haven't found too many broken Cleric prestige classes because of the role the cleric fills in the group. A cleric is usually so busy healing and buffing that he often doesn't get a chance to use all the special abilities to which he has access.

I've played a Windwalker. They get great special abilities that should stand out, but they don't. Special abilities for a cleric are just neat little blurbs of text on the character sheet more often than not. About the only thing I was able to do was reach the battle quicker and attack flying creatures. I didn't have the feats, hit points, or power to outshine the melee classes unless I let the melee classes die and completely ignored healing them. I've noticed reading some story hours that there are some groups clerics that completely ignore their groups health during the battle in favor of casting offensive spells. A surefire way to die alot.

I just know clerics with or without prestige classes rarely outshine the melee or arcane classes in our group because they are too busy keeping everyone alive to use their spells for combat. If your group doesn't run that way, then the following Prestige classes can be quite powerful:

1. Windwalker
2. Fist of Raziel
3. Radiant Servant of Pelor
4. Eye of Horus-Re (Radiant Servant of Pelor's older and more powerful brother...whoever designed this prestige class was mad)


Arcane Classes

1. Elemental Savant: This class is pretty damn powerful once it is maxed out at 10th level. You lose only one casting level to gain full elemental traits and abilities. It will probably be updated in the Complete Arcane. Mostly the Air and Earth Elemental Savant is overpowered because of their modes of movement, which you receive at 10th level.

They updated most of the arcane classes and changed Haste, so the arcane classes aren't particularly overpowered now.

Fighter Classes

1. Dervish: On paper it looks real nasty. There are a few players working towards this class, so I'll know just how nasty later.

2. Power Attack, Great Cleave, and a 2 handed weapon: Not a Prestige class, but a powerful feat combination. You thought Wizards were good at taking out alot of people at the same time, the fighter wielding a Great Axe or Greatsword with Power Attack and Great Cleave is right up there with them.

Fighters with Great Cleave, Power Attack, and a 2 handed weapon mow through the small fry like a wheat thresher. Power Attack only becomes nastier at higher levels with so many ways to gain stackable attack bonuses from Bless, Prayer, Heroism, Greater Heroism and similar spells. If you have a Bard in the group, expect your 2 handed fighter to be power attacking for upwards of 10 to 12 or more damage per attack per round depending on the AC of the current enemies. It can get even worse if your main tank is a Paladin.