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Message: <blockquote data-quote="airwalkrr" data-source="post: 3153480" data-attributes="member: 12460">While I realize prestige classes are technically an optional rule, they can add a lot of flavor to the game. But they can also disrupt balance. Let's face it, most prestige classes (or at least the ones players usually want to play) are more powerful than the base classes. I want to keep the idea of prestige classes (classes that are specialized in one way or another and reward focused training) because I like the flavor they add, but I want to limit them so that they are less disruptive to balance. Here are some of my ideas.1) Prestige classes are really just variants of another base class or classes. The player can trade class features of his base class for prestige class abilities by fulfilling the prerequisites. For example, a fighter who has fulfilled the prerequisites for dwarven defender can take a dwarven defender ability in exchange for a fighter bonus feat. Or a rogue who has fulfilled the prerequisites for assassin can take an assassin ability in exchange for trap sense, improved uncanny dodge, skill points, or a rogue special ability.2) No player may have more than one active prestige class. If a player wishes to take a new prestige class, he automatically loses all benefits of the previous prestige class. Alternately, a player is only allowed one prestige, period. This can be explained by saying a prestige class represents particular devotion to one's skills and studies and if one falls out of practice by focusing their attention too heavily on another discipline, they lose those abilities.3) Stacking saving throws have to go. The +2 bonus for the 1st level in a class with a good save is ridiculous and leads to way too many saving throw bonuses for characters with many classes. (This is more a problem of multiclassing than anything, but it is exaggerated when PCs can take levels in even more prestige classes.) The only time a character gets the +2 bonus at 1st level of a class for a good saving throw is if that is the character's first level. Otherwise, the bonus is +0 and scales accordingly. So a 5th level rogue taking an assassin level would gain no saving throw bonus, but upon gaining a 2nd level in assassin, the Reflex saving throw bonus would increase by +1.Do you have any other ideas for keeping prestige classes manageable other than just saying no?</blockquote>

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