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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 779802" data-attributes="member: 4937">I was forced based on the criteria to rate this class quite highly, but my opinion on the Duelist is quite mixed.  I don't think it is a good example of a PrC, and I am not tempted to allow it into play.The problem is three fold, and should be familiar to anyone having read my former criticisms of PrC's.First, the class lacks a particular flavor which makes it sufficiently unique to warrant its separation from a core class.  The duelist is a fighter which specializes in using fineese weapons.  That is far too much overlap with the fighter core class.  What is special about the Duelist that should deferientiate them from a fighter that specializes in Dueling with light weapons, and why should they can particular bonuses for doing so compared to that same fighter?  IMO, no PrC should be exclusively a specialist with a particular type of weapons because you can already create such a concept by playing a fighter and choosing a set of feats that fits the concept.  So what if perhaps it is possible that a fighter with a different concept (say tank) would beat the 'duelist' concept fighter  in a straight up fight.  The 'duelist' concept fighter would automatically have advantages is situations where heavy armor was impractical or socially forbidden.  That is the price you pay, and it is no different than choosing to play a tank over an archer, or an archer over a tank.Secondly, none of the class abilities of the Duelist cannot be easily converted to feats of various sorts (though some balancing might be in order), and thereby giving greater flexibility in character creation.  There is no reason that a general character with the appropriate concept shouldn't be allowed some form of 'canny defence' without being locked into the narrowly defined role of duelist.  Perhaps he is an intelligent battle field commander.  Should I have to take 'duelist' to express this?  What about cultures that don't have rapiers?  Do I need a whole new class to have 'Duelists' in that culture?Thirdly, like so many fighter BAB progression classes, the class boils down to 'Fighter with more bonus feats than one every other level'.  The class is simply too powerful.</blockquote>

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