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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jack Simth" data-source="post: 3172704" data-attributes="member: 29252">Well, suppose you're a Wizard-6, looking into a PrC for 7th level.You can take one.  However, you've got an issue: you've only got one base 4th level spell slot... which will be consumed by the level of the PrC.  If you're a specialist, you'll still have your specialty slot.  If you've got an Int of 18+, you'll still have your bonus slot for having a high Intelligence score.  But you'll have 0 base 4th level spells at that level.  Suppose you're a Wiz-6/PrC 1, looking to level up.  You went ahead and suffered through a base 0 4th level spell slots all through 7th level.  Now you're turning 8th.  And you have a choice: Take a level of PrC, and burn another 4th level spell slot, or take a level of Wizard, and not burn a 4th level spell slot.  If you take the level in the PrC, you'll have 0 base 4th level spell slots....  you'll still have your specialty slot, and you'll still have your spell slot for having an Int of 18+.... but compared to the Wiz-8, you'll be short two 4th level spell slots.Suppose now you're a Wiz-6/PrC 2, looking to level up.  You went ahead and suffered through a base 0 4th level spell slots all through 8th level.  Now you're turning 9th.  And you have a choice: Take a level of a PrC, and burn your shiny new 5th level spell slot, or take a level in the PrC, and you won't have any base 5th level spell slots.... but bonus spell slots from having an Int of 20+, or from specialization, will still apply (either way, you finally have a base 4th level spell slot to play with - a Wiz-9 has 3 4th level base spell slots, and you burned two - one on PrC level 1, one on PrC level 2).  And so on.  Now, if you stick it out for five levels, you get a bonus feat (which is about where you'd get one if you'd taken 11 level of Wizard, instead of six levels of wizard and five levels of the PrC).  But at 11th, you're short two spell slots each from spell levels 4th and 5th, and a spell slot short on your 6th level spell slots.  You have no base 6th level spell slots as a Wiz-6, PrC-5; specialization or an Intelligence score of 22+ will still have their normal effects.... but while you might be able to swing an Analyze Deweomer as a Diviner-6/PrC-5 with an Int of 20, the the Diviner-11 with an Int of 20 who didn't PrC can swing an Analyze Deweomer and another 6th level spell.  And the Diviner-11 can swing two more 5th level spells than you can.  And two more 4th.  You're constantly trading spellcasting endurance (spell slots) for the bonuses of each level of the PrC.  For a nonspecialist Wizard, eventually, all those PrC's are going to put him a one level of spells behind the Sorcerer.  So the Wizard player has a constant choice: PrC power, or spellcasting power.  The Sorcerer also takes a hit (although less of one); a Sorcerer-6/PrC-5 is missing two 5th, two 4th, and one 3rd level spell slot.  At no point was the Sorcerer denied his highest level spell (he starts a spell level with three spell slots - a level of PrC rather than Sorcerer drops it to 2).  But the normal cost of PrC's still applies - Sorcerers tend to have to scrounge for feats and skills to make PrC requirements.  At the cost of several spell slots per day, the Sorcerer picks up something he can't readily get - bonus feats.  But the Sorcerer loses something the Sorcerer is known for - Endurance.  Instead of being able to cast a Shadow Evocation four times at 11th, the Sorcerer-6/PrC-5 can only cast it twice.  Basically, it makes it so that another level of PrC is not strictly better than another level of your base spellcasting class, regardless of level.Think about it - if Wiz-5/PrC-10 is strictly better than a Wiz-15, what's the point of a Wiz-15?  If a Sor-5/PrC-10 is strictly better than a Sor-15, what's the point of a Sor-15?  How is the PrC balanced if it's strictly better than the class levels it's replacing? As to why spell slots, rather than caster level....Sorcerers have a hard enough time with PrC's as it is.  They're already a level behind in spell advancement.  The same rule applied across the board (while it still hurts Sorcerers who take PrC's) doesn't put them even more painfully behind.</blockquote>

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