D&D 5E Prestige Classes in 5e: What do you want to see?

[BrockBallingdark]

Based on the play test feedback survey, and what [MENTION=697]mearls[/MENTION] said about that on Twitter...5E prestige classes will not be coming in an official form. Just not needed, and apparently not wanted?

I remember one of the surveys about Prestige classes, I responded "Hell no", I remember the madness they brought to our group during the 3.5 Era.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I feel like special feats, combined with existing class structure could do A, my choice of the two options.


A feat would not be overpowering (done properly), could be picked up by any class at any point in their career, and fits mechanically, for concepts such as Arcane Archer.

PrCs that would be considered for "special organizations", say, the Dragon Master Academy, could be a couple of feats showing the techniques that org teaches, OR it just could be in game RP benefits, thus not needing mechanics, optimally a combo of rp and a feat or two.

It's probably worth mentioning that magic items or other rewards can also replicate some of a PrC's benefits, and have the advantage of being things in the world that your character can be rewarded. You could model a deepening connection or new abilities by using up additional attunement slots to gain them. For instance, I think there's a possibility of modeling a good chunk of the Kensai from the 3e Complete Warrior through a magic weapon that grows in power alongside you, and lets you boost your melee damage, your Charisma skills, your ability to take damage, lets you share the bonus with an ally, etc. You could be granted a magic weapon by a ki warlord you serve for accomplishing some mission, forming a bond with it that deepens over time.

 

[Edwin Suijkerbuijk]

One thing I found problimatic with the 3.X prestige classes is that there wasen't much prestige to them, just a alternative set of a bilities.

I hope that if they do something with prestige it will be linked to prestige in game.
Not being abilities you just pick up, but linked to being part of special group or order inside the game world, or having achieved specific goals in the campign world.
The benefits might be more on the RP side then on the combat ability side.

For example a character that starts your as a street urchin joining the fate and becoming a cleric, who eventualy builds his own temple might be able to swap the City Secrets feature gained from being a urchin for a ability based on being the high priest of your own temple.

 

[Boscogn]

I'd like to see more archetypes and maybe a couple more classes. I miss the alchemist. I played a goblin alchemist is pathfinder and is one of my favorite characters I've ever made. Mutagen into a hobgoblin or burping bombs just did it for me.

Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Tapatalk

 

[cbwjm]

Does anyone think that factions could be used as prestige classes? By that I mean a character joins a faction and as they gain reputation they gain flavourful benefits. Nothing too overpowered, but a benefit for interacting with the faction.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Does anyone think that factions could be used as prestige classes? By that I mean a character joins a faction and as they gain reputation they gain flavourful benefits. Nothing too overpowered, but a benefit for interacting with the faction.

Yep! The DMG even provides ideas for linking magical rewards to higher tiers - I use that with my devoted defender and knight protector conversions. It's very much in-line with the "based-in-the-world" atmosphere of some of the best PrC's.

 

[Bacon Bits]

So, what about you? What PrCs do you dearly want to see come to life?

To provide a contrary opinion...

I'd rather not see prestige classes at all. I think there needs to be considerably more investment in subclasses before new base classes are introduced, and prestige classes are even less interesting to me. I'm not interested in new PrC or base classes that could be reasonably accomplished with subclasses, even if they're not mechanically perfect. PrC were part of what went pear shaped with 3e, and I'd rather not go down that same path again.

For the record, I'm not a fan of a la carte multiclassing (i.e., 3e style multiclassing) either. I'd rather see it done with a different mechanism entirely. I think both PrC and a la carte multiclassing erode the integrity of the class based system that D&D represents. I think an overabundance of base classes does the same. I prefer class based systems, so I'm not as interested in new classes or mechanics that dilute the existing system. I do not think that representing every conceivable character in distinct mechanical fashion should be a design goal for the system. I think it's unnecessary and waste of the limited resources WotC has to work with.

 

[Azzy]

I'll pass on the prestige class thing for 5e.

 

[Ancalagon]

I would rather not have prestige classes to be honest.

I'd like to see more archetypes and maybe a couple more classes. I miss the alchemist. I played a goblin alchemist is pathfinder and is one of my favorite characters I've ever made. Mutagen into a hobgoblin or burping bombs just did it for me.

Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Tapatalk

I looooved the pathfinder alchemist.

Check out the Unearthed Arcana Artificer article, it has an alchemist sub-class

 

[Wepwawet]

To provide a contrary opinion...

I'd rather not see prestige classes at all.

That contrary opinion seems to be the most common one hahah.

I totally agree.

I also agree with those who suggested prestige classes as RP features, sort of like backgrounds for higher level characters. That would be interesting