Prestige Classes - which are broken?

[James McMurray]

Re: Re: Prestige Classes - which are broken?

My troll-meter's going off here.

If it is a troll, its a fairly poor one, since all that's happened so far is a nice discussion about PrCs.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

true, to be a high level mage you don't need a prestige class. However, if you want the powers inherent in being "the ultimate practcioner of arcane magic" you need a prestige class.

Your argument against the Archmage could be applied to almost every prestige class out there.

You can't mean the majority of prestige classes are just about power-gaming and not about penalties that balance the benefits?

 

[James McMurray]

No, I mean that if you want to be even better with magic than a 20th level wizard (while only being 20th level yourself) you'll need a prestige class. The Archmage is that class. The class (at least in 3.5) is "about penalties that balance the benefits". Some might say that the penalties don't fully balance, but others would disagree.

I personally think that a nerfed Spell Focus in Two Schools and Skill Focus (Spellcraft) is a pretty big penalty. Tack onto that the los of spell slots for each ability you pick, and you end up with what looks to be a fairly balanced class.

 

[hong]

And, by the by, to refer back to one of yoru earlier responses: IMO, it's much less "lazy" to fix something broken, than just ban it from your game.

What on earth gave you the idea that I have a problem with being lazy?

Thank you. Tomorrow morning, I think I shall do exactly that (I'd do it now, but I've just responded to him above ...).

Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say.

 

[Pax]

Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say.

As is often said ... *plonk* goes the troll; back under the bridge you go!

 

[hong]

As is often said ... *plonk* goes the troll; back under the bridge you go!

Indeed, I have often said that to reply to someone that you're not replying to them is the hallmark of a cunning stunt.


Hong "or maybe not" Ooi

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

Ooh the flames the flames!

NOT Hong 'I am in fact very amusing but in a drole sense that requires a great deal of time to analyse and understand, so most people appear to ignore me which is sad really' Ooi

 

[Henry]

Fun's fun, but not when it gets personal.

Let's please cut the insults and be more civil.

 

[Rackhir]

• Deepwood sniper, because of the x5 crit multiplier might be

I've run a DWS and didn't find it to be broken at all. Thing about the crit multiple is that you can't get the crit range any wider than 18-20. So crits are still a fairly rare occurance. Probably no more than once or twice a session, barring a great deal of luck or loaded dice. Also by the time you are getting that x5 crit you are probably into the 15+ level range, where the ability to do that kind of damage isn't exactly unique or unbalancing.

Personally I don't think anyone should get to call a class or something "Broken" until they have actually had some experience using it.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

No, I mean that if you want to be even better with magic than a 20th level wizard (while only being 20th level yourself) you'll need a prestige class.

Well, I was talking about the 3.0 version of the class.

There should not be a class that makes you even better than a mage of your level. That's not a prestige class - that's an epic level wizard.

A lot of PrC designers have forgotten that PrCs are only supposed to be a little bit better, and the main attraction is that they are different. Mastery of Shaping is something that is different. 3.0 Spell Power was just munchy.

The Archmage is that class. The class (at least in 3.5) is "about penalties that balance the benefits". Some might say that the penalties don't fully balance, but others would disagree.

The 3.0 Archmage looks a lot more balanced.

I personally think that a nerfed Spell Focus in Two Schools and Skill Focus (Spellcraft) is a pretty big penalty. Tack onto that the los of spell slots for each ability you pick, and you end up with what looks to be a fairly balanced class.

I don't think the Spell Focus is a huge cost, even in 3.5. However, they were something every 3.0 wizard would have taken anyway.