Prestige Classes

[Jer]

Some. If my players come to me with a particular prestige class, I consider adding it to the game. They get massive amounts of benefit of the doubt if they can show me how it fits their ongoing character concept rather than just the nifty toys the class provides, though.

My current campaign has two PCs with prestige classes - a Druid whose concept was built around shapeshifting and the player took the Master of Many Forms class (or whatever that class is called now, I don't remember -- it had a name change between Masters of the Wild and Complete Adventurer), and a Rogue/Sorcerer who uses a heavily modified version of the Assassin Prestige Class the player and I concocted (mostly me) to represent the mystic order he wanted to belong to. None of the other players have shown any interest at all in adding a Prestige Class or even multiclassing.

 

[arwink]

I've recently gone from using them sometimes to using them lots, simply because the characters have hit the level where random mooks will have levels in the prestige classes associated with the organization they're currently battling.

The characters themselves are about evenly split on the PrC vs Straight Class divide.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I use them all the time. I think every PC I've had who made it to 12th level has had at least one level in a PrC, and a majority of my high level NPCs have, as well.

Admittedly, when I'm a player, it's usually in a large group (6-12 players), so specialization is perhaps more valuable than the norm. Whatever aspect of your base class(es) I lost out on was certain to be handled by someone else in the group.

When I GM, I encourage players to take PrCs and sometimes even waive/reduce requirements if it helps craft the precise mechanical representation of a PC's 'core schtick.'

 

[hong]

In the first major 3E campaign I was in (2000-2003), everyone had a prestige class. In the one just concluded, I think 2 people did, and both were core (shadowdancer, eldritch knight). Most odd.

 

[Agamon]

I personally always look to see if I can find a PrC that fits my idea for my PC. I don't always take one, but I likely would always take one if it fit. That said, I'm not very often a player, and as a DM I don't use them much at all.

 

[The Lost Muse]

Honestly, I (as DM) would prefer to take the key abilities of prestige classes, and make them into feat-chains, rather than dealing with multiple classes, but I also give out more feats than normal in most campaigns.

 

[Warren Okuma]

As a DM, sometimes, as a player never (I like all the primary spellcasters as written), my group occasionally.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I voted "lots" because I don't restrict their use any more than any other class.

Only a few of my players ever used them, however.

 

[helcat_74]

More so as a DM than ever as a player.

They really help define an NPC.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Flavor, newness, variation and unpredictability.

It's not steak- but it's a nice new salad dressing.