Prestige Classes

[Believer]

I am currently playing in a Scarred Lands campaign every Saturday. While reading some of the Sword and Sorcery books that are based on Scarred Lands I came upon a number of prestige classes unique to certain lands and organizations. These would be classes such as:
Veshian Vigil
Calastian Battlemage
Calastian Halfling Stalker
... and probably many more that I have not come upon yet. A friend and I got into a debate over these classes and their effects on the game.

I was under the impression that in order to become say... a Vigil (part of the organization), you must take a level of the prestige class. After all, that is what the classes were made for, to detail the skills and abilities of usual members. Yes I know I just blew my arguement by saying 'Usual Members', I know that there are always exceptions, but how many? Are there numerous Clerics of Tanil in the ranks of the Vigilantes? Do pure wizards dot the membership list? Is it more than just a title, but a way of acting?

The friend who I 'borrowed' (taken and never giving back) the book from said that different orders/gods called upon it's people to perform different tasks. That can tell you why there are different classes in the ranks of the Vigils, not just Vigils (adaptability and some such).

What are your impressions?

 

[Vaxalon]

IMC's, which aren't Scarred Lands, the organizations from which prestige classes come have plenty of members who don't have levels in the prestige class.

 

[Knight Otu]

I was under the impression that in order to become say... a Vigil (part of the organization), you must take a level of the prestige class.

Usually, for organization-bound PrCs, it is the other way round. You have to be a member of the organization to be able to enter the PrC, but you are usually not required to take it. After all, you could technically enter an organization before being able to enter the appropriate class, depending on the regulations of the organization. Other members may have abilities fitting for the organization, but don't have the class or cannot even qualify. A high-level ranger may still be a Veshian Vigil, and a good one at his job.

IMHO, in most cases it doesn't make much sense to require the entry into aPrC to become a member of an organization.

 

[Believer]

Bump

 

[Tonguez]

Can't comment on Scarred Lands but I just want to agree with Knight Otu's sentiment about joining Orgs first.

It seems logical that a character enter an organisation and then get the specialised training required to become an elite member of that organisation.
If anyone can take the PrC then the organisation becomes redundant.

As an aside I personally think all PrCs should have a 'membership' prereq - either an organisation or an 'apprenticeship' system.

 

[Nightfall]

I recommend you pick up Player's Guide to Rangers and Rogues to get a clearer understanding of the Vigils.


Most of the Vigils don't actually have a LARGE number of those that are Viligants. Some do train for it. But others, like bards, can often train to be Viligant Arcanists or if you're more rogue-city oriented, Viligant Stalker. Viligants themselves (which are found in Relics and Rituals), are more of the "elite" and often high ranking members of a particular Vigil.

I hope that helps.

 

[Believer]

Oh thank ye.... seems I have to go on another book stealing spree at my friendly local neighbr's book shelf.... Terrarism won't be pleased