mmadsen said:
Core Classes with more flexibility would make most Prestige Classes unnecessary. Already, most of the combat-related Prestige Classes could be replaced with a few Feats for the Fighter's Bonus Feat list.
I think that both you and ValiantHeart are missing the point of a class-based system, which D&D has always been. One of the main reasons for its popularity is because of how easy it is to create a character and start playing. The
Core classes are the known core archetypes.
Other game systems, which are skill-based instead of class-based, usually provide ready-made archetypes to simulate the same ease of use. A good example would be Shadowrun. It is a completely skill based game system. However, it provides archetypes that can be used with very little modification or no modification at all.
In D&D the
Core classes are supposed to be pretty much standard across all games. The reason for this is explained in the DMG.
DMG
The standard character classes fit into virtually everyone's campaign. They're flexible and skill and feat selection allow them to be truly customizable.
I happen to agree with that statement. The following statement, also from the DMG is really the most telling.
DMG
Most character concepts can be covered using the classes as written. Modifying classes is mostly a tool that you can use to tailor things to best fit your campaing
Mucking around with the classes is completely the purview of the DM. If he wants to change the rogue to get feats every level, that is his prerogative. PrC's provide a way to add more customization to
his campaign.
As a matter of fact all PrC's are optional, always under the purview of the DM and the DM is encouraged to tightly limit the Prestige Classes available in his campaign. - That is almost a direct quote from the DMG.
Somebody mentioned the fact that spell casting ability is lost if you go into a Prestige Class and that some Prestige Classes have been specifically designed to address this (i.e. Mystic Theurge, Eldritch Knight, etc.) I have to ask, how is this bad?
The game designers saw something that was apparently bothering a lot of people. They provided a "fix." I put that in quotation marks because I think the fix doesn't work too well. But it's a good starting point for the enterprising DM.
If the DM wants to allow continuous spell-casting progression, through multiclassing or other methods, that is his prerogative. Personally, I think that spellcasting is probably one of the areas that doesn't need to be more powerful, but that is just my opinion. So in my campaign, you won't see the Mystic Theurge or the Eldritch Knight. I'll deal with character concepts like that, in my campaign, on a case-by-case basis.
I think every DM deserves, from the game-system, the same level of flexibility. Turning D&D into what you have been talking about is not an attractive path. IMO of course.
