Should prestige classes be better than base classes?

[jeffh]

Yes, but only by a little and only if played to their strengths. The idea is that they should be a little more focussed / specialized than base classes, but superior within their niche.

 

[Tonguez]

Prestige Classes should be dumped entirely and replaced with a 'package of talents' that a character can qualify for based on feat prereqs and level
The PC retains their base class but can pick a talent to enhance their feats

 

[Glyfair]

I said yes, but with the caveat that I don't think they should be wildly more powerful than standard classes. A majority of the time you make sacrifices to go into a prestige class, and the power of the class should reflect that. I would err slightly on the side of being too powerful, since publishing a class no one uses is wasteful.

 

[DragonLancer]

My answer is that PrC's should not be as powerful as many are. Theres no real reason why anyone should stay as a base class anymore, yet that should be the standard. Why have 20 levels of base class otherwise?

 

[Gold Roger]

No. They should be different.

 

[Animus]

Prestige Classes should be dumped entirely and replaced with a 'package of talents' that a character can qualify for based on feat prereqs and level
The PC retains their base class but can pick a talent to enhance their feats

I was going to say this, but he said it so eloquently .

 

[Wraith-Hunter]

Because so many of them have feat requirements or skills that you would otherwise never take, they should give you something the base classes don't.

 

[The Lost Muse]

Prestige classes should be specialized in their niches. Spellcasting prestige classes should remove a level of spells per day unless the abilities they grant are on par with wizard's bonus feats and do not grant as many castings per day as a sorceror would normally get.

 

[shilsen]

I think it should vary with the given PrC. If it's a PrC based on specialization, it should be better in that area than the base class while losing some of its more generalist abilities. If it's a PrC based on developing unusual new powers (Oozemaster, for example), I think its new powers should be at the same level, or very slightly better, than the base class.

What I don't think a PrC should ever be is so good that it's a no-brainer to take it.

 

[Psion]

There should be costs and benefits to a PrC.

If using a PrC is clearly better for a general situation than using a single class -- or clearly worse -- then there's a problem.

For specific situations, a PrC may well be better than a single classed character. But that's not a bad thing. Playing a rogue sucks in an undead heavy game. Try skull clan hunter.