Test-Based Prerequisites for Prestige Classes

[Delta]

For the prestige paladin, I immediately think of Galahad's behavior on the quest for the grail. The scene that always killed me was where a bunch of ladies would be cast off a castle wall if he didn't agree to make love to them. So, he turns his back and lets them fall to their death.

When asked, he says he knew they were all demons in disguise. Make sure your paladin character knows to make liberal use of detect evil!

 

[Li Shenron]

I'm interested in using them, and would love to hear some imaginative ideas. Right now, I'm entertaining possibilities for a Tempest and a Sacred Fist. The Tempest is heavily feat-oriented (Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attac, 2WF, Imp 2WF), while the Sacred Fist requires KS (religion), 1st-level divine spellcasting, and a few feats as well (Imp Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Combat Reflexes, Combat Casting).

Not particularly imaginative, but since the Tempest's feats emphasise movement in combat and having lots of attacks per round, the test could be a fight against lots of little creatures (e.g. summoned critters, dire rats...) but with a harsh time limit: to drop many small opponents quickly you need as many attacks per round as you can but also to move quickly from one to another.

Sacred Fist is more complicated. The feats are againt combat-oriented, but it could be boring to always require a fight... The divine spellcasting should be simple: just require that the applicant performs some magical healing (afaik, every divine spellcaster knows Cure Light Wounds as a 1st level spell).

Do not require to roll a Knowledge check. I think this is a bad idea because it means one single unlucky roll can potentially spoil the whole test. And a successful roll is not fun anyway. If you decide to put the Knowledge into the test (you actually don't have to, if the ranks required are low and if you're already "testing" other requisites), I think the best is:

- ask the player a few questions about the topic (try to choose for instance questions that you think would have DC = 10 + rank required approximately)
- if the player doesn't know the answer, let him roll a Knowledge check for a hint (the higher the result, the bigger the hint)
- ask a certain number of questions (more than 1 anyway) and set a pass rate, so that one failure or two are not necessarily negating the rest of the test

This way it's more in hands of the player (unlike just rolling) and it's more fun, but still rewards a player who has invested skill points. I would actually tell the player beforehand how the test goes, so that he might pick up the setting book and give it a read, in order to be better prepared.

 

[Aries_Omega]

Very true on that the test should test their moral fiber since you have to be LG to be one. What about the rest of the requirements? Here they are for those who don't have UA handy.

• Alignment: Lawful Good
• Base Attack Bonus: +4
• Skills: Knowledge (religion) 2 ranks, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 2 ranks, Ride 4 ranks
• Feats: Mounted Combat
• Spells: Ability to cast Protection vs. Evil as a divine spell
• Special: Ability to turn undead

What I need is something like the assassin. Here is the normal requirements and the test based one as an example.

Assassin (normal requirements)

• Alignment: Any evil
• Skills: Disguise 4 ranks, Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks.
• Special: The character must kill someone for no other reason than to join the assassins.

Assassin (test based)

• The Test of Corvu u Khalai—“Eliminate, then replace.” Contacted by an anonymous letter, the applicant is given the name of a well-known functionary in the noble court, often the chamberlain, troubadour, or court wizard. The applicant must sneak into the castle on the night of the full moon, kill the target, and then impersonate him. The test is a success if the applicant walks out of the castle disguised as the target when the gates open in the morning, carrying the target’s head in a satchel.

So with that said...what is y'alls idea for a test. Think creatively please.

 

[Dragonhelm]

So, has anyone ever taken a stab at using Unearthed Arcana's test-based prerequisites for prestige classes?

The Dragonlance setting has been using this concept since 1st edition. You see this idea with the Test of High Sorcery for the Wizards of High Sorcery, the Knight's Trials for the Knights of Solamnia, the Test of Takhisis (now Crucible of Darkness) for the Dark Knights, and so on.

In 3rd edition terms, each of these organizations have prestige classes, so tests are prerequisites. I find that test-based prerequisites add a lot of flavor to a game. A character must prove themselves, and find out something about themselves in the process.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Very true on that the test should test their moral fiber since you have to be LG to be one. What about the rest of the requirements? Here they are for those who don't have UA handy.

• Alignment: Lawful Good
• Base Attack Bonus: +4
• Skills: Knowledge (religion) 2 ranks, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 2 ranks, Ride 4 ranks
• Feats: Mounted Combat
• Spells: Ability to cast Protection vs. Evil as a divine spell
• Special: Ability to turn undead

My recomendation would be to read The Deed of Paksinerian then watch a marathon of Who Wants to be a Superhero. By the time you're done you will be able to create a three day set of challenges both official and of moral character.

Otherwise, my advice would be to decide which abilities you wish to be true requirements and which are more flavorful requirements which you don't mind a candidate getting by without. The last three can be tested in such a way that you can't pass without them, or you can arrange the tests so that they help a lot, but aren't required. So test based requirements require a little more finesse than something like the ssassin which is pretty much all skills.

 

[Aries_Omega]

Paladin Test??

I want to thank you all for the help I think I have it. The character is a noble from disgraced noble family that owes fealty to the Church for their help long ago. He is your typical "knight" character. The character is a fighter 4/favored soul 1. He just took the favored soul. Reason is cleric is political and usually requires time in a seminary to learn the non-combat stuff. With a favored soul you are chosen like Moses or something. Anyhow the character and the players all leveled up in the middle of a quest.

When they get back the character will of course go to his patron...a powerful bishop who is like Palpatine....good on the outside, evil on the inside. Once he revels his visions from gawd and all, someone sends a bounty hunter (a consecrated harrier) to bring in the character and anyone who helps him. Even if he can't bring him in the bishop urges the character to stand trial and turn themselves in. No matter what they do the character is a church night accused of sorcery and being a warlock.

In my world the humans fear magic both for what it can do and it is a sin. Peasants are to immediately let their lord or priest know of ANYTHING remotely magical found...even if it makes their life easier...like a plow+1 or a simple mug that keeps things cold. Magic use and magic items are only to be used by priests (they are pious and thusly are without sin) and nobles (their extreme penitence for a life of luxury and ease) with all spellcasters having to go to a formal school (wizards) and those who are sorcerers either in service to the Church (you are born evil and in sin...repent and work a lifetime for the Church or be damned to Hell) or are renegades to be hunted.

Anyways with that said...favored soul presents a problem. Was his vision from the Abbadarian Adversary that is disguised as the Empyrean Creator? Is he truly powered from a good divine source? He never went thought the trials to become a cleric, nor did his work his ass off in the seminary to be ordained. So...to prove his innocence he has to go on a quest...for a herring...just kidding...some relic.

I figured something that ironically is tied to a holiday coming up. He can bring his friends (the other PC's) if he wants. The bishop is hoping that the characters will get rid of former allies and open seals to other planes by accident in order to fulfill a deal he made with extraplanar baddies long ago. That and it make him look good that his person he sponsored into church knighthood, from a family of bad apples is so good and holy. The bishop is a behind the scenes bad guy.

The quest for the holy whatchamacallit I think has just about everything. The relic is guarded by a fallen knight...one that is cursed to guard the relic...a death knight. IMHO, the requirement of turning the undead is a low priority out of all of the ones listed. Alignment, casting protection vs. evil as a divine spell are two of the higher with everything else being needed too. Mounted combat is nice but on the lower end of needed.

Here is how the requirements are tested....

• Base a +4, mounted combat and ride skill: Bad terrain and have to fight undead cavalry to get near the keep.
• Cast protection vs. evil: To prevent possesion from the various undead around the keep and to prevent being effected by various extraplanar beasties that are summoned there by disturbing things in the keep.
• Knowledge skills...the death knight cursed to guard the holy relic will only fight and revel the relics location to those who can keep a moderately intelligent conversation dealing with things important to Church Knights.

With that...how do you test lawful goodness? The player mind you was going to become all Mr Good guy then do the Darth Vader thing. I was perhaps going to foreshadow this by having the death knight be the character from an alternate future? Is this quest too cheesy? Does it smell of gouda? What is your alls take on this?

Edit - If I decide to go with this...should it be consecrated harrier or a church inquisitor that brings him back for trial? The character is a knight to the church. There is an argument for either you know.