The Worst

[lonesoldier]

Cancer Mage is in the 3.5e Book of Vile Deeds.

I didn't like MANY of the 3rd Party PrCs, they just feel incorrect when places against DMG and supplement PrCs.

You know I always invisioned the Elridtch Knight as less of a mage with fighting ability and more of a fighter with spells. I always think of the Warhammer 40K Eldar Warlocks, with their plate mail style rune armour and mono(force?)-swords.

 

[Gez]

Then there's the eldritch warrior for you (Malhavoc, Complete Book of Eldritch Might).

 

[nobodez]

War Hulk

Yes, it's from way back in the Miniature's Handbook, but it still sucks. Not only is is one of the most broken classes (more so then a forsaker or frenzied berserker), but it's also the only class in the game with a BAB progression of 0/10 (whereas a Fighter would be 20/20, a Cleric would be 15/20, and a wizard would be 10/20).

 

[RichGreen]

Then there's the eldritch warrior for you (Malhavoc, Complete Book of Eldritch Might).

I've actually played an epic character with 10 levels of Eldritch Warrior and he was pretty good, although there were better ways of representing the spellcasting fighter after 3.5 came out. Still, he was great fun to play.

Cheers


Richard

 

[Gez]

Agree about the Warhulk. The idea was that the +2 increase in Strength at each level gave it a +1 bonus to attack anyway...

But it's just broken. +20 Strength?

I fixed it that way: a warhulk gains a full BAB, and can, once per day per two class levels (rounded up), enter in a wartrance. It's like a barbarian's rage, except it just gives +2 enhancement bonus to Str per warhulk level, but at the cost of a -10 enhancement penalty on all attack rolls, and the loss of his Dex bonus to AC. The "no time to think" feature kicks only during a wartrance. And, of course, since IMC, Toughness can be taken only once, as you instead take Improved and/or the chain of Dwarf's, Giant's, and Dragon's toughness after. So I added Toughness as a prerequisite, and the Warhulk gets the Dwarf's, Giant's, Dragon's Toughness instead at the last three levels.

I think it's more balanced that way.

 

[Zappo]

Slamming Oozemasters makes baby Crothian cry. Me, I think Forsakers, while not unbalanced as long as you play with D&D's normal magic level, are a PitA(TM) and a bad idea to begin with.

 

[Felon]

OK, let's brush up on our qualifying criteria real quick:

So now that the Complete series of builder books is done, and the Races of series is also over, I thought I'd conduct a little informal poll. The question is, what is the worst prestige class published in 3.5e D&D?

3.5e. Which means the Oozemaster and Forsaker don't qualify.

Not, I should add, the most broken or overpowered.

So, the War Hulk and Radiant Servant of Pelor really shouldn't have been mentioned either, at least not on the grounds that they were broken or overpowered.

I'm thinking more about the lamest, the most boring, the least advantageous, or the downright dumb.

IMO, a truly lame PrC isn't one that you look at the name, then look at the picture, you think "blah" and flip the page. No, a truly lame PrC whets your appetitie and then lets you down abysmally.

So for me, that would be classes like the Bloodhound. A lot of folks look for a PrC that will mold their character into the relentless bounty hunter archetype, but it has way too many abilities focusing on the "mark". A PrC should never be totally specialized around fighting one opponent exclusively.

A bigger booby prize goes to the Thief-Acrobat. A D&D acrobat should be the ultimate skirmisher, bouncing off the walls, charging opponents in zigzag lines, and evading attacks left and right. After all, eventually everyone else will flying around on winged boots and cloaks, so an acrobat has to give me reason not to join the crowd. This sucker just doesn't deliver.

 

[James Heard]

I admit it, I haven't done anything more than gloss over the Vigilante from Complete Adventurer because something about the artwork makes me shudder and think that I might see "animal shaped boomerang" as an exotic weapon proficiency available to the class. Extreme Explorer is pretty lame too, because it brings to mind adventuring in spandex shorts or something... not.cool.

 

[Richards]

Originally posted by Gez:

(Of course, I personally object to the name "Ghaunador" but that's another topic.)

Okay, I'll bite: what's wrong with the name "Ghaunador?" Does it mean something in a different language?

Johnathan

 

[Particle_Man]

How about the Heirophant? Kinda like the Archmage, except the archmage gets, y'know, spellcaster levels, while the Heirophant gets abilities that REALLY don't make up for not having spellcaster levels. That's outa the DMG.

Another one: Duelist. Many of whose abilities don't work in armor (not even light armor). Who needs an intelligence of 30 to make up for this, and even so, only at high levels. Riiiiiiiiight. Also in the DMG. I mean, this one was so bad, that Wotc made up a new core class in complete warrior (swashbuckler) that actually isn't that great but absolutely *shines* compared to the Duelist, so people don't notice as much.

Edit: and please notice that the picture of the duelist seems to have her in light armor. Even SHE knows that she sucks without armor.