Ultimate Prestige Classes, Volume 1

[Messageboard Golem]

Prestige classes were introduced with Core Rulebook II as an option to customise characters in greater detail than the options in the original rules allowed, giving players an opportunity to fit their character to their own unique vision. In its core rules, the d20 System already allows for many opportunities to customise a character via Skill and Feat selection, but a fighter remains a fighter regardless that he is the best shot with a bow or can deal devastating blows with his sword, and all wizards follow the same path even if they are general mages or arcane specialists.

A prestige class changes that, an elf bowman simply cannot compete with the arcane archer, and even the most evil of rogues can only grasp at the abilities of a true assassin. Prestige classes introduce variants and innovation to the core class features, and a chance for a player to come closer to the concept he had in mind when creating a character. A bard may take up levels of fighter to participate in battle, but he will not be as effective as the warrior-poet skald, whose life is singing the glory of his tribe.

This book classifies prestige classes in six broad categories, some of them with a little overlapping between them. Way of the Warrior explores classes whose focus is fighting, pure and simple. Even if enhanced by magic or other abilities, combat is what moves and motivates these characters. Secrets of the Arcane features a plethora of wizard and sorcerer variants, new areas of magic or sources of arcane power. The Power of Faith is devoted to those classes that draw power from the commitment they have with an external power, be it a deity, an ideal or a natural force. By Wits and Skill is a collection of classes that rely on extraordinary abilities, on their savvy and general know-how to get them out of trouble or carry them to success. Mind Over Matter explores the power of psionics and the mysteries surrounding those talented with the power of the mind. Finally, Monstrous Paths gives players and Games Masters a look at how some monstrous races can and do create special training to give those pesky adventurers a nasty surprise.

Each class description is complete with all the information any Player Character needs to qualify for it and gain its benefits and advantages, including some advice both for players and Games Masters on how to better use it or integrate it into a running campaign.

The primary purpose of this sourcebook is to present players and Games Masters alike with a selection of the best prestige classes for any kind of character. These classes are among the best that Mongoose Publishing has printed in the past year, including Open Game Content material from many other sources and brand new material you will not find anywhere else. From specialised fighters to obscure practitioners of arcane lore, the prestige classes cover a wide range of roles, and they are classified in six broad categories for ease of use. Such classification is not strict, as many prestige classes cross the boundaries between character types, mixing the abilities of two or more character concepts in order to create a unique path of advancement.

Players will find new avenues for their characters to explore, focusing on certain aspect of their adventuring careers or veering off into entirely unexpected ones. Games Masters will find a treasure chest of classes to spice up their campaigns, including prestige classes for monsters as well as advice on how to integrate prestige classes into their game, or what factors to consider when designing their own unique classes.

 

[GameWyrd]

Prestige classes have quickly become the bread and butter of d20 supplements and publishers after their introduction in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. I’ve seen killer prestige classes as well as filler prestige classes and had entire books devoted to prestige classes but Ultimate Prestige Classes (vol 1) is the first hardbound of these supplements to hit my desk.

Value for money is hard to judge. $34.95 isn’t cheap but we’re continuing to see the cover price of RPGs creeping up to match the cost of similar generic books in the market. RPGs have been under priced for a while. This volume has 256 pages and although the font might look slightly large that’s only because you’ve become used to tighter than standard text density being used for campaign settings. Another twist in the value for money calculation is that this book of Ultimate Prestige Classes is a completion of some of the best prestige classes currently available. That is to say, a re-print of what is already out there. Even then that’s not entirely true because there’s actually plenty of original and new prestige classes too. 256 pages of prestige classes is enough room for there to be plenty of re-prints and plenty of new prestige classes. I think it’s the sheer size of the book (volume is a good name for it) that’s a valid selling point. If you’re one of those collectors who prefer hardbacks and meaty tomes of rules that feel wonderfully solid in your grubby bits then this issue of Ultimate Prestige Classes has an undeniable appeal.

Strangely for a book dedicated to prestige classes one of the ways the Ultimate Prestige Classes scores a trick over rival products is that it squeezes in a little more than just a list of prestige classes. I’m not talking about the few pages of introduction to prestige classes but what comes later and in just as few pages. "Design Your Own Class" is a gem of a chapter. I don’t think it gives away any secrets or insights so wonderful as to secure you immediate employment as the next Monte Cook but what you do have is the introduction required to ease you into prestige class design (and why not? Everyone else does it) and if you’re already there you’ve got a professionally designed set of checks and rules by which to measure your creations against. It’s not quite the same as having a professional d20 author looking over your shoulder but it’s so much better than having to rely on Bob down the street as the only editor to your work. Sorry Bob.

Perhaps the best thing about Ultimate Prestige Classes for psionics fans is that there are psionic prestige classes in the book. There’s a whole section of them; the chapter might be right near the end of the book and just before the monster race prestige classes.

That’s how the book is formatted, the prestige classes are divided up into working areas of related subject matter. The "Way of the Warrior" is as you might guess a collection of combat-based prestige classes. In "Secrets of the Arcane" you’ll get your arcane magic based prestige classes and so in "The Power of Faith" you’ll get the divine magic based ones. The chapter "By Wits and Skill" picks up the baton for classes who manage to thrive through their own quick mind and abilities rather than combat or magic. Then, as I’ve already alluded to, "Mind Over Matter" is a welcome treat for games with psionics in them and "Monstrous Paths" rounds everything up with more than just a couple of token monster race prestige classes.

The presentation of each individual prestige class is as you would expect. There’s an illustration most of the time, the requirements lead into a lost of class skills and new features and somewhere nearby you’ll find a grey and white table of level advancement. Where needs be there’s a spell list or other specialist table. All of the prestige classes have an aside for "Classic Play" which offers up the most obvious stereotypical use for the class – a mixed blessing but helpful if you truly are at a loss to imagine what on earth the designer was thinking when putting the class together.

There are an awful lot of five level only prestige classes in many Mongoose books but this isn’t a problem here. In fact, it’s the bigger and better prestige classes that have made the cut and qualified for the book. The five level classes that do appear tend to be those classes that can only be met by characters over level ten anyway.
I was very glad to see a comprehensive index at the back of the book. The index is an impressive five pages long and runs through not only the classes in the book but their special abilities too. This makes it easy to, for example, run your finger down the M index to ‘Mind’ and then flick back through the book to access prestige classes with some mind related power.
It might be argued that another book with yet more prestige classes is simply trying to get the last possible bite out of an apple already well and truly chewed to the core. It might very well be true. The Ultimate Prestige Classes does get a bite out of the apple though and so is successful in its own right. I suspect this hardback will appeal most to those RPGers who purchase rarely and who run their own homebrew campaign worlds but there’s nothing to stop the more generic prestige classes from being used in published settings either.

* This GameWyrd review first appeared here

 

[Simon Collins]

This is not a playtest review.

Ultimate Prestige Classes Vol. 1 (UPC1) is a collection of prestige classes, from Mongoose Publishing but featuring some OGC from other publishers.

UPC1 is a 256-page hardcover book coming in at $34.95. Space usage is good. The internal mono art runs from average to good. The writing style is somewhat constrained by the nature of the subject matter. Editing seems fairly good, with occasional errors.

After a brief inroduction to the book, there follows a discussion of the role of prestige classes in a campaign, including organizations and institutions, specialized training, and natural development, as well as some ideas for in-game methods of gaining prestige class levels.

The next section is entitled 'Design Your Own Class' and gives guidelines for designing prestige classes for your own campaign. This had been the section I was most looking forward to, but I was somewhat disappointed with the discussion, as it seemed to be based mainly on reminders of the basic d20 rules and their application to existing core and prestige classes in Core Rulebooks I and II. This is useful for the beginner in designing prestige classes, but seemed mostly common sense and waffle for someone who has already designed Prestige Classes of their own. The most difficult aspect of designing prestige classes is the game balance issue - on this the book states that although there are points systems out there to assess how balanced a prestige class is, there are class features that fall outside these measures and therefore the book does not present a system, merely the advice to compare to a class with an equivalent character level, with basic information on how to assess the equivalent level of a Prestige Class. If I hadn't recently read Steven Palmer Peterson's impressive system for designing combat manoeuvres, I might have glossed over this aspect, but felt that I would have liked to have seen a points sytem offered, even with the additional advice to assess the finished article with a sceptical eye for balance issues. Then again, the plethora of material in the rest of the book does give many cases to compare balance issues with. The Design section covers such aspects as number of levels, hit die, requirements, skills, base attack, saves, weapon and armour proficiency, spellcasting, and class features.

The first set of prestige classes focus on classes with combat as their main focus:
* Berserker - 5 level savage fighter focused on Rage-orientated class features
* Brawler - 5 level typical bar-room brawler suited for close-quarter unarmed combat
* Buccaneer - 10 level pirate-type with swashbuckling class features
* Dragon Slayer - 10 level PrC with improved combat attacks against dragons and similar creatures
* Gladiator Champion - 10 level PrC oriented towards fame, fortune and devastating attacks with exotic weapons
* Green Sentinel - 10-level hunter of the supernatural that can multiclass with paladin
* The Knight - 10-level historical knight with retainers, free equipment, and the responsibility of command
* Knight Of The Griffin - 5-level lone travelling knight with strict code of honour, fearless and heroic class features
* Legend - 5-level killing machine, usually unique to a campaign, minimum 15th level
* Living Blade - 5-level master swordsman
* Master Bowman - ditto with a bow
* Noble Defender - 5-level noble with leadership and renown class features - also gains a castle from liege lord
* Nomad Lord - 5-level mounted specialist with magical links to a favourite mount
* Officer Of War - 5-level army officer with inspirational qualities
* Reaver - 10-level savage pirate with some leadership qualities
* Shock Trooper - 10-level PrC specialised in group fighting
* Student Of The Dragon - 10-level monk-type with fighting style based on dragon
* Silver Hearts - 10-level female unicorn-riding warriors with class features useful on a battlefield
* Stonegaard - 3-level dwarven militia PrC with close-quarter fighting abilities
* Swashbuckler - another swashbuckling type with 5 levels

The next set of prestige classes focuses on arcane magic users:
* Arcane Avatar - 5-level specialist in magical energy with spell resistance, metamagic improvements, and improved counterspells
* Arcane Delver - 5-level elven spellmaster who can control the area and timing of spells
* Arcane Leech - 5-level PrC with improved abilies to disrupt, dispel, and even steal magical energy
* Arcanist - suited for a multiclass arcane/divine magic-user, gaining more spells at the cost of reduced metamagic and item creation feats
* Artificer - 10-level specialist in magic item creation
* Crypt Lord - evil 10-level PrC specialised in necromancy and seeking lichdom
* Darksoul - 5-level Drow specialist in negative energy and shadow
* Dreamer - 10-level PrC that collects the essence of dreams to power his spells and potions
* Forge Mage - 5-level dwarf PrC specialising in the creation of magical arms and armour
* Keeper Of Songs - 5-level PrC steeped in elven musical traditions which power his spells
* Navigator-Wizard - 10-level specialist in ocean-oriented magic such as weather and direction spells
* Penumbral Lord - 10-level shadow plane specialist
* Physical Adept - 5-level magic-user who enhances their physical abilities withe their spells
* Sea Witch - magic-user who bonds with a ship, can summon beasts of the sea, with own spell list (10 levels)
* Seeker - 10-level magic using bounty hunter
* Society Of Atheists - 5-level specialist in countering divine magic
* Spelleater - 10-level PrC specialising in stealing spells for his own use
* Sonomancer - 10-level sound attack specialist with own spell list
* Soulforger - 10-level PrC arcane magic-user who strives to create new life-forms - there are guidelines for creating these new creatures
* Summoner - 10-level summoning specialist with a powerful patron lord who aids their magic
* Sun Mage - 5-level PrC who specialises in light magic, the antithesis of shadow magic
* Wordbearer - 5-level specialist using powerful arcane words to create magical effects

The next set deal with users of divine magic:
* Bloodchild - avatar-like 5-level PrC, min. 15th level, with divine essence and strong connectio to a deity
* Blood Witch - 10-level PrC that uses blood sacrifice to power magical effects
* Chirurgeon - 5-level PrC with more traditional healing skills
* Church Provisioner - 5-level PrC with potion brewing expertise
* Divine Emissary - 5-level PrC with diplomatic and oratory skills to spread the word of his deity
* Divine Hammer - 5-level war cleric
* Divine Herald - 10-level PrC, min. 11th level, theat slowly takes on divine qualities
* Golden One - 10-level PrC with a positive energy aura, an increasing resistance to energy drains, and code of honour
* Healing Hand - magical healing specialist (10 levels)
* Hierarch - 10-level PrC high up in the church hierarchy, with the power and responsibility which go with such a position
* Incarnate - a 10-level PrC that openly violates the tenet of designing a PrC round a core class, this is a neutral-aligned Druid-only class that can be taken from 4th level - the incarnate has reincarnated many times and can use an altered wildshape ability to switch between any life form the druid has embodied in past lives
* Investigator - 5-level PrC that invests in protecting against threats to the church's followers
* Knight Of The Left Hand - holy knight who sacrifices curing ability for martial prowess (5 levels)
* Knight Of The Right Hand - holy knight trained in diplomacy and the art of peacemaking (5 levels)
* Puritan - anti-magic 10-level PrC who specialises in cancelling magical effects
* Redeemer - 5-level summoning specialist
* Revered Elder - 10-level PrC focused on traditional tribal leadership with a divinatory bent
* Scion - another avatar-like PrC - this one is 10-levels and slowly merges with his deity
* Wind Speaker - 5-level worshipper of the wind with divinatory abilities

Next up are prestige classes aimed at rogues and bards:
* Agent Of The Crown - foreign spy with varied social skills (5 levels)
* Arcane Burglar - 10 level PrC - mix of roguish, arcane and divine class features used for stealing
* Bounty Hunter - 10 level cross between rogue and ranger with subdual and disarm abilities
* Calligrapher - 10-level PrC with a focus on Decipher Script-like features
* Cat Burglar - 10-level house thief with hiding skills and a dose of luck
* Commando - 5-level ambush specialist
* Connection - 10-level PrC with the ability to use network of contacts for information gathering and influence
* Crusading Footpad - good thief who steals from the evil to give to the good (10 levels)
* Discreet Companion - 10-level courtesan who trades in information and forbidden charms
* Executioner - 5-level thug-like killer
* Explosives Specialist - 10-level PrC focusing on use of bombs and firearms
* Gifted Maker - 10-level PrC who can make magical items without the normal magical prerequisites
* Guildmaster - archetypal head of thieves guild (10 levels)
* Herald - foreign messenger with political influence (10 levels)
* Infiltrator - specialist in Open Lock and trap evasion (5 levels)
* Roofrunner - thief who uses local city knowledge to thieve and escape the law
* Sea-hawk - roguish salty sailor with ocean-going class features
* Shadowy Avenger - urban vigilante (10 levels)
* Skald - barbaric bard-like storyteller and lorekeeper (10 levels)
* Street Fighter - dirty fighting specialist (10 levels)
* Tomb Raider - specialist in getting into (and out of) tombs with treasure (5 levels)
* Trapmaster - trap specialist (10 levels)
* Treasure Hunter - 10-level PrC similar to Tomb Raider
* Vigilant - jack-of-all-trades with a penchant for surviving almost anything

Following this is a chapter dedicated to PrC's with psionic capabilities:
* Anipath - 5-level PrC with a psychic connection to the animal world
* Beastmaster - similar to the Anipath but 10 levels
* Dreamwalker - 10-level dream specialist
* Guardian - 10-level psi-cop, who defends others against psionic attack
* Life Stealer - 5-level insane psychic killer
* Mind Sink - 10-level PrC who sap psionic powers from those around them
* Psychic Thief - 10-level cross between a psion and a rogue
* Psychic Vampire - beings that feed off others thoughts with some powerful abilities but stringent demands (5 levels)
* Reborn - 5-level PrC who can dissolve into ectoplasmic matter and re-form as an astral construct

The final chapter deals with PrCs for monsters:
* Arcane Masquerader - 5-level PrC to give spellcasting and other abilities to doppelgangers
* Battle Shaman - 10-level PrC designed to enhance orc spellcasters
* Centaur Scout - 10-level PrC for centaurs with variety of wilderness skills
* Dark Rangers - 5-level PrC for bugbears with rogue/wilderness features
* The Guiser - 10-level PrC designed for medusas who have integrated themselves into 'normal' society
* Insinuator - 10-level PrC to enhance assassination abilities for doppelgangers
* Reef Warrior - 10-level PrC for aquatic monsters with combat-enhancing features
* Seastorm Witch - 10-level PrC for sea hags, giving spellcasting and shapechanging abilities

The book ends with a 5-page index.

Conclusion:
Despite its attempt at guidelines for designing your own prestige classes at the beginning of the book, the real lesson comes hidden in the prestige classes themselves - most of which seem well-designed and balanced, interesting and appealing without being over-powered, and with huge numbers of class features that could be 'stolen' from the original to build your own prestige classes (as if there weren't enough already). There are also plenty of ideas for enhancing NPCs and monsters as well as useful for PrCs for players, and the psionic PrCs are a real bonus to those who use the psionics rules. I liked the fact that many of the PrC's were archetypal in nature, allowing them to be blended in to most fantasy campaign settings relatively easily. Only a few of the prestige classes seem to overlap in theme.

According to the OGC information in the book, only 17 of the 102 PrCs are actually reproduced from other publishers' work, which was somewhat surprising given the blurb on the back of the book talking about a compilation of the best prestige classes available. Mongoose obviously rate themselves very highly! Speaking of 102 prestige classes, is there such a thing as Prestige Class overload?

 

[JoeGKushner]

I think that this book is a useful tool but was highly disappointed by the layout and the resue of graphics as well as the limited amount of material from other publishers. Still, I'm hoping that Green Ronin does a Pocket Prestige as a 'true' collection of PrCs.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

Whoa! Hold the phone! Incarnate!?! That's a Scarred Lands thing my friend. And I'm pretty sure NOT OGL...

 

[Messageboard Golem]

N/M It is.

 

[Crothian]

Is the descriptions of each prestige class the same in its orginal write up, or did they flesh them out any?

 

[Messageboard Golem]

It doesn't sound like to me Crothy. I mean they basically used the same stuff in R&R1 and pasted it there. They might have altered the wording but I doubt it.

 

[XCorvis]

I just want to point out that Mongoose used several (13) classes from the Netbook of Classes ( http://nboclasses.fancc.org/ ) and did NOT credit them properly. Note that by the terms of the Open Game License, this is illegal. While an apology/explanation was posted to several major websites, there is still (after serveral months) no mention of the error on Mongoose's own website (which was requested). You can find more info on this at the Netbook of Classes website, and on the OGL listserve. ( http://www.opengamingfoundation.com )

Disclaimer: I work on the NboC and one of my classes was among those not credited. I just want people to know this before they spend a lot of money on the book.

 

[XCorvis]

Link correction: http://nboclasses.fancc.net