What does +1 Level of existing class, really mean for Mages, Sorcerors and Clerics ?

[Hackenslash]

Hello All,

Upon flicking thru all the spell casting prestige classes, I have noticed that nearly all of them offer a "+1 Level to existing Class". Now I have heard two theories on this and was wondering which one is true or more to the point would be more balancing for the campign:

Theory One.

If you take a level in a prestige class that grants levels of casting on your exisitng class, then those levels have to be from the new prestige type, ie. if a mage ended up being a "Contemplative" Prestige class then he/she would get spell casting levels in his Mage Class, ie Arcane Casting Levels.

Theory Two.

If you take a level in a prestige class...etc...then your new extra casting levels much match the type of prestige class you have entered, eg. from the above example, the mage would gain "Cleric" Casting levels, ie Divine Spells, not adding to existing Mage casting levels.

So it would seem obvious to me that you should really follow the path that you have entered, but in that case, if you have qualified for a prestige class not typically associated with your main class then why would it say +1 level of existing class. Eg. Clerics taking Mage Prestige classes and vica verca. Sorry if this seems confusing but I could not think of another way to put it....Cheers in advance for any advice or explanations.

 

[Destil]

It depends on the prereques for the calss. If it requires arcane or divine spellcasting, then I think it's a good idea (though not nessessearly a rule) to limit it to the class which you use to meat them. If it's just cast Dispel Magic or something than it's intended that both arcan and dvinve spell-casters could gain entry to the class.

 

[AuraSeer]

Each PrC states what it affects. (It'll be in the long description, not on the table itself.) Some specify divine levels, others specify arcane levels, and a few can be applied to either.

IIRC, if you have more than one spellcasting class of an eligible type, you can choose which gets the +1 each time you level.

 

[splitinfinitude]

I can't recall any general rules stating that, say, a Contemplative or Alienist is solely a divine or arcane caster. So, if you meet the Contemplative prereqs w/arcane, you can take arcane. The fact that a PrC is in a divine book doesn't make it a "divine only" PrC. The description of the PrC might specifically limit it, though.

 

[Metalsmith]

Re: What does +1 Level of existing class, really mean for Mages, Sorcerors and Cleric

. if a mage ended up being a "Contemplative" Prestige class then he/she would get spell casting levels in his Mage Class, ie Arcane Casting Levels.

It will specificaly mention what the +1 Spellcasting Level refers to in the description Prestige Class under the heading of Spells per Day.

The only Prestige Class in the Defenders of the Faith book that allows Arcane Caster to continue to advance in level are, Divine Oracle and Sacred Exorcist.

Contemplative: A contemplative who was previously a divine spellcaster continues to gain access to more powerful divine magic while following the contemplative path. Thus, when a new contemplative level is gained, the character gains a new spells per day as if she gained a level in the divine spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class.

If the contemplative did not previously belong to a divine spellcasting class, she gains the ability to cast divine spells exactly as a cleric of her patron deity. Her spell progression is the same as that of a cleric.

The Key Phrase you will be looking, "Thus, when a new [insert class name] is gained, the character gains new spells per das as if he had also gained a level in whatever spellcasting class she belonged to before."

 

[Hackenslash]

Thanks ENWorlders !!!!

Thanks you everyone for helping to clear this up for me. I think I will probably stick with the flavor of the prestige class and read the rules more clearly, but where not clear, try and stick to what the prestige class is trying to accomplish. Thanks again