Which prestige classes do you use?

[Moon-Lancer]

in our game prcs are playable until broken. So far no broken ones. to be fair, no one has actively sought to make something broken.

 

[Friendless]

OK, it seems my opinions are not so far from the mainstream. I'll wait for my players to suggest PrCs and see if they will work with the campaign. When I've got time I'll go through the meagre pile of source books I have and see if there's any inspiration there. Thanks for your opinions.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

The Prestige Class Index on the WotC site lists 782 PrCs, although there's probably a fair amount of duplication between the 3.0 books and the 3.5.

I actually just updated my list; counting only 3.5-era prestige classes, the total comes to 544, or 543 if you consider the arachnomancer in Drow of the Underdark to supersede the arachnomancer in the Forgotten Realms sourcebook Underdark.

 

[hong]

My first game was exclusivist: you can pick from a list of PrCs, vetted by me in advance.

This became a difficult stance to maintain, since every book comes out with more PrCs and picking and choosing the ones to allow was a pain.

My current game is inclusivist: you can play anything you want, subject to my approval.

This means I don't waste time looking at stuff noone wants to play, and I don't feel the need to scrutinise every book when it comes out.

 

[DreadArchon]

It seems every source book has 3 or more prestige classes, most of which just seem totally unusable.

I've heard this referred to as the "buckshot approach;" apparently, WotC feels that if they publish anything and everything that comes to mind, they might accidentally hit a few that people really like.

Honestly, I consider that to be a rather effective method.

Horizon Walker? Shadowdancer? Do people really use these things?

I like the Horizon Walker. It's not mechanically optimal in most cases, but I find it quite fun in practice, at least on a scout-type character.

My current game is inclusivist: you can play anything you want, subject to my approval.

This means I don't waste time looking at stuff noone wants to play, and I don't feel the need to scrutinise every book when it comes out.

Wise is hong.

 

[dirtyblizzard]

I don't have a particular prestige class because I just use any randomly.


_________________
Chris
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[TessarrianDM]

A. The only current prestige class being used by any of my players is Mystic Theurge. There have been two Order of the Bow Initiates in the past. I use multiple prestige classes to challenge them. An NPC group they recently took on included a Frenzied Berserker, a modified Stormlord (changed from an electricity-based class to a cold-based class), a Stormsinger, a Knight Protector, and a Master Thrower.

B. I allow very few deity-, setting-, or organization-specific prestige classes. None with an oriental flavor, and none that are evil-only (for PC use, as I do not allow evil PC's). My restrictions are predominantly flavor-based, as I run a home-brewed campaign.

C. New prestige classes (or new character classes, for that matter) do not appeal to me at all. If I see a need for a new one, I can easily craft my own or modify a current what to better fit my campaign.

 

[blargney the second]

In one of our games, each character must have two levels of a prestige class by tenth level. It's interesting how it has panned out. My changeling rogue/crusader has a few levels of Vigilant Sentinel of Aerenal, and he rocks!

 

[Razz]

I'm a DM new to 3.5e, so prestige classes are sort of new to me. I first encountered them in Neverwinter Nights where my Arcane Archer rocked... but nevertheless I don't see the need for so many. It seems every source book has 3 or more prestige classes, most of which just seem totally unusable. Horizon Walker? Shadowdancer? Do people really use these things?

OMG I just looked at Wikipedia's list of prestige classes. There must be more prestige classes than PCs!

Anyway, what I should ask is (a) which ones do you actually use, (b) are there any you disallow, and (c) do you consider new prestige classes to be valuable content in a new source book?

There's nothing wrong with a lot of prestige classes. It just means there'll be a lot of OPTIONS. That's what 3E is about since the beginning, options. Yes, some people use these prestige classes. What one player or DM may not like in his game, another actually would because it makes his campaign come alive. You might as well say the same thing for feats, spells, monsters, and magic items. People like NEW stuff instead of rehashing the same material over and over again.

I allow all of the ones published by WotC/Dragon Magazine. No further than that.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Everything is considered on a case by case basis. If I'd normally disallow it, we modify it until it works/is balanced. This includes flavor heavy PRC's that dont fit the campaign. An NPC ally in the current game has just entered the Shadow Stalker prc, which is a flaver swapped Ghost Faced Killer.

Currently the PC's have levels in Maester, Master Rafter and Avenger of the Green (latter 2 are home brew based on organizations). The other 2 PC's are going full levels in their respective class (akashic and dragon racial levels).