Why wouldn't a Cleric or Sorcerer take a PrC?

[gfunk]

It seems to me that Clerics and Sorcerers should always take a PrC. These core classes only have turn undead and familar advancement as their class specific abilities. Why in God's name wouldn't you rather have the cheesy special abilities of the various PrC?

Has anyone in your campaign stuck with a straight Cleric or Sorcerer?

 

[pontus]

No.

 

[Bobbystopholes]

If not for the Contemplative and the +1 spell progression each level, I would have stayed straight cleric. I want the Mysticism and Glory Domains. I'm gonna get them. I'll have everything but the Immunity to Fear and Mount of a Paladin. It's a good deal. Can't turn as well, but hey, everything has turn resistance at this level and unless I worship Pelor, I ain't got a chance in hell of turning them (12 Charisma). Having more domain powers is cool and being able to use a Righteous Might in a Domain slot is pretty fun, I think!

So, I guess I agree with you. I will probably multi class all of my Clerics. Don't know much about Sorcs though. Never played them.

 

[Victim]

You lose out on turning for a cleric and familiar's for a sorc. Even though I didn't expect my cleric to ever need to turn undead, and although he sucks at it with 9 CHA, the turning levels I lost from taking Divine Disciple actually hurt.

Although sorcerers better themselves by taking prestige classes, they have a hard time doing so because they don't get bonus feats, have lots of skill points, or even the knowledge skills that arcane caster classes usually require.


SPOILERS FOR HEART OF NIGHTFANG SPIRE

*
*
*
*
*
*
**
*
*
*
*
*
*
**
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

That damned negative energy trap that requires turning to beat ate our paladin.

 

[EOL]

First, do Clerics continue to get their domain spells when they take a PrC? The cleric in my campaign didn't opt for a PrC, but the guy who plays him is an anti-powergamer so that doesn't necessary prove anything.

Like Victim said as far as sorcerers go, most PrC's have at least some skill requirements, so for a Sorcerer to take it they must give up stuff like Spellcraft, or have low concentration, unless they have a really high int which is normally not the case.

 

[RogueJK]

First, do Clerics continue to get their domain spells when they take a PrC?

Yes, they do.

The only thing that clerics lose when taking levels in a PrC is turn undead progression. But to get around that, all that they have to do is take levels in a PrC with both the turning ability and spellcasting progression, such as the Sacred Exorcist.

And some domains, such as the Travel domain, are based off of your cleric level, so levels in a PrC will hurt you there, too.

 

[Vhane]

The only thing that makes Sorcerers useful in my opinion IS the this very fact. +1 Caster level in a Pres. Class is sure sorcerer gold, and if your willing to turn undead by making paste out of them, the same can be said for clerics.


In our campaign every priest and every sorcerer has multiclassed... Hmmm now that I think of it I only know of two out of about 20 characters who've made it to mid-level who haven't multiclassed. Its just easier with some classes.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Hadn't really thought about it before, the cleric I played to high level was before the defenders of faith book. But that's kinda sad, the most overpowered class in the game has a good motivaiton to multi into a prestige class and even become more overpowered.

As for sorcerers I had thought about it, and yes if they can hit the pre-reqs their is no out of game reason not to take a prestige class. There may be plently of role-playing ones, but no real rules based reasons not to.

I don't think any prestige classes they would normally be able to qualify for with ease boost their power to a great degree so I don't think its a huge deal anyway.

 

[Limper]

Sorcerers get no real flavor text anyway so the inclusion of any is an improvement. Flavor text is what prestige classes are all about.

 

[shilsen]

It seems to me that Clerics and Sorcerers should always take a PrC. These core classes only have turn undead and familar advancement as their class specific abilities. Why in God's name wouldn't you rather have the cheesy special abilities of the various PrC?

Has anyone in your campaign stuck with a straight Cleric or Sorcerer?

I'm in a RttToEE campaign now, where I'm running 2 PCs (small group), including a cleric. He's at lvl 9 now, and I didn't take a PrC for the very same reason you mention above. A Clr taking one of the available PrCs (as long as it provides +1 spellcasting progression per level) essentially loses nothing in exchange for some "cheesy special abilities". That's not the way I think PrC choices should work, so I didn't take one (although the DM suggested the Sacred Exorcist - a particularly powerful one). What can I say - I'm an idealist