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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WizarDru" data-source="post: 481380" data-attributes="member: 151">I agree about the saves, and I changed the version in my campaign accordingly.  However I don't think the addition of Hide, Intuit Direction, Listen, Move Silently, Use Rope and Wilderness lore for an Elven archer, who already has bonuses to three of those skills, is that unbalanced.  Especially when you consider that three of those skills are WIS-based, which will almost certainly be the lowest stat the AA has.You also have to consider, at what cost?  An Arcane Archer has to take a few levels of a spellcasting class to make it worth his while.  If he doesn't take wizard, then he takes a multiclass penalty.  If he does, he still needs a few levels to make any real use of the spellcasting ability, or else Imbue Arrow is useless.  A fighter will be ahead on feats and hit points, and a wizard will be far ahead on spellcasting ability, DCs, metamagic feats, and his familiar will be more powerful.  The Imbue Arrow ability is not worth much unless you have good area spells to use on it.  At 1st level, that's equal to Alarm and Obscurring Mist.  To get Fog Cloud, Glitterdust, Darkness, Scare and Web, you need second level spells....that mean a 3rd level caster.An Arcane Archer's stats have to be split across two disciplines, and will still be weaker at either than a pure classed character.  It looks pretty balanced to me, with the exception of having two strong saves, which IS over-powered.Now, if you want an archer PrC that's unbalanced and broken, I'd point you to the OOBI or the King of Unbalance, the Deepwood Sniper.  That you ban ALL PrCs from your games merely reinforces that you don't even like the concept, let alone the implementation.I don't want feat chains.  I think they're fine, and we can always use more....but feat chains end up giving you just as much homogeneity as PrCs do.  How many fighters take Weapon Specialization?  Oh, that's right: ALL OF THEM.  If a figher is going to be an archer, which archery feats does he take?  ALL OF THEM.  If a Half-orc barbarian wields a big weapon like a greatsword, what feats will he generally take?  Power-Attack and Cleave.  I like the concept of Prestige Classes.  Additional base classes are no easier to create the PrCs.  Feat chains don't scratch that itch, either.  The issue here is more of people creating proper, balanced PrCs and then integrating them gracefully into the campaign.  They are options, and I like having options.  My players know that some PrCs aren't allowed, and others are subject to change or revoking.  The Arcane Archer in my game had to find another AA to train her to use her abilities.  So did the Shadowdancer and the Hunter of the Dead.  It became part of their individual quests.  Complaining that so much new material has PrCs seems silly to me.  Of course they do: but there is far more in new spells, monsters and magic items than there are in prestige classes, comparativley speaking.   The difference is that a new monster only sticks around for an encounter, a new item may get used up quickly and a new spell is easy to oulaw....but a new class stays with the character and is always there.  That's more of the DM's responsibility to deal with.</blockquote>

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