Munchkins, or Clerics! (PrC thread)

[TimeWizard]

Rereading OotS I came to Elan's quip that PrC's are for Munchkins or Clerics. The former I understand implicitly but, to my knowledge, Clerics often don't take PrC's being so awesome as they already are. Am I missing something?

[Deliverance]

Might be a play on the idea that other classes take PrCs to become awesome (and mages of various sorts take them to eliminate the deliberate weaknesses mages are supposed to have or to grow even more powerful), clerics, already being across-the-board awesome, take them to become specialists.

I'm not an expert on PrCs, but when people discuss PrCs in the playground for non-clerics they are frequently taken in order to be "just like my base class, only better in every way that matters!". Clerics are more often discussed because "I want to focus on aspect X of the cleric's aspects".

Just my guess. I don't actually play D&D these days.

[Kilo24]

It's mainly that clerics only get spellcasting and a higher turn undead level from their base class. Full caster levels in the former is the hallmark of a decent PrC (power-level-wise), and the latter really doesn't matter that much. Especially if you have some non-standard way to spend turn undead attempts like Divine Metamagic.

Of course, the PrC bit is even more true for wizards and sorcerers, given that they have the strictly worst base class features (d4 HD, poor BAB) and no class features beyond spellcasting, mild familiar improvements, and a bonus feat from a restricted list once every five levels for wizards. Pretty much, it's an unambiguous power-level upgrade for core caster classes to take a prestige class with full casting levels of which there are a few around outside of core.

[G-Man Graves]

Of course, the PrC bit is even more true for wizards and sorcerers, given that they have the strictly worst base class features (d4 HD, poor BAB) and no class features beyond spellcasting,

I'm confused. Do they NEED any features besides spellcasting? I was under the impression that after you can cast flight and protection from arrows, your wizard no longer needs those inconvenient things like "Hit points" or "Armor Class". And rope trick means you don't need to worry about those silly "spell slots" either.

[PirateMonk]

I'm confused. Do they NEED any features besides spellcasting? I was under the impression that after you can cast flight and protection from arrows, your wizard no longer needs those inconvenient things like "Hit points" or "Armor Class". And rope trick means you don't need to worry about those silly "spell slots" either.

They don't really need class features, but some prestige classes have really good ones, and casters have nothing to lose.

[The MunchKING]

I'm confused. Do they NEED any features besides spellcasting? I was under the impression that after you can cast flight and protection from arrows, your wizard no longer needs those inconvenient things like "Hit points" or "Armor Class". And rope trick means you don't need to worry about those silly "spell slots" either.

As Varsuvius showed it's nice to have SOME tricks that work in an anti-magic zone.

[King of Nowhere]

just because a wizard can fly it doesn't mean that an enemy figther cannot do the same with some magic item. Or you may simply be confrontedd by another wizard.
So, even if you don't need them as much as a figther tipe, things like armor class and hit points still come handy to a wizard

EDIT: by the way, i really never liked the prestige classes "like the base classs, only better". With those prc, what is the whole point of taking the base class?

[Elfin]

Billionaires don't need any more money...but hey, it's money. Who wouldn't want more of it?



just because a wizard can fly it doesn't mean that an enemy figther cannot do the same with some magic item.

But remember, a wizard can also turn into a great wyrm, stop time, turn the fighter into a chipmunk, imprison him in the earth's crust, summon a solar and chain-gate an army of angels, and then laugh and face three more level-appropriate encounters.

[G-Man Graves]

Or he could just dispel the fighter's flight. Fighter can't do that to the wizard.

[The MunchKING]

Or he could just dispel the fighter's flight. Fighter can't do that to the wizard.

That's what they make ranged weapons for.

IIRC doesn't "Protection from arrows" only add a deflection bonus to your AC for projectiles? A good Fighter should be able to still hit despite that.

[G-Man Graves]

That's what they make ranged weapons for.

IIRC doesn't "Protection from arrows" only add a deflection bonus to your AC for projectiles? A good Fighter should be able to still hit despite that.

Damage reduction, until it has blocked 10 damage per level, to a maximum of 100.

[Silver Swift]

I'm confused. Do they NEED any features besides spellcasting? I was under the impression that after you can cast flight and protection from arrows, your wizard no longer needs those inconvenient things like "Hit points" or "Armor Class". And rope trick means you don't need to worry about those silly "spell slots" either.

Out of curiosity, what is a rope trick? From reading these forums I got the impression that it was just a bunch of long lasting buffs that a spellcaster casts each morning, but your statements seems to imply otherwise.

[The MunchKING]

Out of curiosity, what is a rope trick? From reading these forums I got the impression that it was just a bunch of long lasting buffs that a spellcaster casts each morning, but your statements seems to imply otherwise.

rope tirck is a spell that lets you climb into a pocket dimenson and then pull in the rope after you.

They can use it for buffing, or whatever.

[The Glyphstone]

Out of curiosity, what is a rope trick? From reading these forums I got the impression that it was just a bunch of long lasting buffs that a spellcaster casts each morning, but your statements seems to imply otherwise.

And knowing is half the battle! (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/ropeTrick.htm)
The other half is violence.

[Lateral]

And knowing is half the battle! (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/ropeTrick.htm)
The other half is violence.

MUST... SIG...

The point, I think, was that clerics are commonly prestige classed out of, because there are so many great options to go with and because they have very little to lose with a full-casting class.

[blackjack217]

And knowing is half the battle! (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/ropeTrick.htm)
The other half is violence.

that works great, unless you have a bag of holding.