3.5 PrC Question.

[TopCheese]

So I was wondering if anyone has homebrewed some existing PrCs (such as shadow dancer) where instead of needing skill/feat requirements you only need race/class requirement and you gain training in the skills/feats that you would normally need for the PrC.

Something like... (I'm making this up since I don't have time to go through everything right now). Also make it where you can take only one PrC in any given PC's life.

Shadowdancer

Prerequisites: Class: Rogue 5, Swordsage 5, Ranger 6, or (insert other sneaky class here) 5.
Race: Any.

Gain: Hide, Move Silently, and Tumble are always class skills.
Gain: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, and Mobility if the character doesn't have them yet.
Gain: You also gain all other skills, abilities, and other stuff of the PrC.

A friend who hates 3.5 PrC requirements wants a decent alternate system that he can use for his game and I figured I would ask here if anyone has seen something like this.

Thanks,

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

It's already been done: Test-Based Prerequisites (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/campaigns/testBasedPrerequisites.htm).

[TopCheese]

It's already been done: Test-Based Prerequisites (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/campaigns/testBasedPrerequisites.htm).

I showed that to him but really that has the same problems as prestige classes already have.

There is good fluff in it but it still makes the requirements basically the same. Actually with the tests as given some of them are even harder to get into... Fighting earth elementals? Seriously? A dwarven fighter is screwed in that test (assuming 8th level, running , and *maybe* getting a healing potion).

What I was thinking is more like 4e. You have a class, level, and a race prereq then you gain some goodies from your prestige class. The tests can be DMed into the game however but I was just looking if someone already made a simple system for PrC entry.

Thanks though.

[Person_Man]

Whenever one of my players wants to play a Tier 4 or lower class, I will generally grant them free gestalt with other Tier 4 or lower class with a different role, or the ability to fill in dead and deadish levels with level appropriate abilities from a Tier 4 or lower class or PrC.

In this example, because Rogue and Shadowdancer are such weak classes, I would just give them Shadowdancer abilities on top of Rogue abilities starting at level 6, without any pre-reqs or other requirements. When they hit level 16, they can pick another PrC to tack on.

[TopCheese]

Whenever one of my players wants to play a Tier 4 or lower class, I will generally grant them free gestalt with other Tier 4 or lower class with a different role, or the ability to fill in dead and deadish levels with level appropriate abilities from a Tier 4 or lower class or PrC.

In this example, because Rogue and Shadowdancer are such weak classes, I would just give them Shadowdancer abilities on top of Rogue abilities starting at level 6, without any pre-reqs or other requirements. When they hit level 16, they can pick another PrC to tack on.

This is interesting and I'll pass along the info.

[Urpriest]

Making it class-specific stops the system from growing and builds what are supposed to be much more flexible game elements into a much more rigid role. If you want class-specific sets of abilities, it should be done with ACFs, like Pathfinder does constantly. The point of PrCs is to be generic enough that anyone can eventually take them.

[Answerer]

Making it class-specific stops the system from growing and builds what are supposed to be much more flexible game elements into a much more rigid role. If you want class-specific sets of abilities, it should be done with ACFs, like Pathfinder does constantly. The point of PrCs is to be generic enough that anyone can eventually take them.
All my this.

If he wants to simplify the requirements, I'd do something like this:

Shadowdancer Prerequisites
6th Character Level
Sneaky character who knows how to dance

Then he can just eyeball it and determine whether or not he considers a given character sneaky enough.

[TopCheese]

All my this.

If he wants to simplify the requirements, I'd do something like this:

Shadowdancer Prerequisites
6th Character Level
Sneaky character who knows how to dance

Then he can just eyeball it and determine whether or not he considers a given character sneaky enough.

*Nods*

One of his players asked if he could take Shadowdancer.

The player happens to be a Paladin (no loosing paladinshiphood when PrCing or even multiclassing) with no thoughts of becoming a Blackgaurd (which paladin + shadowdancer = blackgaurd works for me though).

[Answerer]

Eh, depends on the faith/god/what-have-you. There are a fair few good-but-still-sneaky Paladin PrCs. Ruby Knight Vindicator's probably the best/most popular (though it is, as usual, better for Clerics than Paladins).