Fun prestige classes

[littlebum2002]

Hello!

I have to say: I love prestige classes. Base classes are boring. Prestige classes allow you to do so much more interesting things, and you can mix and match them while (generally) gaining levels in your original classes main ability, etc.

Plus, I hate optimization. Well, I don't REALLY hate it, I just prefer to make characters with lots of fluff and unique abilities. Those are the types of PrC's I like: Ones which give you a very unique power which is fun to use. Powerful is better, but definitely of secondary importance.



Examples of "fun" prestige classes (IMHO)

Frenzied Berserker: Although the possibility of killing your teammates can be made very, very low if you try hard enough, even that little chance of troble makes it fun. Like riding on a rollercoaster: You know you'll be safe, but the minute possibility that you won't makes it thrilling. (My trick is having an Intelligent Merciful weapon which makes itself nonlethal when you fail your save)


Hulking hurler: Throwing anything you can find at the enemy? Fun. Pick up a tree and throw it at an enemy. Pick up your horse and throw him at an enemy. Pick up your enemy and throw him at another enemy.

War Weaver: Just the idea that craft (basketweaving) is a class requirement makes this pure win.



Anyway, while the shear amount of prestige classes means you can play a different character every time, it also means you'll never remember fun ones that you want to play, especially if you start adding in the thousands from Dragon magazine and such. So I was hoping the D&D community could help me find some prestige classes which fit my characters and which will hopefully be fun to play.



Character 1: An intelligent, nice halfling barbarian in Eberron. This campaign is more diplomacy and RP based than combat, so the two Barbarian PrC's I mentioned earlier are (unfortunately) out (and he's not very Chaotic except while raging, so the Berserker wouldn't fit anyway). So what would a good close-combat barbarian PrC be? Although he's straight barbarian now, maybe something to give him minor casting? I dunno, he has lots of potential.


Character 2: Jermlaine Cleric//Rogue. This guy is fun. He's a Tiny Cleric who can cast Reduce Monster to make himself 7" tall and be the perfect spy. Plus, he has lots of summoning spells for flanking fun. He has the potential to become one of my favorite characters, if I can only find a good PrC for him. Top priority for this guy.


Character 3: Human bard. He doesn't have much character development, unfortunately. Only out for the money, and has severe trust issues. Also unfortunately, like Elan, he is severely outshined by other members of the party. I want him to fill a very unique party role that no one else has. Of course, I could just make him a Lyric Thaumaturge, and he would be more powerful, but I don't really find that "fun" since it really doesn't add any new powers. Another high-priority.


Character 4 Gnome illusionist. This is an interesing build. We started at level 16, so I already gave her 5 levels in Master of Shrouds Shadowcraft Mage, but couldn't find anything else so put the rest in Incantatrix. It's a powerful class, definitely, but not really what I'm looking for with her. I thought about a Fatespinner, but she's more of a booksmart wizard. She devotes her time to researching the origins of magic. Loremaster fits her character well, but seems pretty boring.

[Kuulvheysoon]

For Character 1, might I suggest the Champion of Gywnharwyf (BoED)?

As for the 4th, have you seen Shadowcraft Gnomes?

[erikun]

Character 4 Gnome illusionist. This is an interesing build. We started at level 16, so I already gave her 5 levels in Master of Shrouds, but couldn't fins anything else so put the rest in Incantatrix. It's a powerful class, definitely, but not really what I'm looking for with her. I thought about a Fatespinner, but she's more of a booksmart wizard. She devotes her time to researching the origins of magic. Loremaster fits her character well, but seems pretty boring.
How is this character getting Rebuke Undead?
Also, the Shadowcraft Mage PrC might be worth looking into, to see if it fits your theme here.

Other than that:

Wizard/Bard/Ultimate Magus. The UM has the fun ability of giving up spell slots from one side to power spontaneous metamagic for the other. One of my favorite ideas here is Disguise Spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#disguiseSpell), or tossing out spells while playing an instrument. Or, most likely, while using Bardic Music.

Pyrokineticist (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/pyrokineticist.htm) is fun. Pryokineticist variants (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625e) are also fun. Especially note the Cryokineticist. There is also (an entirely different) Cryokineticist PrC in Frostburn. Have fun making a Cryokineticist/Cryokineticist!

Master Alchemist (Magic of Faerun, 3.0e) is a fun PrC that allows you to brew potions up to 9th level. Whether you're making a Cleric/Master Alchemist to give self-buffs to party members, or Wizard/Master Alchemist with a potion sling to throw debuffs at enemies (or both at once) it can be a fun idea. Just make sure your DM would actually allow you to brew potions during your down time.

[Big Fau]

Amusingly, the three example PrCs you mentioned are all highly optimal and very powerful.

I'm a fan of the Full-BAB Dragonmarked PrCs (save for the Beastkeeper of Valadis, which is trash).

[Vhaidara]

Character 3: Human bard. He doesn't have much character development, unfortunately. Only out for the money, and has severe trust issues. Also unfortunately, like Elan, he is severely outshined by other members of the party. I want him to fill a very unique party role that no one else has. Of course, I could just make him a Lyric Thaumaturge, and he would be more powerful, but I don't really find that "fun" since it really doesn't add any new powers. Another high-priority.

I'm laying a gnome bard right now, and one fun thing I've done is tweak the background of the prestige I'll be taking (Seeker of the song, Complete Arcane)

The DM and I both played NWN2, so i named my character Ranborg and gave him an obsession with the Wendersnaven, a "race" from NWN2 that is never proven to exist. We decided the Wendersnaven (remember, this is a race that no one has heard of except from me, and that no one but me and a sort of cult believe exists) are beings of pure music, and redubbed the Seeker of the Song as the Scion of the Wendersnaven.

Bit of detail on Seeker: You get Seeker Music, which stacks with bard song for uses. Most Seeker Songs have a passive effect and a refrain which you active by spending a use of song. For example, the level one ability gives all nearby allies fire resistance. Refrain while playing it, and you get a 30ft cone of 10d6 fire damage. It also has the other energy types, healing, and dispel magic, with the capstone being Banish (We intend to storm hell with this as the panic button). On top of that, at level 2 you can use 2 bard or seeker songs at once.

Basically, you get to megabuff the party while throwing nukes all over the place.

[Telonius]

Character 2: a couple different possibilities. "Lots of summoning spells" really shouts "Thaumaturgist" to me. It's one of the few decent PrCs in Core, and increases the power of the things you summon.

Another possibility is Shadowbane Stalker, from CAdv. It's a combination Cleric/Rogue PrC, so might not be as good for a Gestalt campaign (building on one side of the gestalt would probably be essential).

Shadowspy from CChamp might be another good option.

[littlebum2002]

Sorry, my gnome illusionist is a Shadowcraft Mage, not a master of Shrouds as I wrote. I was thinking of one thing and typing another, and you know how that usually works out. Still, that's an awesome PrC, I'm just upset it's only 5 levels long.


Also, if you have any ideas for "Fun" prestige classes that don't fit these characters, I would love to hear them as well. I'm always creating new characters, and like trying out new, interesting stuff.




Amusingly, the three example PrCs you mentioned are all highly optimal and very powerful.

I'm a fan of the Full-BAB Dragonmarked PrCs (save for the Beastkeeper of Valadis, which is trash).

I realized that. I don't have a problem with powerful characters, I just have a problem with making characters JUST BECAUSE they are powerful. My illusionist, for instance, is both a shadowcraft mage and an incantatrix yet she's pone of the weakest characters I've created in-combat. Out-of-combat she's a beast.




My thoughts so far:
Champion of Gywnharwyf sounds interesting. A barbarian who can cast? What will they think of next?


Ultimate Magus looks nice, but Bard won't really fit her. Maybe a beguiler. After all, Int is better than Cha, and they cast mostly illusion spells anyway.


I'll have to remember Pyrokineticist next time I play a psionic character. The problem is, it would be very useful in fire-heavy campaigns, but not really otherwise.

Master Alchemist could be useful for my illusionist, since she has very little attack spells so potions can take up the slack AND she has a Dedicated Wright so the potion-making time isn't an issue.


Seeker of the song is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. I like all the extra types of music it gives. That might be a good fit for my bard.


Thaumaturgist doesn't actually add any new skills, but he's going to be using summoning a lot, which tends to be weak, so that may be useful.


Shadowbane Stalker is perfect, but yeah, combo classes in gestalt campaigns are usually frowned upon. Shadowspy is cool but he's evil. Not REALLY evil, but evil enough.