What is your favorite prestige class?

[Inevitability]

Exactly What It Says On The Tin (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin).

Mine is Mystic Theurge. No matter how poorly designed, this class holds a soft spot in my heart. I think it is the almost poetic simplicity of combining everything two classes would normally gain. That, and the ability to cheese it into giving you 9th-level spells for two classes.

[Eldariel]

Eternal Blade is fun. Solid abilities, very engaging gameplay with a variety of build paths available and plays into certain very classic fantasy archetypes (and Link).

[Tvtyrant]

Chameleon, hands down. Basically the "do anything you want" class.

[DigoDragon]

Never had a character who got far enough to qualify for one, but I've always wanted to try an Eldritch Disciple. Seemed like an interesting mix of cleric and warlock.

[eggynack]

Non-druid would probably be rune-scarred berserker, just because a barbarian with an AMF is the greatest thing ever. Druid is likely moonspeaker, because it just provides for such a different character than the norm for druids, though I do have a personal fondness for a good holt warden dip.

[Dread_Head]

My favourite prestige class has to be Swiftblade (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070327), it's just so cool.

My other favourites are all gishes or skill gishes so Unseen Seer, Abjurant Champion, Arcane Trickster, Bone Knight, ordained champion etc.

[Inevitability]

My favourite prestige class has to be Swiftblade (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070327), it's just so cool.


Seems interesting. The prerequisites though... Why would you spend all of your 3rd-level spells on Haste? :smallsigh:

[Vorandril]

I think I have to go with Dragon Ascendant. I'll get there some day.

[lytokk]

Mine would be arcane archer. I love the fluff of the class. It's the first prestige class I ever went for with a character in my irate game ever of dnd. The problem is once I got there I realized just how bad the class was. Course now that dusk blades exist all it takes is a lenient dm to allow their arcane channelling to work with ranged attacks at the cost of a feat.

[White Blade]

Master of Many Forms! Wildshape on Steroids! No magic! Totally boss.

[Ingus]

Mine is Chameleon.
It is not because of the combat versatility, but for the real core of it: infiltration.
I had a character starting as middle age cleric, then vanish, to be substituted by a queer bard, then again substituted by a smiling, sympatethic paladin, who dying (it was the excuse to change again) uttered my very best last words for a PC.
Then again, he was in line again, as a ranger.

The other side of the coin, i.e. power, is the Thrallherd.
He had me laughing mainacal laughs for all the evil it allow you to get unpunished with.

[Dread_Head]

Seems interesting. The prerequisites though... Why would you spend all of your 3rd-level spells on Haste? :smallsigh:

It's not that bad, Haste is a good spell in pretty much all combat situations. It cuts down on versatility for one level but if you're going into Swiftblade then you aren't really building for versatility. It's less painful if you enter as a Sorcerer or Bard as you'll only know Haste (and maybe one other spell)

[J-H]

My favourite prestige class has to be Swiftblade (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070327), it's just so cool.

My other favourites are all gishes or skill gishes so Unseen Seer, Abjurant Champion, Arcane Trickster, Bone Knight, ordained champion etc.

Wow, I'd never heard of the Swiftblade class. I don't think it's on a lot of the PRC lists. It's actually pretty decent for a non-Duskblade gish. Since Haste is an area buff, it's pretty good for the rest of the party, too.

[Red Fel]

My usual favorites have already been mentioned, so I'm going to go with an unusual choice: Storm Sentry, from Dragonmarked.

Dragonmarks are, by and large, flavorful but not particularly optimized; they give you a once daily shot of power. Storm Sentry takes the simplest of these (Least Dragonmark of Storm (Gust of Wind)) and turns it into a functional and somewhat potent ability.

Access to the class is frighteningly easy; you can make it in by level 5 with minimal effort. The most important thing the class does is to give you extra uses of your Gust of Wind SLA. The second most important thing is to boost the CL of that SLA. And the next most important thing is to give you all sorts of additional uses of your Gust of Wind and other Dragonmark powers (if any).

It takes a single 1/day SLA and gives it a host of functionality, including Feather Fall, Shield, a ranged bull rush, and the ability to charge a weapon with the Shocking or Shocking Burst quality.

If we can pick a second choice, I'd go with Frostrager. It's just a really awesome choice for an unarmed Barbarian build. (Combine with Fist of the Forest to make DMs cry.)

[Amphetryon]

Anima Mage, Jade Phoenix Mage, and High Elemental Binder are all pretty high up on my list, even though there are generally stronger options available.

Frostrager seems like it would be lots of fun.

[DeAnno]

War Hulk. It enables a certain style of character and nothing else in the game is really like it.

[torrasque666]

Given my love of Warforged, I will find some way to cram Juggernaut into almost all of my builds.

[Forrestfire]

I love the Swiftblade, which was already mentioned, but I think my favorite prestige class is probably the Force Missile Mage. Magic Missile is one of my favorite spells, for its sheer simplicity, and FMM is the Magic Missile user. They also get a lot of really neat stuff, like immediate action shields and the like. It's almost worth the 4/5 casting. This sort of spell-spamming mage is my favorite, mental image-wise. Love me some Itano Circus.

[.Zero]

Aside from power issues, my favourites are, Warshaper, Telflammar Shadowlord, Shadowcraft Mage, Thrallherd and Planar Shepherd. The latter two are well known insane, and i don't think i'll never play one, but their fluff made me fall in love. And yes, the raw power they give to you is also appealing.

[Biotroll]

Geometer from Complete Arcane. It's not gamebreaking or anything, but I really like the flavor. The image of wizard drawing some geomterical thingies in air only to trap you in forcecage or to cast maze is awesome. Also, I saw someone combine it with Wild Mage to make his spellbook full of fractals nobody could understand.

[Ingus]

@Red Fel: what are your mentioned favourite?

@Biotroll: I really like the image too :smallsmile:

[Forrestfire]

Oh yeah, Geometer is awesome. My mages' spell thematics-type stuff generally follows that sort of image anyway, too. Just an awesome image.

[Drelua]

I've never gotten to play one, but I think my favourite prestige class is the PF Elocater (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/elocater). I love the idea of going into it as a Psychic Warrior and being this guy with long, sharp claws, walking along the wall, perpendicular to everyone else, as if the idea of gravity only going in one direction, down, never really occurred to him.

[atemu1234]

I'm that guy. Illithid Savant.

[(Un)Inspired]

I'm a pretty huge fan of Sublime Chord. It's a class dedicated to studying the liberal arts quadrivium. AND doing so unlocks awesome magical power.

In a similar bardic vein, I'm quite partial to the Fochlucan Lyrist and it's little brother from Dragon Mag, the Green Whisperer. Druid spell casting combined with bardic spell casting and music gives a character so many cool options.

[Red Fel]

@Red Fel: what are your mentioned favourite?

Well, Eternal Blade and Moonspeaker were mentioned, and I love the stuffing out of those classes.

Mostly, I just wanted to mention favorites of mine that I figured people wouldn't mention. Sure, lots of people love Thrallherd, but where's the love for the Ironsoul Forgemaster?

Speaking of, Ironsoul Forgemaster. Handbook's in my sig. Awesome class. Be a craftsman who isn't an Artificer. Make weapons and armor that are a part of your soul. Seriously, this class is awesome and utterly under-appreciated.

[erok0809]

My favorites are probably the Archmage, Sand Shaper, and Wild Mage. They're just very cool. I like magic.

[sideswipe]

survivor because go commoners!

[Harrow]

Most of my favorites have already been mentioned. Chameleon, Force Missile Mage, Ironsoul Forgemaster, Unseen Seer, Sandshaper.

But a few haven't been mentioned. Umbral Disciple from Magic of Incarnum gets 24/7 miss chance and Hide in Plane Sight from the 3rd level of the class. Geomancers hurt from requiring dual casting but only advancing single, but even with that Spell Versatility is just so useful I can't help but try and build things to abuse it.

And the one I see come up least often, Unbound Scroll. It reduces the gold and XP cost when making scrolls, explicitly stacking with Extraordinary and Legendary Artisan feats in the best possible way. From there, it gives you extra uses of your Least Dragon Mark and then lets you spend those uses to increase a scrolls caster level, apply metamagic to it, increase the save DC, or, as a capstone, just make a copy of the scroll (assuming no XP cost or expensive material components). It can be feat intensive, as the power of the bonuses depends on the power of the dragonmark you use, so it can be tempting to spend feats on dragonmarks, then more feats on more dragonmark uses, Artificers are probably going to miss their craft XP reserve, and it only advances 4/5 casting, but I just love the idea of sitting on a mountain of scrolls big enough that you need to buy some mules and a wagon just to carry your filing cabinets.

[Karnith]

I love both True Necromancer and Yathrinshee. I just wish they were good. :smallfrown:
Yes, yes, CL-stacking. They're still terrible
As to a PrC that I would actually recommend using, Divine Oracle ranks up there for me; it fits in with the image of the magical sage and provides abilities that are good but not unbalanced. Or, casting being casting, no more unbalanced than the class used to get into it, anyway.

[Deicidal1]

It's a three-way tie between Hellreaver, Soul Eater, and Mindbender.

Hellreaver, not only for it's awesome capstone ability, but for the flavor of going into a divine rage and annihilating all devils/demons you see.

Soul Eater because negative levels are fun, as are armies of wights.

Mindbender because it's so deliciously fun to get into the heads of everyone around you and push them to do thing they normally wouldn't do, or just simply dominate them if you resist. It's the perfect class for that cunning, master manipulator BBEG.

[oldkingkoal]

Singer of Concordance.
I like kobolds (a dragon blooded race) and Io is my fav D&D deity. It just fits.
So I like it mainly for the flavor, but its really not too shabby as a class.

[FidgetySquirrel]

Oddly enough, I kind of like the duelist. Is it particularly useful? Not really. But I guess I don't care. The fact that by using AC bonuses and spamming combat expertise you can multiclass rogue/ninja/duelist and end up only getting hit by a great wyrm on a natural 20 just makes me giggle.

[Vorandril]

Soul Eater because negative levels are fun, as are armies of wights.


I only wish I could play a game where a DM let me use that class. *wistful sigh*

[WhamBamSam]

Singer of Concordance.
I like kobolds (a dragon blooded race) and Io is my fav D&D deity. It just fits.
So I like it mainly for the flavor, but its really not too shabby as a class.Dragons automatically qualify for it due to a poorly written rule in RotD. So a dragonwrought kobold or steel dragon or whatever doesn't need to meet the prereqs, up to and including the worship of Io. I really like Singer of Concordance as a 2 level dip to get full casting (doesn't even have to be divine) and the bonus domain, which is then either traded out for one that your actual deity grants via the Substitute Domain spell, or for the corresponding devotion feat (generally knowledge, travel, or strength).

Only big favorites I can think of that haven't been mentioned yet are Ur-Priest and Knight of the Sacred Seal.

I also like my Ur-Priests, especially gishy ones who want Knowledge Devotion or followers of dead gods who might be able to take advantage of Substitute Domain shenanigans to take the Singer of Concordance dip. Stealing power from the gods is one thing. Stealing power specifically from Io himself is another thing entirely.

EDIT:

I only wish I could play a game where a DM let me use that class. *wistful sigh*It's much less powerful, but still usable if you take the more restrictive interpretation that its Energy Drain is a standard action touch attack and that you can't just drain levels on a full attack. If you have some other means of bestowing negative levels (Death Devotion, Enervation, Fell Drain shenanigans, Shadow Dragon/Half Shadow Dragon Breath, etc.) then Soul Eater 1 is useful for qualifying for various feats in Libris Mortis that make negative levels worse for the enemy and/or better for you. They have Energy Drain as a prereq, but you only have to bestow negative levels to trigger them.

[Twilightwyrm]

I'd say certainly Jade Phoenix Mage, although tragically I have yet to be able to play one. This being said, I like the combination of Maneuvers and Spell casting, the ability to Immolate and bring yourself back from the brink of death, and the other class features. Hell, I even like the fluff of the class, being a reincarnation of an order of eternal protectors of the world. Fits the "Phoenix" theme quite nicely.

[Zanos]

Weretouched Master before Errata ruined it. Werebear with a greatsword? Fun times.

[Leviting]

I've never gotten to play one, but I think my favourite prestige class is the PF Elocater (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/elocater). I love the idea of going into it as a Psychic Warrior and being this guy with long, sharp claws, walking along the wall, perpendicular to everyone else, as if the idea of gravity only going in one direction, down, never really occurred to him.

I had never seen the Pathfinder version of the Elocator before, and now the idea of a crazy teleporting psion flying at high speeds, defying the wrong gravity and successfully flanking from the wrong direction, is just too awesome not to think about.

[CIDE]

Even with all of its crunch issues I still love the Shadow sun ninja. But I'm also partial to unarmed characters and classes. Makes me sad that the only real classes in first party PF is just the monk for building all that.

[PraxisVetli]

Black Blood Cultist, its just so much fun. Currently playing a Feral Shadowalker Poison Dusk Lizardfolk going into BBC and Telflammar. Its Awesome!
Also, Hellreaver. That capstone, blowing creatures up, yes please, may I have another?
One Moar Thing!
Another +1 to Swiftblade, that class is sick!!
One Moarer Thing.
Bloodstorm Blade. Because as a dip or a full 10 levels, that class is awesome.

[.Zero]

Why doesn't someone make a popularity table?

[Gorfnod]

Man reading through this really brought back some good memories, Eternal Blade, Sand Shaper, Master of Many Forms, and Shadowcraft Mage are easily some of my favs but number one has got to be Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil. I just LOVE prismatic spells.

[IAmTehDave]

Soulbow and Illumine Soul with a lenient DM to allow soulknives to not suck (allowing all/most DMG weapon properties, etc.) and you become an undead killing machine (every attack you make with your mind blade is Undeadbane, can choose Holy as a weapon special...)

I actually really like the idea of Fist of the Forest. I kind of wish more effective monk UAS increases stacked (Fist of the Forest/Frostrager/Bear Warrior would be a scary mofo) but just the idea of a primal warrior is appealing to me.

I've wanted to play a Master of Shrouds ever since I picked up Libris Mortis. Summon incorporeal undead X/day, free extra rebuking, (can be converted to divine feats) still 3/4 BAB and you only lose 1 cleric casting level. Combine with Thaumaturgist for extra shenanigans. You can get around the doubled Augment Summoning feat (you need the feat for entry into Master of Shrouds, but gain it as a bonus feat in Thaumaturgist) with a somewhat non-exploitative usage of Dark Chaos Shuffle, or retrain it.

I have to add my vote to a couple already mentioned:

Hellreaver looks and sounds like a lot of fun, and is so chock full of flavor it puts some kids' breakfast cereals to shame.

Master of Many Forms takes wildshape and runs with it forever. One thing of note: Evershifting form gives you the shapechanger subtype, which I think means you can wildshape at will? At worst, 5 levels of Warshaper mean that you're in Wild Shape all day, don't need to spend another use to change, and get to hold on to 10-11 uses of Wild Shape to power Wild feats.

Shadowbane Inquisitor: Sneak Attack Paladin. WHAT.

Edit:

I had never seen the Pathfinder version of the Elocator before, and now the idea of a crazy teleporting psion flying at high speeds, defying the wrong gravity and successfully flanking from the wrong direction, is just too awesome not to think about.
DSP seems to have gotten Psionics so right that I kind of want to use their psionics systems in any game I run/play from now on.

[ace rooster]

Never gotten to play any of them but one of malconvoker, demonologist or stormlord.

Malconvoker and demonologist I like the image of, and arrow demons are just so useful when you need an army of archers. Malconvoker gives you that army. Demonologist allows you to get them from summon monster 2! That lesser rod of repeat spell sees much use from them, and pearls of power are fantastic. Also a wand of bestow greater curse is funny, even if the save is really low (16). Demonologist gives up too much to be good, but could be fun anyway. Fiendish Crocodiles everywhere!

Stormlord I want to try because I feel that control winds is a massively powerful spell, particularly if it is already a bit windy. Even if it is calm to start you can completely shut down all ranged attacks in a massive area, and all spellcasters will be having to make concentration checks. They will pass most of them, but cannot take 10, and a modifier of +25 is rare (for NPCs). Fortitude saves for everyone, every round, for the next hour and a half, averaging 6 nonlethal damage on a fail. Even if they only fail on a 1 that averages 270 damage. Stormlord seems the thematic way to build a caster around it, while excluding yourself from the effects.

[AMFV]

Sentinel of Bharrai. It has easy requirements and can advance any sort of casting. It's got really interesting fluff and a mixture of somewhat bad, and partially okay abilities.

[Melcar]

the 3.0 version of Archmage! Or perhaps the Olin Gisir!

[TypoNinja]

Demon Wrecker, amazing 5 level class for Clerics.

Geomancer in a close second, not for features, for the drift. Its awesome flavour.

[Toliudar]

Malconvoker is fun, but oh, the paperwork!

A single level of Mindbender makes its way onto most of my arcane builds, just because telepathy is so, so useful.

And Psion Uncarnate: play a ghost without all the muss and fuss of dying.

[arclance]

Fist of the Forest, Bloodstorm Blade, Abjurant Champion, Battle Trickster/Uncanny Trickster, Exemplar, Exotic Weapon Master, Master Thrower

Fist of the Forest is good by itself but it shines more if your running into unreliable item availablillity from your DM.
Full BAB, Con to AC, Fast Movement (+10 ft. Untyped Bonus), Uncanny Dodge, Unarmed Strike Counts as Magic for DR if it did not already, Unarmed Damge Bump, and a Rage-Like ability that boosts DEX and Unarmed Damge.
All in two levels.

[Eighthling]

Pyrokineticist is awesome. Love the special entry requirement:
"Must have set fire to a structure of any size just to watch it burn"

[caimbuel]

Cerebermancer (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/cerebremancer) the ability to control relatity on both sides, and psion stop gaps most of the Wizards disadvantages.:smallcool:

[Yael]

I don´t know why, but I love the Flayerspawn Psychic... Don't ask...

Also, Chameleon and Ethernal Blade (Hey! Listen!)

Another point for Beholder Mage and Illithid Savant (I just love aberrations yaknow?

[DMVerdandi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyzV1SMGKw0
Tainted scholar +Alienist.
Time to get weird

Great for a caster who just saw some s**t, and came back different. And different isn't good. It's necronomicon/nyarlhotep level kinds of horrible.
Yeah, the greatest cool :smallcool: