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Xuldarinar
2014-09-08, 05:38 PM
PRESTIGIOUS BEGINNINGS
Prestige classes are normally reserved for those who have worked throughout their adventuring careers to enter them, but what if you could start off on this road? Below are a set of rules for characters wishing to take a prestige class at their 1st level.

FULFILLING REQUIREMENTS
Most prestige classes are designed with a certain level in mind to enter them, enforced by feat and skill requirements. When taking on a prestige class at 1st level, there is no time to meet the requirements before hand, instead you must work to meet them through the class.

Alignment Requirements: At creation, you must belong to a valid alignment.
Race Requirements: At creation, you must belong to a valid race.
Skill Requirements: At each character level, if your prestige class has skill requirements, you must spend at least one skill point on each skill that is normally required prior to entering the class until you meet that prerequisite.
Feat Requirements: At each character level, until you meet all feat prerequisites, you must take the feats listed as prerequisites to the prestige class. If you do not meet a prerequisite to one based on level, skill, or a related issue then you must take the feat when you do and must make every effort to meet the feat's prerequisites. If you do not meet a prerequisite to a feat based on low ability score, you cannot enter the prestige class. For example; you must have at least 13 Dexterity in order to become a Duelist or a Shadowdancer.
Weapon/Armor Proficiency: Unless you are required to be proficient with an exotic weapon, which would be counted then as a feat requirement, you are considered proficient with all weapon and armor prerequisites listed for the prestige class. For example; Eldritch Knights are considered proficient with all martial weapons.
Language Requirements: At creation you must select the required language. This can be from automatic languages, bonus languages, or by spending a skill point into linguistics.
Spellcasting: Classes that have spellcasting requirements typically advance spellcasting. If you are required to know certain spells, you must select them when they become available. If you are required to know a certain number of spells of a specific school, subtype, ect. you must select them at first opportunity as spells known, in lieu of other spells.
Special: This depends upon the nature of what the special requirement is.
For ones that require advancement in another class feature that the class itself would require, such as Sneak Attack for the Arcane Trickster, ignore it.
For ones that require the character to have done something, such as killing someone for no other reason to become an assassin for the Assassin, assume the character had already done it.
For ones that require a class feature and advance the class feature, treat them as having the class feature.
For ones that require a class feature and the class feature is neither acquired through the class nor required for any of it's class features, ignore it.
For ones that require a class feature and the class has class features that require the perquisite class feature, but do not advance it, then the character may not enter this class.
For ones that require directly state that they require levels in a specific class, the character may not enter this class at 1st level.

CLASS FEATURES
All class features within a prestige class work as normal, except as follows:

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: If no proficiencies are listed, then the prestige class provides proficiency with simple weapons, along with any weapons or armor listed as prerequisites to the prestige class if any.

Spellcasting: If the prestige class advances casting then at each level it advances casting, treat them as gaining one level in a valid spellcasting class. For a spellcasting class to be valid it must be eventually capable of entering the class (if there are any specific spell known requirements or casting type requirements) and the class must advance its form of casting. For example; bard, sorcerer and wizard casting are all valid options for the Arcane Archer class, but wizard is not a valid option for the Dragon Disciple class.
Mystic Theurges follow a special rule regarding this: They must select one spellcasting class to be their primary spellcasting class from which they gain their spells per day, and a secondary spellcasting class. Their secondary spellcasting class's spells can only be prepared in the primary spellcasting class's slots via Combined Spells. To their benefit, they gain bonus spells for high ability score for both classes provided they use different ability scores. For example: a Cleric/Sorcerer Mystic Theurge gains bonus spells from Wisdom and from Charisma, but an Oracle/Sorcerer Mystic Theurge gains bonus spells from only Charisma.


END OF THE ROAD
Unlike other types of classes, unfortunately, most prestige classes end at 10th level. As such they are left with a choice; Enter a new prestige class, or enter a base class. If they wish to enter a base class, they can with no penalty. If they enter the base class that provided their spellcasting, each level in the base class advances their spellcasting. If they wish to enter a new prestige class, they must meet it's prerequisite's normally.