Desert Island - Pick Five Prestige Classes...

[DJroboninja]

Imagine you are going to be trapped on a desert island where you and your friends will play D&D 3.X and/or Pathfinder for eternity. But (for reasons that are beyond our mortal reckoning) you are only allowed to bring five Prestige Classes with you. PCs, NPCs, and monsters only have access to base classes and these five prestige classes for all games going forward.

Anything from D&D 3.X or Pathfinder is valid for this. Your choices can be based on the optimization potential, the flavor of the class, or any other reason. I'm just curious what everyone's "essential" prestige classes would be.

My choices (in no particular order), would be:

- Abjurant Champion
- Assassin
- Arcane Trickster
- Extreme Explorer
- Loremaster

Which five Prestige Classes would you choose?

[LoyalPaladin]

-Fist of Raziel
-Skylord
-Blood Hound
-Mystic Theurge
-Justicar

[Temotei]

Swiftblade, malconvoker, mystic theurge, eternal blade, unseen seer, probably.

Hard to choose, though.

[OldTrees1]

Non casters need the help the most. Here are my top 5 Warrior/Skillmonkey prestige classes.

Silver Key
War Mind
Scarlet Corsair
Umbral Disciple
Bloodstorm Blade
Edit: Dungeon Lord (can't forget my favorite guildmaster prestige class)
Edit: Daggerspell Mage (there was a good argument for a gish class)

[Akolbi]

Mystic Theurge
Hellknight Signifier
Arcane Trickster
Arcane Archer

the fifth can be whatever. I just really love multiclass pres

[Tarlek Flamehai]

Force Missile Mage
Hunter of the Dead
Shadow Thief of Amn
Giant Killer
Dread Pirate

[Blackhawk748]

Abjurant Champ
Daggerspell Mage
Assassin
Sandshaper
Ummmm Escalation Mage?

Honestly the only PrC i use with any frequency is Assassin.

[Zakerst]

Assassin
Hellfire Warlock
Sandshaper
Thrallheard
Master of Masks

All of these have fun "build around me" potential and I tend to like the flavor.

[ranagrande]

Abolisher
Beastmaster
Divine Oracle
Fochlucan Lyrist
Pious Templar

[Callin]

Jade Phoenix Mage
Abjurant Champion
Shadowmind
Anima Mage
Chameleon

I think I can live with that.

[Marlowe]

Abjurant Champion
Unseen Seer
Lyric Thaumaturge
Sacred Exorcist
Eldritch Disciple.:smallbiggrin:

[Thealtruistorc]

Incantatrix (so much you could do with it)
Mystic Theurge
Abjurant Champion
Master Transmorgrofist
Frenzied Berserker

Wizards are, in my opinion, the classes that benefit most from PrCing

[Venger]

Chameleon
Master Transmogrifist
Rainbow Servant
Frenzied Berserker
Ur-Priest.

[ArqArturo]

Fist of Raziel
Exalted Arcanist
Abjurant Champion
Arcane Heirophant
Chamaleon

Edit: I'm actually surprised no one said Planar Shepperd yet.

[eggynack]

Edit: I'm actually surprised no one said Planar Shepperd yet.
That's probably cause it's kinda a jerk class, maybe even more than something like incantatrix. Pretty sure there are at least five prestige classes available to druids that I'd invite over to my desert island before planar shepherd. Maybe, I dunno, moonspeaker, lion of talisid, contemplative, holt warden, and master of many forms. There's more too. Might be worth ditching one of the classes that is not moonspeaker or MoMF for something like arcane hierophant. It's a rather long list.

[ArqArturo]

That's probably cause it's kinda a jerk class, maybe even more than something like incantatrix. Pretty sure there are at least five prestige classes available to druids that I'd invite over to my desert island before planar shepherd. Maybe, I dunno, moonspeaker, lion of talisid, contemplative, holt warden, and master of many forms. There's more too. Might be worth ditching one of the classes that is not moonspeaker or MoMF for something like arcane hierophant. It's a rather long list.

That, and they would probably turn the island into a peninsula.

[torrasque666]

I love me some racial PrCs.



Warforged Juggernaut
Weretouched Master
Eternal Blade
Impure Prince
Runecarved Soldier.

[Extra Anchovies]

Acolyte of the Ego
Bereft
Brimstone Speaker
Disciple of the Word
Apostle of Peace (thought I was gonna list the one halfway-competent Truenaming PrC, didn't you?)

:wink::biggrin:

[Venger]

>competent truenaming prc

what are you talking about? no prc actually advances truenaming. PoE indicates you're talking about fiendbinder, but what would make you call it competent?

[Extra Anchovies]

>competent truenaming prc

what are you talking about? no prc actually advances truenaming. PoE indicates you're talking about fiendbinder, but what would make you call it competent?

With an Item Familiar, Fiendbinder = pet marilith, and pet marilith = good. Without an item familiar, however, you'll probably have to stick with the lower-level options (not that a pet cauchemar is bad, mind you). Not quite worth the three lost caster levels, hence the "halfway-".

[Venger]

With an Item Familiar, Fiendbinder = pet marilith, and pet marilith = good. Without an item familiar, however, you'll probably have to stick with the lower-level options (not that a pet cauchemar is bad, mind you). Not quite worth the three lost caster levels, hence the "halfway-".

I guess so? Since it requires SM4, progresses spellcasting, and doesn't advance truenaming, I'm not sure how accurate it is to call it a "truenaming class" tho.

[Jormengand]

Risen Martyr, Shining Blade of Heironeous, Disciple of the Word, probably two more truespeak ones.

I don't like most prestige classes or the concept behind the idea of a prestige class, okay?

[AnonymousPepper]

Incantatrix, Dweomerkeeper, Planar Shepherd, Ruby Knight Vindicator, Mind Mage (Dr313).

Incantatrix fulfills all your major full arcane caster needs, Dweomerkeeper's Supernatural Spell is extraordinarily useful if done right plus the other things DK gives you, Planar Shepherd lets the druid ascend to godhood, and then Ruby Knight Windicator exists for your Clr/Crusader beatsticks. And then throw on Mind Mage, which is Cerebremancer except with actual class features, for you psionics lovers out there.

[Madhava]

1. Sanctified Mind
2. Eternal Blade
3. Knight of the Sacred Seal
4. Pious Templar
5. Urban Savant

[ZamielVanWeber]

1. Divine Crusader
2. Walker in the Wastes
3. Master of Many Forms
4. Master of Shrouds
5. Sentinel of Bharrai

[Extra Anchovies]

Animal Lord (Bearlord)
Animal Lord (Birdlord)
Animal Lord (Sharklord)
Animal Lord (Snakelord)
Animal Lord (Wolflord)

What? You asked for five PrCs...

[Venger]

Animal Lord (Bearlord)
Animal Lord (Birdlord)
Animal Lord (Sharklord)
Animal Lord (Snakelord)
Animal Lord (Wolflord)

What? You asked for five PrCs...

How could you forget apelords, bearlords, catlords, and horselords?

[Extra Anchovies]

How could you forget apelords, bearlords, catlords, and horselords?

We're only allowed five PrCs. Sacrifices must be made...

[ArqArturo]

Risen Martyr, Shining Blade of Heironeous, Disciple of the Word, probably two more truespeak ones.

I don't like most prestige classes or the concept behind the idea of a prestige class, okay?

And then we nuke the island, hoping to kill the afwulness of those PrCs.

[atemu1234]

Mystic Theurge
Ur-Priest
Malconvoker
Abjurant Champion
Arcane Hierophant

[OldTrees1]

I am noticing a majority of these are caster prestige classes.

[ZamielVanWeber]

Casters = more options. Divine Crusader even lets your melees get in on the caster game!

[Kraken]

Arcane hierophant, unseen seer, mystic theurge (yes, even with arcane hierophant in the list already), ruby knight vindicator, and ur-priest. Swiftblade and abjurant champion just barely didn't make the cut. The list probably says a lot about my favorite playstyles.

[Theomniadept]

Tempest
Arcane Archer
Order of the Bow Initiate
Reaping Mauler
Lifedrinker

[OldTrees1]

Casters = more options. Divine Crusader even lets your melees get in on the caster game!

Yeah, but if you only get 5 prestige classes, are you really going to spend them on the classes that don't need help? What happens when the delirium hits and you want to play a Rogue or a Fighter?

[Blackhawk748]

Yeah, but if you only get 5 prestige classes, are you really going to spend them on the classes that don't need help? What happens when the delirium hits and you want to play a Rogue or a Fighter?

Thats why mine where Gish types, Daggerspell Mage and Abjurant Champion, and Assassin. General i dont PrC as a Fighter, i take Barbar levels.

[OldTrees1]

Thats why mine where Gish types, Daggerspell Mage and Abjurant Champion, and Assassin. General i dont PrC as a Fighter, i take Barbar levels.

That makes sense. I should add a gish PrC to my list.

[Twilightwyrm]

Eldritch Knight
Divine Crusader
Assassin
Mystic Theurge
Jade Phoenix Mage

I'd pick some more good melee PrCs, but I'm having a difficult time thinking of any that are truly necessary. Also, the last one is a bit of a selfish pick though, but I've wanted to play a Jade Phoenix Mage for so long and I'll be damned if I'm going to spend an eternity without doing so!

[Uncle Pine]

- Bloodstorm Blade
- Hulking Hurler
- Jade Phoenix Mage
- Peerless Archer
- Rainbow Servant