Any way to prestige class early?

[hector212121]

Exactly what it says on the tin. I know you can't circumvent a BAB limit but how about a skill limit? Is there some obscure rule or feat that allows you to take a extra skill rank? I have a build in mind to create a Troll-blooded Crimson Scourge, but until 8 levels of Scourge they aren't in their element. When they hit CS 8 though, watch out, you literally can't kill them.

[Necroticplague]

I've made a similar build, you can get the immunity to nonlethal by taking the Gheden template instead to only sacrifice level (since Gheden is LA+1).

That said, I do know of a feat that lets you get an extra skill rank, I've seen it used for early entry. Can't for the life of me recall the name of it.

[SangoProduction]

Exactly what it says on the tin. I know you can't circumvent a BAB limit but how about a skill limit? Is there some obscure rule or feat that allows you to take a extra skill rank? I have a build in mind to create a Troll-blooded Crimson Scourge, but until 8 levels of Scourge they aren't in their element. When they hit CS 8 though, watch out, you literally can't kill them.

You can't kill them through damage, perhaps...but as we all know, damage is the "meh" ways to kill things if you optimize for it. 8 levels for a gimick that probably won't fly with many GMs, and isn't all that powerful...Might not be the best thing.

But, Precocious Apprentice can be used to get access to classes that require second level spells...as early as level 2 (many require at least 5 ranks of some skill, so only as early as level 3, but not all).

[Urpriest]

I've made a similar build, you can get the immunity to nonlethal by taking the Gheden template instead to only sacrifice level (since Gheden is LA+1).

That said, I do know of a feat that lets you get an extra skill rank, I've seen it used for early entry. Can't for the life of me recall the name of it.

Primary Contact, from Cityscape. IIRC it's a two-feat chain, and arguably only lets you break the skill rank cap at the level you take it.

Other than that, breaking skill caps generally requires mega-cheese, usually of the "gain a bunch of HD temporarily, reassign your skill points, and then lose them" style.

Of course, plenty of PrCs don't have BAB or skill requirements, but that's not true of the one you're looking at.

[Flickerdart]

Other than that, breaking skill caps generally requires mega-cheese, usually of the "gain a bunch of HD temporarily, reassign your skill points, and then lose them" style.
One need not redistribute the skill points, merely get some loose ones (such as from Open-Minded, which you could temporarily get with Shun the Dark Chaos).

[Raishoiken]

Does your dm allow third party? If so there are a few feats i know of that increase maximum skill rank, afb atm so only one i remember is in ravenloft legacy of blood, laborious training i think it's called. The other two are from ultimate feats

[Nohwl]

for skills, you can use inspire greatness, well timed negative levels, restoration and psychic reformation to rearrange your skill points, then let inspire greatness go away and your skill points would be higher than the normal max. you could also get polymorphed into a dusk giant and do something similar.

for spells, you can use a jacobs ladder trick to enter prcs earlier than intended. something like magical training, precocious apprentice, sanctum spell, and a dragonsblood pool can get you 3rd level spells without any wizard levels. another one would be heighten spell and earth spell.

i've seen a few arguments for bloodlines being used to get bab, but i've never understood them.

[Uncle Pine]

Exactly what it says on the tin. I know you can't circumvent a BAB limit
A spellblade (Player's Guide to Faerun IIRC) keyed to Divine Power and a friendly or paid spellcaster casting Divine Power can be used to circumvent BAB requirements. A DMM persisted Divine Power lasts 24 hours, which gives you enough time to go pick a fight with something that will level you up.


but how about a skill limit?
Leech Ghost Skill (Ghostwalk, 3.0 but unupdated) can be used to circumvent skill requirements. It's a 5th level Sor/Wiz spell and as such you can pay to have it casted on you. It has a duration of 1 day/level, minimum 9 days, so it's even easier to level up while still affected by the spell.

[Kraken]

Primary contact I believe is the only option that's not from a campaign setting book (some DMs might say no to anything from Ghostwalk regardless of 3.0/3/5) which might be allowed in a real game. Outside of that, to break caps, your options are things like this: polymorph into a dusk giant (scroll or native casting is fine), and eat enough chickens to max out your HD, per their cannibalize ability. This unambiguously grants you skill points and feats. Then be killed, with someone ready to cast last breath (Spell Comp.) on you - it's basically reincarnate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/reincarnate.htm) but without level loss, but stipulating that it needs to be cast immediately upon your death. Reincarnate says you retain and skill points and feats you previously possessed. If you're feeling particularly sinister, you can repeat the process, and gain another set of skill points and feats each time you turn into a dusk giant and get reincarnated.

[Rubik]

Illithid savant allows you to steal skill ranks from others, which allows you to break the cap if you eat a creature higher level than you.

[Chronos]

Speaking of Reincarnate, it can (and usually does) break the cap all by itself, though you have to be willing to spend XP to re-earn levels.

[hector212121]

You can't kill them through damage, perhaps...but as we all know, damage is the "meh" ways to kill things if you optimize for it. 8 levels for a gimick that probably won't fly with many GMs, and isn't all that powerful...Might not be the best thing.

The other ways are solvable. There was a +4 armor enchant that deals with death effects, ability drain and so on.

Toss in Shocktrooper for Heedless Charge, and of course Robilar's gambit...

It takes that ferocious fire or whatever that always deals half damage as lethal, period, no matter what, to kill you if you stack enough immunities.

As for Gheden, the gm was uncomfortable with me starting out with this level of immunity, but tentatively agreed that I could work my way up to it.