Prestige classes in E6

[Aurosman]

We are allowed to choose prestige classes for our starting class as long as we get the requirements by 6th level. I was thinking about the idea of playing a pyrokinetcist. The only drawback to this is that it doesnt gain any powers like a normal psion would get.

Would allowing the pyrokinetcist power progression like the psion make the character overpowered at all?

Also would doing this for some other prestige classes make them playable for game types like E6?

Newish to the game and haven't really played around with many prestige classes yet.

[Drakevarg]

I've been toying around with how to handle prestige classes in E6 myself, and the solution I came up with was gestalting. It retains one of the core intents of E6 - putting a hard cap on HD and derived stats, while allowing for an ever-expanding array of talents. E6 doesn't expand up, it expands out.

Of course, this still caps the prestige classes to 6 levels or less, but I think it's a pretty fair tradeoff for being able to push the entire point of E6 like that. The general rule of thumb I've heard for gestalting with E6 is that while each new feat after 6 costs 5000 xp, a new gestalt level costs 10,000.

[Crake]

We are allowed to choose prestige classes for our starting class as long as we get the requirements by 6th level. I was thinking about the idea of playing a pyrokinetcist. The only drawback to this is that it doesnt gain any powers like a normal psion would get.

Would allowing the pyrokinetcist power progression like the psion make the character overpowered at all?

Also would doing this for some other prestige classes make them playable for game types like E6?

Newish to the game and haven't really played around with many prestige classes yet.

Allowing it to gain powers as a psion makes it a pure upgrade over the psion. Even allowing it to get powers as a psychic warrior would be stepping on the psychic warrior's toes. Perhaps if you gave them half the power progression of a psychic warrior or psion, that might be fine.


I've been toying around with how to handle prestige classes in E6 myself, and the solution I came up with was gestalting. It retains one of the core intents of E6 - putting a hard cap on HD and derived stats, while allowing for an ever-expanding array of talents. E6 doesn't expand up, it expands out.

Of course, this still caps the prestige classes to 6 levels or less, but I think it's a pretty fair tradeoff for being able to push the entire point of E6 like that. The general rule of thumb I've heard for gestalting with E6 is that while each new feat after 6 costs 5000 xp, a new gestalt level costs 10,000.

I've been running a similar sort of thing, though for prestige classes I do a similar thing to Aurosman, allowing prestige classes to be taken at 1st level, but require them to pick up any feats and skills needed as requirements before hitting 6. As for gestalting, I run a 1 feat = 1 gestalt level rule, but once you hit 6//6 gestalt, you're forever treated as an ECL 7 character, meaning slower xp gains in the future, and once you start gestalting you HAVE to finish, no half gestalting.

[ShurikVch]

Note: you may qualify for the Kineticist (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20030328b) at 2nd level by blowing up a pile of gold (i. e. casting of Mental Pinnacle (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/spells/mentalPinnacle.htm))
This way you will get Energized Touch, Energize Weapon, Energy Lash, Energy Barrier, Bolt of Energy, Energy Breath, 3/5 manifesting progression, and 5/5 psicrystal progression

[Crake]

Note: you may qualify for the Kineticist (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20030328b) at 2nd level by blowing up a pile of gold (i. e. casting of Mental Pinnacle (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/spells/mentalPinnacle.htm))
This way you will get Energized Touch, Energize Weapon, Energy Lash, Energy Barrier, Bolt of Energy, Energy Breath, 3/5 manifesting progression, and 5/5 psicrystal progression

I suspect casting a 6th level spell is out of the scope of an e6 game.

[ShurikVch]

I suspect casting a 6th level spell is out of the scope of an e6 game.Make a sacrifice, use the Wish to duplicate Mental Pinnacle?

[Chronikoce]

Make a sacrifice, use the Wish to duplicate Mental Pinnacle?

People play E6 to reduce power level and the scope of the game. Any player intentially trying to circumvent the entire point of E6 is probably not welcome in such a game would be my guess.

[Wasum]

I added PrCs via feat chains. E.g. arcane trickster was emulated by 2 or 3 feats, the first one needing SA and arcane spellcasting which added one step of spell progression, the second adding one die of SA and the third providing some kind of arcane trickster class feature.


Edit: I just looked it up!


First feat

Preq: level 1 spells, SA +1d6
Ben: Impromptu Sneak Attack (as arcane trickster)


Second feat

Preq: Level 2 spells or 2d6 sneak attack, first feat
Ben: +1d6 SA


Third feat

Preq: Second feat
Ben: one additional level in spell progression (up to HD)