(DnD 5e) Prestige Classes

[Mackatrin]

How do you do them right?

Reason I ask, is because I am like most of you, quite accustom to 3.5 as it is my most played edition. I got ahold of 5e as soon as it came out, with the MM DMG and PHB. Thing I was always excited for with 5e before getting it, was prestige classes. I've always used them in homebrew or from official, as positions you get when joining an organization. Pretty much, something to aspire to.

ShadowBane Inquisitor is my favorite Prestige class, as it mixes everything I love. And thus, I would use it in a campaign in 3.5 where you join an organization as a Neophyte and are now secretly traveling with your party without their knowledge of your organization, you create a distraction to destroy all evil artifacts and such, it was great and created great RP.

5e, my issue is that UA touched on Prestige classes, but never really gave me the "feeling" I got with 3.5, as they are much easier to obtain and didn't really give a good guide on how to do them, as I feel that Archtypes are just 5es Prestige class. My main question is, how do you give it that same feel, without just making it an archtype or easy to get.

The only thing I could think of, was I was going to homebrew a Knight class, which was only obtainable if a King/Emperor granted it to you and the skills you get would be very social based, while also having afew combat skills (granted, I haven't gotten very far on designing it as I don't know how to properly use Prestige Classes)

[Arcangel4774]

As a dm you could have players o ly be able to become a given subclass sbould tbey do certain quests, otberwise their subclass abillities are withheld. Of course to do sometning in tbis manner requires work between dm and players so that the dm can prepare relevent quests

[Arkhios]

A prestige class modeled after 3.5 in 5e terms would add a needless layer of complexity and fiddly parts to play with. The 3.5's big problem was exactly that: complexity and fiddly parts.

In 5th, iconic prestige classes from 3.5 have been made into sub-classes (Arcane Trickster, Assassin, and Eldritch Knight, to name a few). If you want a specific prestige class to 5th, consider which base class would be best fit, and homebrew a sub-class in the prestige class' image.

If you want that "prestige class" with a class other than it's base class, just multiclass as normal. (Taking Prestige Classes was basically to multiclass anyway, why make it any more complex than that?)

Also, as SCAG showed us, designers deem it alright if some sub-classes have a limited access, in one way or the other. Blade Singer being elves-only and battlerager being dwarves-only. Similarly, you could add a limit like that to any other sub-class.

Becoming a Purple Dragon Knight could require affiliation with the order, becoming a warlock (via multiclass) could require meeting the patron or its representative, etc.

In our games, everyone who wish to multiclass require finding a willing mentor of the said class. We also enforce the optional rule from DMG to require training to advance in level (because it breaks immersion of a living world if you just level up in the instant you reach enough XP).

[DanyBallon]

If you want to emulate a prestige class that is tied to an organization, you could set threshold and as the character progress upward in the organization, you just give him appropriate boon.

But I would stay away from trying to implement prestige classes as it was in 3.X, as, most of the time, are better done through class archetype.

[Spacehamster]

For 5e I would as a DM simple make prestige class from as you said joining a faction be couple of once per long rest abilities gained and gain more the higher rank or smthn like that.

[Unoriginal]

Trying to recapture a 3.X feel in 5e is kind of ill-advised, because the systems' "feels" are pretty different and trying to get one with the other would be clunky.


For a Prestige Class, as mentioned by others, the DM could give a Boon to the PC that'll give them the appropriate power once they're high-ranked enough in the organisation.

[Anonymouswizard]

The short answer is that prestige classes in 5e represented two things.

1) A nonstandard set of abilities. This is how most players treated them, and is completely subsumed by subclasses.

2) Membership in an organisation. This is much better to do separately from the class system, giving boons as you reach certain ranks.

For example:

Dragonlayer's Guild
What, you thought all those half breeds arose naturally? No sir, it is our job to fill the world with interesting half breeds.
Initiate: you are recognised as a dragonlayer. Creatures interested in experimentation may occasionally seek you out.
Member: you have successfully past the test of depravity. You get advantage on all persuasion checks with monsters as long as you are holding flowers or a box of chocolates.
Master: you have gained the right to stand amongst the highest of the high. You can cast charm monster once per short rest with a duration of 'concentration, but to one night'.

[Pelle]

For mechanical stuff, you could make a (scaling?) Feat. For organisation status etc., just roleplay...

[Joe the Rat]

Ease of access...
If you look at PrC requirements from 3.5, it was all about hoops. You need x-level of an ability(BAB, spellcasting,etc), ranks in skills, specific feats or class abilities, count as a specific race, and occasionally a roleplay hoop. You simply don't have that sort of build fiddliness in 5e. So by nature they will be easier to achieve... from the build side. It's the experience/roleplay elements that become more controlling.


But what are you wanting to do?

If it's a PrC that's really meant for one class... then make it a subclass. That's what they're there for. The Foucalt... Fornyx... Fakakta Lyricist is pretty much all about the Bard. Hellfire Warlock? It's in the name. Exotic Weapon Master? Nope. That could be anyone.

If it's a 3-5 level piece that anyone with the req's can do - consider making it a strong feat or 2-feat sequence with specific requirements. These PrCs generally fell in line with "Keep advancing as a martial/caster/whatever, and add some abilities." Stopping for a feat saves you the trouble of building "keep on fightering" into it. I am personally okay with giving harder-to-achieve feats more oomph than the standard feat, if you need to meet some combination of: Race, Attribute, proficiencies, class-related ability (spellcasting, extra attack, ritual casting, ki, superiority dice, etc.), character level (seriously, nothing wrong with Advanced abilities), having another feat, and in-game events (must do this, approach this person, have this boon, have this rank in your Organization, etc.)

If you're thinking about a full 10-level, anyone with this set of traits can get it class - Do something akin to the UA PrCs - five levels of a PrC, with level 4 having the ASI among other things. You can set the requirements as tightly or broadly as possible. Again, I prefer setting to having certain features or abilities (or lack of abilities) rather than specific classes. But the catch here is you are looking for something that can't be done by multiclassing into another class. Are you adding superiority dice and battle master techniques? Why not multiclass fighter, or take the marital adept Feat? Are you adding "advanced" techniques that the battle master does not have? That's a potential concept (especially since said Feat gives any class a way to enter).

Why 5 levels? This is Prestige, not "alternate version of levels 8-18 for class type X" You aren't spending a bunch of levels carefully arranging your advancement to get to the actual class you want to play. You are getting something special as an add-on to whatever you are already. So what if the capstone abilities you want fit better in higher-tier play? Set a higher admission price. Or set a requirement for certain levels within the class. You can't advance past 2nd level until you reach a certain overall character level, or have spell slots of a certain level, or have a minimum proficiency bonus (which is essentially saying having a specific level).

[Arkhios]

The Foucalt... Fornyx... Fakakta Lyricist is pretty much all about the Bard.

I believe you mean Fochlucan Lyrist :smallbiggrin: