Favorite PrC and why?

[Aleolus]

OK, so I have an opinion question for you all. What Prestige Class would you all say is the most enjoyable to play, and why?

Please note, I said enjoyable. It doesn't have to be powerful, it doesn't have to be high-tier, hell, it doesn't even have to be all that useful, as long as it's one you have a lot of fun with.

**EDIT** Also, just to make certain everyone is on the same page here, official published books only, no DNDWiki or third party books.

[liquidformat]

I think my favorite PRC is Primeval, I really like bruisers and I also really like shapeshifting it is just all around a fun choice. Doesn't hurt that it is pretty good especially paired with Fist of the Forest.

I also really like Fiendbinder it is just really cool to play King Solomon!

[Particle_Man]

Sapphire Heirarch is very flavourful, and I like how it handles split class advancement. I also like how it turns the usual alignment battle sideways. And come on, they venerate a talking giant rock that predicts the future! That is just precious! :smallsmile:

I also think that Malconvoker is a fun ”trust me, I know what I’m doing!” class. Summoning fiends through trickery! What could possibly go wrong! :smallsmile:

Strictly for flavour, I like the Green Star Adept. The pursuit of immortality through eating green rocks is not for the faint of heart. Or stomach.

[high speed]

Frenzied Berserker
Rage+ Frenzy= Goodness
Rage+ Frenzy+ Power Attack=:smallbiggrin:

just basic math:smalltongue:

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Weretouched Master. Takes what's cool about being a Shifter and cranks it up a few notches. Stronger/more natural weapons, scent, bonus [Shifter] feats, and powerful thematic abilities. Even with the errata nerfing the capstone into oblivion, it's still an effective, flavorful, and fun class.

[Cerefel]

I think Chameleon is pretty cool! Very flavorful, very flexible, and has enough spellcasting to make sure you stay relevant even when you're goofing around pretending to be a new character every day.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Illithid savant is my favorite, just due to being able to devour any racial ability or capstone of any class I want. Combines insanely well with devouring legacy champion to eat entire classes at once.

I also love the 3.5 constructor (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b). I get so much mileage out of the astral construct power it's ridiculous. Even better with access to Linked Power, so I don't have to spend an entire turn manifesting it.

[Luccan]

I know it's far from the optimal choice for a gish PrC, but Spellsword was the first class I saw that at least somewhat supported what I wanted to do: cast Wizard/Sorcerer spells in Full Plate. It's far from ideal even for that, but I was also inspired by the channel spell feature, which let you sword fight with spells. It remains my favorite PrC on pure concept

[Particle_Man]

One I haven't tried but want to is the Swift Wing. It gets you supernatural wings (good maneuverability) at will that just . . . go through your armour and clothing, no problem, and let you fly in heavy armour (though not with a heavy load, so be strong!). Not super powerful as you lose two caster levels, but it sounds like fun (a servant of the faith with a dragon motif!). I might try loading up on some draconic feats with it one day, as you get draconic senses for free and with three other draconic feats that gets you blindsense 20.

[Another Handle]

I think Chameleon is pretty cool! Very flavorful, very flexible, and has enough spellcasting to make sure you stay relevant even when you're goofing around pretending to be a new character every day.

I like Chameleon too. If you ignore the tricksy flavor, it makes for a fantastic well rounded adventurer. A jack of all trades, without being a Bard. A Factotum with more staying power. Its the Mario class for the Mario race. Besides, that floating feat is great for crafting. Especially with the classic Warlock build.

[Nifft]

Anima Mage.

You get all the flavor of a Binder, but at a more tolerable power-level.

[liquidformat]

Sapphire Heirarch is very flavourful, and I like how it handles split class advancement. I also like how it turns the usual alignment battle sideways. And come on, they venerate a talking giant rock that predicts the future! That is just precious! :smallsmile:
42!

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for blade bravo they are just fabulous even if they are under powered.

[martixy]

Fan of body horror, so for me the Fleshwarper. Warshaper in second place.

At least flavor-wise. If I'm being honest, the ones I like the most are some of the homebrew classes I've made. A couple (though not all) are in my sig.

[RNightstalker]

Fortune's Friend from Complete Scoundrel...having those luck rerolls can almost be imbalancing...thankfully the DM let me go waaaay beyond the limit on how many I could use for one roll...I had a streak of bad luck from a finger of death attack...took like 6 rolls to pass lol.

[Jazath]

My all-time favorite is The Archmage. Always try to take it when playing a wizard, I find it a great place. It's abilities are a great way to augment your spells. And shows who is the big boy in a group of wizards. You can say your a mage, but only the best can say they're an archmage!

[Darg]

Enlightened Spirit. I wouldn't touch the class as is with a universe spanning pole, but warlock is one of my favorite classes. The transformation from using fiendish power into using more good side versions of the same power is such a thematic reversal. It's also fun coming up with "lightside" invocations with the same balance as the "darkside" versions.

[Rebel7284]

I enjoyed swiftblade because miss chance is fun! Never got high enough in level to use the perpetual options though.

[Palanan]

I love Arcane Hierophant. I like theurges in general, and AH was perfect for a druid/wizard build I was running.

I also like the Swanmay and Holt Warden, mainly for flavor reasons.

[zfs]

Master of Many Forms.

"What do you wanna be when you grow up?"

"Everything."

[Rijan_Sai]

I've always been a bit of a fan of Necrocarnate.
Sure, you don't get any class-based Essentia, but you should be able to absorb as much as you need through out the day, and it lasts 24 hours, so...

I'm also partial to the Sand Shaper.
The bonus spells are nice, and if you drop a few gold on a Bottle of Endless Sand you will never run out of tools, toys, and whatever else you want! (Not to mention a way to ensure your friends can activate that capstone ability any time, any where!) (By the same thought process, I also really like Shapesand: "The Whole Kit in a Bottle"!)

[RNightstalker]

My favorite I'd like to try is the Spellfire Channeler.

[yarrowdeathbloo]

I like the entromancer and rainbow servant personally

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by RNightstalker
My favorite I'd like to try is the Spellfire Channeler.

This one never seems to come up in discussions. Was it ever updated anywhere?

[smasher0404]

As a DM, I really love the Maho Tsukai prestige class (Oriental Adventures). While it isn't very usable as a PC, it oozes terror as a villain. High Taint results in a very competitive save DC for spells, and it can attach to basically any casting class. It differentiates itself from the other "Tainted Spellcaster" prestige classes, by trading in previous casting for Maho Tsukai's accelerated spontaneous casting (they get Spontaneous spells at Prepared spellcasting progression (with more spellslots)) which inherits the previous casting's spell list in addition to its own smaller one. Want a Gishy Caster that still gets higher level spells? Throw a level of Maho Tsukai onto Duskblade and trade in their casting for Maho Tsukai casting. Like Sorcerer but want access to the inflict line of spells? Throw on Maho Tsukai and take them as spells known. Want Metamagic Reduction, but feel normal methods are too strong for the party to deal with? Maho Tsukai gets Maho Metamagic, which does Metamagic Reduction in exchange for Con damage with limits.

Want to make your Maho Tsukai scary? Have them carve up an NPC to use as material components. Want to make them even stronger? Apply the Akutsukai template to basically add Maho Bujin's features (the martial Taint-based prestige class from Oriental Adventures) onto the class plus a bunch of other nice goodies.

[Wildstag]

Warshaper. It does so much in so few levels, and it makes a few races I play that have at-will shapeshifting able to use their inborn abilities long-term, instead of just at the lower levels. Making Tibbits and Hengeyokai useful is fun.

To build off of another forumite, Primeval and FotF pair up nicely with Warshaper.

P.S. I also love Swiftblade. Its addiction to Haste is just so laughable to me.

[Rater202]

Gonna throw my vote behind Warshaper.

Oh, what's that, I'm unarmed and there's a five-foot gap between us? You got that crossbow and you're gonna shoot me?

*stretches out my neck and tears out his throat with my teeth.*

[AvatarVecna]

Mystic Theurge. Exchange absolute magical power for greater longevity, that pushes you mechanically into buffing+utility (where magical dominance is most forgiveable). It's objectovely worse than straight caster, but it is by no means terrible, just comparatively worse.

[ChaosStar]

I like Rainbow Servant, Arcane Hierophant, and Master of Many Forms. Though I've never played in a game that's gone to prestige, yet.

[VoxRationis]

I also think that Malconvoker is a fun ”trust me, I know what I’m doing!” class. Summoning fiends through trickery! What could possibly go wrong! :smallsmile:

Strictly for flavour, I like the Green Star Adept. The pursuit of immortality through eating green rocks is not for the faint of heart. Or stomach.

Green Star Adept was going to be my immediate answer when viewed through a conceptual lens. The idea of there being this constant race from all members of the class competing to find and consume the scattered nodes of a highly limited resource in order to gain personal power is highly evocative. The art it came with in Complete Arcane was also great, full of the sword-and-sorcery flavor (as opposed to Tolkienesque high fantasy) of that book. The matching of a swordsman with an ancient Mesopotamian hairstyle with an overgrown piece of postmodern abstract sculpture really evoked a Vancian flavor that I find appealing.

One of the few games I've played in that actually ended up incorporating prestige classes had an archivist/malconvoker character who eventually grew to be my favorite member of the party. It helped that he was explicitly a renegade member of an order of state demonologists that we were fighting, so his character was intrinsically tied to the setting in a way that felt perfectly natural.

[Darg]

This one never seems to come up in discussions. Was it ever updated anywhere?

No. There is the epic prestige class Spellfire Hierophant though. Personally, epic progression of spellfire channeler is probably a better way to go.

As for why it doesn't come up. I would say that has to do with how unwieldy spellfire is. You have to ready an action to absorb magic. You have a built in 2 ways to deal half damage and 2 ways to deal no damage. Your spellfire blast has no scaling mechanic for the DC except for the hard to use PrC special abilities. There is no limit to how many spell levels you can use at once to do damage which means you can one shot BBEGs. And probably the worst offender is that spellfire doesn't have much utility other than blasting, healing, and flying. Crown of fire is a standard action to activate which makes it difficult to use.

I've homebrewed spellfire and changed up how spell levels can be used when used by a channeler. I've changed channeler to allow a caster level check (DC 15 + spell level for arcane and DC 25 + spell level for divine, caster level is equal to character levels) to mimic spells with a spell level equal to 1/4 character level + 1 level per 3 class levels (minimum 0). The duration of these spells is 1 round per 2 spell levels expended to a maximum of 1 round per character level The cost is 2 spell levels per level of the spell + 2 per round and mimicked spells don't benefit from metamagic effects. Spellfire blast is limited to a maximum spell levels expended equal to character level. DC is 20 or 10 + half character level + Cha mod, whichever is higher. I've created a feat that allows as an immediate action the ability to absorb one spell targeted at them as long as they are aware of the cast. I've created another feat that when the absorption is readied, area spells' spell level is absorbed and for the duration of the spell the wielder is not affected by the effect.

[vasilidor]

Bear warrior.
I am a barbearian.

[RNightstalker]

This one never seems to come up in discussions. Was it ever updated anywhere?

Not that I'm aware of, which technically makes it go for 3.5...but getting the feat at 1st level requires DM ok. But Street Fighter II was the rage growing up and who doesn't want to do "Hadoken" in D&D?!?!?



As for why it doesn't come up. I would say that has to do with how unwieldy spellfire is. You have to ready an action to absorb magic. You have a built in 2 ways to deal half damage and 2 ways to deal no damage. Your spellfire blast has no scaling mechanic for the DC except for the hard to use PrC special abilities. There is no limit to how many spell levels you can use at once to do damage which means you can one shot BBEGs. And probably the worst offender is that spellfire doesn't have much utility other than blasting, healing, and flying. Crown of fire is a standard action to activate which makes it difficult to use.


A Spellfire Channeler can only burn up to the player's CN score per round of spellfire levels. Most people I've seen regard absorption as the 3.5 rod of absorption that doesn't require an action to absorb, which is also the flavor of examples, though not strictly RAW.


Bear warrior.
I am a barbearian.

Love it!

[NigelWalmsley]

I've always liked Mage of the Arcane Order. It's at pretty much exactly the power level PrCs should be (e.g. good enough to make people play something that isn't Generic Wizard #47, but not game-breaking), and the core mechanics work with a wide variety of characters. My only issue is that the capstone is pretty under-tuned, but few enough games get to 15th level that I don't super care.

[Melcar]

OK, so I have an opinion question for you all. What Prestige Class would you all say is the most enjoyable to play, and why?

Please note, I said enjoyable. It doesn't have to be powerful, it doesn't have to be high-tier, hell, it doesn't even have to be all that useful, as long as it's one you have a lot of fun with.

**EDIT** Also, just to make certain everyone is on the same page here, official published books only, no DNDWiki or third party books.

Three PrC comes to mind: The 3.0 Arch Mage, the 3rd party Wordbearer from Quintessential Wizard I really like that one, and Dungeon Delver - which I think is the best cat burgler class in the game...

Its too difficult to name only one, so I'm leaving you with these three!

[Darg]

A Spellfire Channeler can only burn up to the player's CN score per round of spellfire levels. Most people I've seen regard absorption as the 3.5 rod of absorption that doesn't require an action to absorb, which is also the flavor of examples, though not strictly RAW.

The only place where the Con score comes into play is how many spell levels you can store which is equal to your Con score. Spellfire Channeler gets the increased storage ability that multiplies your con score to store even more. AD&D has a con score limit though.

[RNightstalker]

The 3.0 Arch Mage

Why the 3.0? I must've missed something.


The only place where the Con score comes into play is how many spell levels you can store which is equal to your Con score. Spellfire Channeler gets the increased storage ability that multiplies your con score to store even more. AD&D has a con score limit though.

At the end of the Increased Storage section the limit is stated.

[Psyren]

Anima Mage.

You get all the flavor of a Binder, but at a more tolerable power-level.

This for 3.5, though I'd use either the divine or the psionic adaptations first.

For Pathfinder, I choose Evangelist - you get all the fun of your base class features, alongside flavorful boons from your chosen deity, and a vastly improved chassis for most classes.

Honorable mention goes to the Meditant, which was the subject of my first ever handbook!

[Darg]

At the end of the Increased Storage section the limit is stated.

Edit: Nope, you are right.

[NigelWalmsley]

Why the 3.0? I must've missed something.

IIRC, the 3.0 version worked slightly differently. Most notably, the CL/DC bonuses it got were bigger.

[Kesnit]

My favorite I'd like to try is the Spellfire Channeler.

My wife and I tried to play a Warlock (her) and a Spellfire Channeler (me) once. The idea was that her EB's would power up my spellfire pool. The DM told us he bans all the Faerun books, so Spellfire Channeler was out.

I'd say my favorite is Eldritch Disciple. I love Warlock and the ED adds divine casting and some cool class features.

[RNightstalker]

My wife and I tried to play a Warlock (her) and a Spellfire Channeler (me) once. The idea was that her EB's would power up my spellfire pool. The DM told us he bans all the Faerun books, so Spellfire Channeler was out.

I'd say my favorite is Eldritch Disciple. I love Warlock and the ED adds divine casting and some cool class features.

I haven't done a Warlock yet, though I would like to try it sometime. I also don't understand the hatorade on Forgotten Realms, but people are allowed to not like it...their loss.

[Tag365]

Master of Many Forms.

"What do you wanna be when you grow up?"

"Everything."

Yeah, this prestige class sounds like the one I would most want. If I was really one, I wouldn't be stuck in human form... I would be trying to experience what it is like to be all kinds of creatures.

I feel like it would be most enjoyable for me to pick this prestige class, and as didn't play Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 yet, this will likely be the one I start out with.

[Remuko]

Probably Dragon Disciple from a flavor standpoint. I love the concept. I wish there was (if there is idk of it) another class to take after it to further progress from half dragon to full dragon.

[Beni-Kujaku]

Probably Spellfire channeller and Spell sovereign. Not too strong, but embodying the ability to make a character centered around any aspect of the game.

[Darg]

I haven't done a Warlock yet, though I would like to try it sometime. I also don't understand the hatorade on Forgotten Realms, but people are allowed to not like it...their loss.

From my experience it has everything to do with the setting and the propensity to simply ban whole books they don't like instead of cherry picking features that can be fun.

[rel]

I don't think Ruby Knight Vindicator has been mentioned yet. You lose caster levels so you probably aren't as strong as a straight cleric but you get extra swift actions so your action economy is strong.

It's a nice tradeoff and the class is well themed in general

[Rynjin]

I love Pathfinder's Horizon Walker (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/apg/horizon-walker/) PrC.

It's both thematic and actually quite mechanically powerful. Ranger has a bit of an issue with softcapping its power growth pretty early...around level 6, actually.

So when you enter HW at level 7 you often get an instant boost to power.

What I particularly like is it takes a middling class feature (Favored Terrain) and turns it into an AMAZING one. Not only do you get Favored Enemy: Everything Native to This Terrain you get a bunch of other quite powerful abilities like Dimension Door usable quite a few number of times (opening up stuff like the Dimensional Agility Feat chain as well) and Tremorsense.

It's an excellent way to take a martial class that is pretty good, but can feel lackluster if your party is a bit higher op and make them more powerful, flexible, and fun. Gold standard for what a PrC should do IMO.

Honorable mention goes to Brother of the Seal (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/a-b/brother-of-the-seal/) for much the same reason, though it's overshadowed nowadays by the sheer number of powerful Monk archetypes and the Unchained Monk these days. Awesome Blow+ for Medium creatures and level per day uses of Dispel Magic are pretty baller, even if the latter is limited to objects and not people. Though even that's not too bad when you hit the capstone and can dispel non-dispellable effects like Wall of Stone and Force.

[Maat Mons]

The best-named PrC is Psion Uncarnate.

[Rynjin]

The best-named PrC is Psion Uncarnate.

I disagree.

I think Shark Incarnate (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/shark-incarnate/) is better even within DSP's Psionics.

But that's 3rd party so it's disqualified per the OP, else I might have mentioned Spheres of Power's Magemage Prestige Class, which is designed to be entered by a character with the Knightknight archetype of the Mageknight class.

[Lorddenorstrus]

Tough decision. . My 2 recent builds I've liked the most utilized Eldritch Disciple for a Warlock/Cleric + Crusader for a utility tank. (Note when I do get to play it's almost entirely been gestalt)

Or RKV where I made an entire build around the utilization of Swift Actions because everyone in group forgets they exist and their own abilities around them. So a few sessions of me using Swift actions repeatedly seemed to help with that.... Well when I get to play.. Been nothin but DM mode the last few months. God I want to redo some of these builds now they were fun.

[Peelee]

The Mod on the Silver Mountain: Not the Necromancy PrCs.