[3.5] Rules Clarification - Racial Casting & PrCs

[Thurbane]

So, I was always of the belief that if a creatures has innate casting (say, a Rakshasa), and wants to advance it's casting by PrCs, it must take at least one base class level before PrCing (Sorcerer in this case).

I'm struggling to find a rules citation for this now, and I've seen people argue that the creature can PrC straight away to advance its casting, without needing a base class level first

I think the argument for the negative centres around the fact that most PrCs have wording like "+1 level of existing class", and with only racial casting, you technically don't have a class to advance.

Any thoughts, or citations?

Cheers - T.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

From the MM3 glossary:

Spells: Sometimes a creature can cast arcane or divine spells
just as a member of a spellcasting class can (and can activate
magic items accordingly). Such creatures are subject to the
same spellcasting rules that characters are, except as follows.

The two paragraphs after that explain adjudicating a lack of hands for somatic components, etc. and the fact that they don't get class features from a class apart from the spellcasting ability.

The keywords there are "just as a member of a spellcasting class can" which should include advancing it with a prestige class as if they're a member of that class.

[Scots Dragon]

Wizards of the Coast also has multiple examples of prestige classes advancing monstrous spellcasting. Notably the Fight Club articles had a black dragon with levels of cleric and mystic theurge, drawing from his sorcerous abilities, without any levels of sorcerer to speak of. You can find him here (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fc/20060811a).

[Thurbane]

Thank you both for the replies.

As a DM, it actually works in my favour to be able to apply PrCs directly to monsters, with less mucking about.

[KillianHawkeye]

This was always one of those little issues that I felt like it would be fine to do in practice, but you take one level of the base spellcasting class if you want to be 100% sure no one can even think of questioning the integrity of your build.

[Melcar]

So, I was always of the belief that if a creatures has innate casting (say, a Rakshasa), and wants to advance it's casting by PrCs, it must take at least one base class level before PrCing (Sorcerer in this case).

I'm struggling to find a rules citation for this now, and I've seen people argue that the creature can PrC straight away to advance its casting, without needing a base class level first

I think the argument for the negative centres around the fact that most PrCs have wording like "+1 level of existing class", and with only racial casting, you technically don't have a class to advance.

Any thoughts, or citations?

Cheers - T.

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?303204-The-Truest-of-the-True-A-Handbook-to-non-Kobold-Dragons-(WIP)

This has some reference to the thing your asking...