Changeling or Mongrelfolk to Qualify for Race Specific Prestige Class

[Yogibear41]

Is there anyway to use a Changeling or a Mongrelfolk(or other race) to qualify for a race specific prestige class? Want to use some of the Githyanki Specific Prestige classes from that Dungeon Magazine article without being a Githyanki.

[Seerow]

Is there anyway to use a Changeling or a Mongrelfolk(or other race) to qualify for a race specific prestige class? Want to use some of the Githyanki Specific Prestige classes from that Dungeon Magazine article without being a Githyanki.

Changeling can use racial emulation (Races of Eberron) to count as any humanoid for prerequisites.

[Yogibear41]

But thats only when they are actively transformed into the thing? wouldn't it lose the pre-reqs as soon as it changed back into another form?

[liquidformat]

seems like a reasonable extension for Mongrelfolk to be able to use racial emulation ability to apply for feats and prcs that have race requirements but it would be a DM fiat/house rule.

[Maat Mons]

We could always have that argument about whether all prestige classes require you to continue to meet the prerequisites in order to continue to gain the benefits, or just the ones in books that have text to that effect.

[Thurbane]

But thats only when they are actively transformed into the thing? wouldn't it lose the pre-reqs as soon as it changed back into another form?

I'm not entirely convinced on the RAW/RAI of this myself, but if you take a look at the Iron Chef archive, almost every ingredient that has a racial specific req has at least one Changeling entry; so at least one reading seems to be that it works for PrC entry.

AFB, but isn't there a ritual in Savage Species that can grant subtypes? If you give your Changeling/Mongrefolk the Githyanki subtype, would it meet the PrC reqs?

Depending on how much house-ruling/homebrewing you're comfortable with, the Stoneblessed PrC has an adaptation section, where it suggests it can be modified to represent other races besides just Dwarf, Gnome or Goliath.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

One can't disqualify oneself from a racial PrC by changing race after the fact, else polymorph would royally screw over any such person who used it.

[sreservoir]

AFB, but isn't there a ritual in Savage Species that can grant subtypes? If you give your Changeling/Mongrefolk the Githyanki subtype, would it meet the PrC reqs?
Githyanki don't have a subtype. In any case, the reason Racial Emulation is usually read to count you as another race for qualification isn't because it gives you the subtype, but because it specifically says you're "considered to be a member of that race for all other purposes".


One can't disqualify oneself from a racial PrC by changing race after the fact, else polymorph would royally screw over any such person who used it.
It's not super clear whether polymorph actually changes your race. There are relatively few effects that explicitly change your race: reincarnate &c., racial emulation, PH2 rebuilding, maybe SS major rituals? and few things tell you to use wish or miracle do it. There are a few other one-offs, I believe. The racial paragon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/racialParagonClasses.htm) description implies that shapechange changes your race, but though.

Some of those (PH2 rebuilding, at least), explicitly make you lose features from PrCs you're no longer qualified for. On the other hand, racial paragon class features explicitly stay.

[Thurbane]

One can't disqualify oneself from a racial PrC by changing race after the fact, else polymorph would royally screw over any such person who used it.

Would that mean you can be temporarily Polymorphed or Shapechanged into a Beholder or Illithid to take Beholder Mage or Illithid Savant levels, and keep levelling up in these once you return to your normal form?

Not saying it is the same situation as Racial Emulation, just curious...


Githyanki don't have a subtype.

Q 352

Is there a Gith or Githyanki subtype, for races such as Githyanki?

Q 352 B

Does every humanoid race have a racial subtype?

Here is the relevant rule.


Various subtypes further differentiate creatures of the humanoid type. These subtypes include the likes of dwarf, elf, human, orc, and so on. Although a creature of a specific race might not have a subtype noted in its statistics, it has the subtype associated with its race.

If some humanoids had no subtype, that would make them immune to things like Favored Enemy - so the above ruling makes sense in that regard.

The ritual in Savage Species may be better for certain builds, if feats etc. are a bit tight. Also, for non-Changeling races, such as Mongrelfolk.