Most enjoyable Prestige Class for you?

[Tag365]

I posted on a thread similar to this but I didn't look at it enough to see if it was still new enough to post in, and got warned for it and a moderator had the thread closed.

So, what do you think is the most enjoyable prestige class for you to play in version 3.5? For me, the Master of Many Forms 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.

[Ramza00]

Awakened Blade, yes it is Path of War (3rd Party PF Tome of Battle), but I like psionics and I like initators.

[Malphegor]

For me I really like the idea of Thrallherd. Just form a cult, let your minions adventure for you while you sit in luxury being fed peeled grapes at the camp counting the party’s treasures and doing some light filing. If the minion dies then another one will show up the next day, it’s cool, we’re all about letting go of attachments in this cult man

[Remuko]

Dragon Disciple. love the concept of slowly becoming a dragon. Wish the epic prog for the class or a separate class existed to finish the transition from half dragon to full dragon.

[Quertus]

Sorry, is this the most enjoyable to play, or what we expect would be the most enjoyable to be? If the latter, is that in the context of this world, or a D&D world?

To play, despite my love of both Tainted Sorcerer and Devoted Defender, I'm going with Illithid Savant. Why? Because it says something about the group, and because it's designed to evolve, and because it's envy-based.

To be? In this world? Certainly something that screams "Tier 1 caster". Probably Tainted Sorcerer. Why? Because Tier 1, and because the wisdom penalty might make this would more bearable.

To be? In D&D? I'd say… most any Prestige Class I've written. Why? Because it means I'm probably on one of my worlds, which is almost certainly going to be a better experience than most any published world.

If I had to choose blind? Tough call. Probably something with fierce prerequisites, like "requires greatest deity status" or "requires epic pentastalt" or "requires being one of my homebrew creatures" would be the safest bet.

[Eurus]

I actually love Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil... it's pretty overpowered, but it's flashy and flavorful and just dang fun. And who doesn't want to vaporize people with the power of rainbows?

[Wildstag]

It's warshaper for me because it strengthens the shapechanger subtype and is martial-dominant. Osteomancer is a close second because making a monstrosity out of a normal creature tickles me so. The thought of a Tibbit or Hengeyokai's animal form running at a person with extra tails (natural attacks from morphic weapon) with bone spike sticking out of the end of each is just terrifying enough to make it amazingly fun.

[mabriss lethe]

I really enjoy the alternate energy variant Pyrokineticist. (Usually sonic) They're rather fun, fairly easy to enter, have some interesting optimization potential, and are a nice, simple, gish-in-a-can analog. You just hop in and deal some damage.

[Cygnia]

My games never seem to last long enough to fully get into a PrC!

[Psyren]

My favorite are theurges, I love getting the best of both worlds from two different systems or styles of play. Sacred Fist, Soul Manifester, Noctumancer, Anima Mage, Psychic Theurge etc.

My favorite straight PrC is the PF Evangelist (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/e-h/evangelist/) - gets you nearly everything from your base class, plus some really cool divine flavor. This is how you do Divine Rogue, Divine Alchemist, Divine Monk etc.

Runner-up would probably be the PF Metamind (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/metamind/), you lose 3 ML but the features easily make up for it. And being able to cut loose with Font of Power in a boss fight let's you pull off some truly insane stunts.

[Particle_Man]

I am a fan of the Sapphire Hierophant. First, because it is a theurge with easy entry (you could easily get in with cleric 3/incarnate 1 without using anything but the PHB and Magic of Incarnum, where the prestige class is found. Second, because it has a very rich flavour text involving being a Very Lawful religious group that venerates Law in the metaphysical sense that D&D has, and venerates what is in effect a talking giant blue rock that predicts the future (the sort of thing that Captain Kirk talks into logic problems, but I digress).

Basically a lot of fun to play and, with Incarnum, heavy on the Blue side of Blue vs. Orange morality. :smallsmile:

I am finally playing one, after waiting for over a decade!

[bekeleven]

I like open-ended builds and for that I have to rep my main man Chameleon. Although Master of Many Forms optimization can do a ton as well.

[Thunder999]

I enjoyed playing a war weaver recently, fun to hand out a huge pile of buffs to the whole party.

[AnonymousPepper]

Awakened Blade, yes it is Path of War (3rd Party PF Tome of Battle), but I like psionics and I like initators.

Seconding this. Awakened Blade is incredibly flavorful, fun, and honestly quite balanced too. A dedicated gish dualprog PrC in the vein of things like Jade Phoenix Mage. It's tasty. And Pathfinder has the Favored PrC -> Prestigious Spellcaster feats to cut a little bit of the caster level loss out.

[Soranar]

Unseen seer

Easy requirements, fun class features, plenty of options. Everything a prestige class should be

[Telonius]

Eldritch Disciple, for my Cleric of Olidammara/Warlock. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well it meshed with my playstyle. Eldritch Blast plus a bunch of always-on "Other" invocations for baseline usefulness, and staple Cleric casting on top of it. I took a level of Rogue to get Sneak Attack. Combined it with Craven, and Healing Blast became my go-to "emergency healing" (without needing to cross the battlefield to get to the target).

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Gotta be Dread Witch. Truly build defining, in that it's basically the only thing that bypasses immunity to fear, letting you terrify everything from animated objects to paladins to the undead (with the generous reading of it that I obviously prefer), so you can fully specialize in fear magic without worrying about being neutralized just by the page of the monster manual your DM flipped to that day.

[TotallyNotEvil]

One I've always wanted to play is Awakened Blade.

But one I've actually played is the humble PF Arcane Trickster. Sure you BAB might suck, but with Accomplished Sneak Attacker it's a single lost caster level in exchange of essentially fully fledged SA.

It easy to do, doesn't cost a lot in terms of build resources and, in the end, just the confidence of carrying around all those dice and having all those skills helps, especially on long adventuring days.

An especially cool trick is a Vivisectionist entry on the Sneak Attack side.

[Mercurial891]

For me it is Geometer. It is fun, and has good flavor. It screams of being the PrC of a first class wizard. Also, Loremaster and Dragon Disciple are cool as well. If you are wondering about the latter, remember where Drow Dragons come from.

Edit: I just mean that it is nice to think that a character might someday evolve into an actual dragon after the campaign. It makes for a good piece of character background, like the Lizard Priest from Goblin Slayer.

[Thurbane]

My games never seem to last long enough to fully get into a PrC!

Same! I think I got 1 or 2 levels of Loremaster once, but that's it.

[Quentinas]

As I DM more than being a player one of the classes that I like is the Dread Commando from the Heroes of Battle. While not the strongest it can be quite funny to see in action ,but among the player is rarer to see each party member of a team that is sneaky (maybe I should try putting some levels of savant next time that I can play a martial unoptimized character)

[Powerdork]

On a flavour level, it would probably have to be black dog.

A tradition of halflings with the Mark of Hospitality teaching the ways of assassination (through death attacks and poison magic). It rules.

[vasilidor]

I actually had a lot of fun with the Shadow Dancer and Hiding in Plain sight.
Lotsa fun that was.

[Seward]

I'm a rare fan of the Arcane Archer class.

I just like the idea of picking up a random storebought bow and shooting +5 arrows, and the class in most levels plays like an "arcane ranger". If you know how to build a good archer-ranger you can make a solid arcane archer. Being int focused instead of wisdom helps with skill points if you go with fighter levels to build the archer basics. I actually managed to play one into mid levels (1-10) and it was hitting its stride then. Some of that was system mastery (as a player I stay laser focused on full attacking every round, even if a spider is dragging me up a tree upside down...if my arms are free, and not prone...I'm shooting.

Hilariously it suddnly becomes amazing in epic, because enhancement bonuses keep growing. +6 weapons penetrate epic DR, letting you cram your bow with other enhancements. Granted archers always have some issues in higher levels with barriers and whatnot.

The class was supported and worked well in the CRPG Neverwinter Nights as a protagonist as well, both first and second version, into the epic releases. Solid physical damage, decent magic item support and without the pen-and-paper stuff that often nerfs archers (barriers, wind walls, inability to target, sundering bow) in paper and pencil.

Dragon Disciple is another CRPG favorite (again, what makes spellcasters tier 1 doesn't apply in crpgs, where ability to kill large numbers of weak opponents forever is a lot of the game) and I played a couple in Pathfinder too. Just focus on builds where being strong is advantageous and the class is pretty worthwhile. The BAB hit is evened out by the higher strength, it has a good skill list and adds some useful spells known and defenses for a gish.

In-character, qualifying for Ruatha was a game-changer for my sorceress. Not so much for her life as a murder hobo, although the BAB, saves, skill list, lowlight vision and sword proficiency were all welcome for a telekenesis-flavored human character. It was the 3rd level that doubled her lifespan that mattered. Suddenly her 30-something self had another half century of expected life, and the idea of a kid or two when she'd only be physically 40-something as they became adult seemed a lot less daunting.

[Cygnia]

PrCs I would like to get full enjoyment of...

Grey Guard -- I'm in a gestalt game where I'm finally getting to make use out of this. I like the concept of a pally with a bit of tarnish (but not full-on self-righteous edgelord murderhobo). Since the game allows PrCs on both sides at the same time, she's got Fighter/Witch Slayer from ToM as well and will be going into Occult Slayer next on that side.

Ardent Dilettante -- Interesting requirements that I think would be fun to play out in the right game with the right GM. I've a concept that begins with Archivist/Bard.

Dragon Devotee -- I had a Marshal who was gonna go into this PrC before the game died. :smallfrown:

Avenging Executioner -- Another game that died on me *sigh*

Dervish/Tempest -- Battle Cuisinarts appeal to me, not gonna lie. Definitely would be Dervish first then Tempest in order to be effective