max levels in prestiege classes

[assassin8]

can you take more then 10 levels worth of prestiege classes?

[Azerian Kelimon]

Only if you go epic, if we speak of a single PrC, unless it's a prestigeous char class (See the SRD for Paladin and bard variants, for example). Now, you can get as many levels as you want in DIFFERENT PrC's, as long as you don't cap 'em out.

[Temp]

Doesn't True Necromancer hit 12 levels pre-epic?

[Azerian Kelimon]

Were is it? It also sounds like a prestigeous char class to me...

[Quietus]

Doesn't True Necromancer hit 12 levels pre-epic?

It does, making it a specific distinction.

[cupkeyk]

I thought it hits 14, since the prereqs are 3wiz/3cleric. There is a chance to qualify earlier but it doesn't stop the PRC from sucking.

[assassin8]

so no 7 in one prestiege class and 5 in another

[Kizara]

so no 7 in one prestiege class and 5 in another

No, that's fine.

You can, for instance, have a character with Abjurant Champion 5/Spellsword 7.

Providing of course they met the pre-reqs for those classes beforehand.

EDIT: But you can't go Spellsword 14, because the spellsword progression ENDS at 10.

[Azerian Kelimon]

Actually, yes, I specifically said so:

Now, you can get as many levels as you want in DIFFERENT PrC's, as long as you don't cap 'em out.

[SilverClawShift]

so no 7 in one prestiege class and 5 in another

If you can find the right classes and meet the right pre-requisites, you can have 19 levels in prestige classes.

Anyone know of any PRCs that are available by 2nd level?

[Azerian Kelimon]

Pretty sure the Paragons are available at that level.

Oh, silverclawshift, weren't you going to revert back to the nonundead avvy after halloween?

[Temp]

Isn't there one in Savage Species that a Commoner can qualify for at level 2? ...Or was that 3?

I don't have my books today in case you can't tell.

[Kaelik]

If you can find the right classes and meet the right pre-requisites, you can have 19 levels in prestige classes.

Anyone know of any PRCs that are available by 2nd level?

Nope, the best I can manage is 3rd.

Wizard 2/Master Specialist 10 (for simplicity)/Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil 7/Archmage 1.

And even that requires outsmarting the rules with Precocious Apprentice.

Actually, someone mentioned Paragons, and that could work. Though I honestly think those are base classes. You could go:
Wizard 1/Human Paragon 3/Master Specialist 10/Mindbender 1/ Archmage 5

But I think you can just go:

Human Paragon 3/[Start PrCing]

Which seems to indicate that it isn't really a PrC.

[Idea Man]

There's a prestige class in one of the old 3.0 class books, masters of the wild, I think, that required 3 feats, the save boosters. If flaws are allowed, you could take that as your first level. I don't know that it would be worth it, but you could.

[Hario]

Void disciple is a 13 level PrC and has one of the weirdest progressions around.

[Leon]

Moonspeaker from Races of Eberron is a 12er too

[Nebo_]

The prestige Bard, Paladin and Ranger from UA are all 15. And the IotSFV is 7, but that makes perfect sense.

[Armads]

The Necrocarnate and the Tainted Psion are 13 levels long.

If you can find the right classes and meet the right pre-requisites, you can have 19 levels in prestige classes.

Anyone know of any PRCs that are available by 2nd level?
Nope, the best I can manage is 3rd.

Wizard 2/Master Specialist 10 (for simplicity)/Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil 7/Archmage 1.

Commoner 1/Survivor 1.

Of course, you lose the benefits of Survivor when you take the 1st level, because you no longer meet the prerequisites.

[Emperor Demonking]

You can still keep the class even if you loose access to the prestige class.

[Reinboom]

Isn't there one in Savage Species that a Commoner can qualify for at level 2? ...Or was that 3?

I don't have my books today in case you can't tell.

Survivor, IIRC.

[Chronos]

There's a prestige class in one of the old 3.0 class books, masters of the wild, I think, that required 3 feats, the save boosters. If flaws are allowed, you could take that as your first level.

Doesn't work: You have to pick your class before you pick your feats. You could still do it at 2nd, though.

What does Survivor do that disqualifies itself, out of curiousity?

[Sepp]

Doesn't work: You have to pick your class before you pick your feats. You could still do it at 2nd, though.

What does Survivor do that disqualifies itself, out of curiousity?

Commoner 1/ Survivor 1 gives base saves of +2 for all three saves. The entry requirement is that your highest base save must be less then character level. Survivor alone wouldn't disqualify itself, just that route of getting it.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Most PrCs cap at 5th or 10th level, but there's no reason that you couldn't simply extend their progressions after that. For example, why should a Clr 3/Wiz 3/Mystic Theurge 10 have to take four levels of suckitude or pick up four levels of some random PrC before continuing with Mystic Theurge at epic levels?

[Rad]

Most PrCs cap at 5th or 10th level, but there's no reason that you couldn't simply extend their progressions after that. For example, why should a Clr 3/Wiz 3/Mystic Theurge 10 have to take four levels of suckitude or pick up four levels of some random PrC before continuing with Mystic Theurge at epic levels?

More than an argument can be made for that; however some PrCs have a more naturally defined limit. Mystic Theurge has practically no class features, so it is easy to continue it; Iot7V on the other hand would be harder to continue past seven (unless you want to homebrew the brown veil, the pink veil and so on...).
Some PrCs are just made to progress class features (MT, Arcanr Trickster, Eldritch Knight) but that's not true in general. Many 5-lvl PrCs have a balancing factor that "a bonus equal to your class level" is never going to exceed +5 and so on. If you want to break the limits the DM should decide on a case by case basis, and thinking on it.

[NEO|Phyte]

Most PrCs cap at 5th or 10th level, but there's no reason that you couldn't simply extend their progressions after that. For example, why should a Clr 3/Wiz 3/Mystic Theurge 10 have to take four levels of suckitude or pick up four levels of some random PrC before continuing with Mystic Theurge at epic levels?

Incidentally, the Epic mystic Theurge sucks, don't bother with it. For some reason, WotC decided that the Epic progression should alternate between boosting Divine and Arcane spellcasting, rather than both at once as the pre-Epic levels did.

[Chronos]

Commoner 1/ Survivor 1 gives base saves of +2 for all three saves. The entry requirement is that your highest base save must be less then character level.

So Commoner is the only base class that allows entry into Survivor at 2nd level. Amusing.

[Tequila Sunrise]

More than an argument can be made for that; however some PrCs have a more naturally defined limit. Mystic Theurge has practically no class features, so it is easy to continue it; Iot7V on the other hand would be harder to continue past seven (unless you want to homebrew the brown veil, the pink veil and so on...).
Some PrCs are just made to progress class features (MT, Arcanr Trickster, Eldritch Knight) but that's not true in general. Many 5-lvl PrCs have a balancing factor that "a bonus equal to your class level" is never going to exceed +5 and so on. If you want to break the limits the DM should decide on a case by case basis, and thinking on it.

True, I should have included a disclaimer about those oddball classes. To be honest, I think the vast majority of PrCs are unnecesary--they'd be better as either base classes, alternate class features or feats.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Incidentally, the Epic mystic Theurge sucks, don't bother with it. For some reason, WotC decided that the Epic progression should alternate between boosting Divine and Arcane spellcasting, rather than both at once as the pre-Epic levels did.

They made epic MT suck because he gets double bang for his buck out of Epic Spellcasting. However there's a simple solution to the ES problem that doesn't involve the epic MT sucking--simply add a clause into ES which stipulates that it only grants epic spell slots for a single progression per feat. Or you could just turn MT into a base class like I did.

[kenjigoku]

Nope, the best I can manage is 3rd.

Wizard 2/Master Specialist 10 (for simplicity)/Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil 7/Archmage 1.

And even that requires outsmarting the rules with Precocious Apprentice.

Actually, someone mentioned Paragons, and that could work. Though I honestly think those are base classes. You could go:
Wizard 1/Human Paragon 3/Master Specialist 10/Mindbender 1/ Archmage 5

But I think you can just go:

Human Paragon 3/[Start PrCing]

Which seems to indicate that it isn't really a PrC.

Correct me if I am wrong but as per Complete Mage

Spoiler

Show

Entry Requirements. Skills: Knowlege (arcana) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks. Feat: Spell Focus (school of specialization). Spellcasting: Must be able to cast 2nd-level arcane spells..

If the bold is true than you would need to be level 3 wizard to pull off your combination.

Edit for typo's

[assassin8]

you can loop-hole that with the feat precocious apprentice from complete arcane