stupidest prestige class names

[daremetoidareyo]

What are some of the dumbest prestige class names, in your opinion.

[Venger]

dark hunter
darkmask
eidoloncer
epic infiltrator
fochlucan lyrist
ghost faced killer
gray guard
moonsea skysentinel
nosomatic chirurgeon
olin gisir
ollam
pious templar
risen martyr
wearer of purple

[daremetoidareyo]

what's your deal, wizard guy?

"I am a "Wearer of purple."

great.

[Telonius]

Worst one, IMO: Jobber.

[Biggus]

ardent dilettante
ashworm dragoon
cabinet trickster
doomdreamer
ghost-faced killer
Imaskari vengeance taker
menacing brute
slime lord

[Saintheart]

Purple Dragon Knight.

Sorry, the word 'purple' is just one of those combinations of syllables that just doesn't play well with other words. Even Prince only gets away with Purple Rain due to the fact people are paying more attention to the guitar than the words.

[Zaq]

Hand of the winged masters: I appreciate the attempt at lofty-sounding purple prose, but that still sounds... bad.

Knight of the iron glacier: I dunno, really? I feel like making a glacier out of iron makes it less intimidating. Iron isn't going to refreeze over itself and make all kinds of cool weird stuff that way. And it doesn't move.

Haztaratain: HULK SMASH KEYBOARD

True necromancer: This... just comes off as desperate-sounding, really.

[Rynjin]

ghost faced killer

ghost-faced killer

I mean, if it's cool enough for a rapper it can't be that bad...

I think my favorite dumb PrC name is an intentional one, in Pathfinder's Spheres of Power 3pp. The Mageknight class has an archetype named "Knightknight", which as it may sound trades out its magical abilities for more martial options.

...Appropriately, it leads into the "Magemage" Prestige Class. "Don Robes and Magecap" is one of its class features.

For unintentionally dumb sounding options in 1st party 3.5 and PF:
Purple Dragon Knight
Bloatmage
Cosmic Descryer
Darechaser
Halfling Opportunist
Zerth Cenobite
Hand of the Winged Masters
Purity Legion Enforcer
Monk of the Enabled Hand

[The Viscount]

Night Mask Deathbringer (bonus hatred because I have to look up how many words it is every time)

Thrall of Eltab (the powerful demon of diet cola)

Invisible Blade (should be about invisible knives, is about completely normal knives)

[Venger]

Worst one, IMO: Jobber.

What book is that in?

Since they stopped making Tab, I wonder if he's in an Orcus/Tenebrous situation.

[Biggus]

Haztaratain: HULK SMASH KEYBOARD

Thrall of Eltab (the powerful demon of diet cola)

These two made me actually LOL, nice one.

I mean, if it's cool enough for a rapper it can't be that bad...

Yeah, I know of him. As he was already famous by the time the class came out, apparently it's a prestige class named after a rapper. I'm not sure that makes it less silly...

[Venger]

It's probably named after the character from "The Mystery of Chess Boxing," which is where the rapper got the name from but since he was quite a bit more famous when sword and fist came out, it's distracting and a bad name for a prc since wu tang is all anyone's going to be able to think of.

[Logalmier]

I think my favorite dumb PrC name is an intentional one, in Pathfinder's Spheres of Power 3pp. The Mageknight class has an archetype named "Knightknight", which as it may sound trades out its magical abilities for more martial options.

...Appropriately, it leads into the "Magemage" Prestige Class. "Don Robes and Magecap" is one of its class features.

Virgin Mageknight vs. Chad Knightknight/Magemage

[ben-zayb]

Extreme Explorer: Ok? Dora?

Gray Guard: I'm sure whoever named this PrC thought they were being real clever.

Acolyte of the Skin: I mean technically it makes sense, but couldn't you make it sound more intimidating than Dermatologist?

Eunuch Warlock: I blame the evolution of language for making anyone who took this PrC seem underwhelming and impotent.

Lifedrinker: Just because Soul Eater works as a good PrC name doesn't mean you can get away with "Lifedrinker"

Ninja Spy: Sounds like something out of Department of Redundancy Department

Rainbow Servant: Like Acolyte of the Skin, couldn't you make a more badass or fiercer name for a PrC associated with couatls?

Ollam, Olin Gisir, Sangehirn, Ruathar, Swanmay, Yathrinshee: A what now?

[Bohandas]

It's probably named after the character from "The Mystery of Chess Boxing," which is where the rapper got the name from but since he was quite a bit more famous when sword and fist came out, it's distracting and a bad name for a prc since wu tang is all anyone's going to be able to think of.

And if they don't think of Wu Tang they'll think of Scream which will confuse then even more.

I don't know what posessed them to assume that anyone has seen Mystery of Chessboxing

[Thrice Dead Cat]

ardent dilettante
ashworm dragoon
cabinet trickster
doomdreamer
ghost-faced killer
Imaskari vengeance taker
menacing brute
slime lord

I feel like Ashworm Dragoon and IVT are at least reasonable. Dragoon is exactly what it says on the tin: you ride an ashworm and do the usual mounted combat tricks. Imaskari Vengeance Taker is approaching edgelord territory, but it's essentially just another <Race> <Adjective> <Noun> type name and I don't see anyone here bad mouthing Dwarven Defenders or Elven Bladesingers.

[Rynjin]

Virgin Mageknight vs. Chad Knightknight/Magemage

Knightknight/Magemage is one of those characters I joke about playing every single time we start up a new game and one day I'll actually do it.

[Saintheart]

Heartfire Fanner.


Just as well it's overpowered, because that name is just silly.

[Troacctid]

Shade Hunter. Sounds like it should be some sort of Van Helsing or Ghostbuster, right? Nope, it's all about delving into dungeons and finding treasure.

Lady/Lord of the Dead. I appreciate that there's finally a prestige class aimed at genderfluid characters, but boy(/girl), it certainly does not roll off the tongue.

Elder Druid. I don't care what Terry Brooks says; this is D&D, and around here, this is not an appropriate name for a prestige class that is only accessible to arcane casters.

Wizard of High Sorcery. Same problem. Which are you, a wizard or a sorcerer? Make up your mind!

Cavestalker (vs. Cave Stalker) and Fiendbinder (vs. Fiend Binder). Both of these prestige classes have the same name as existing prestige classes except for the deletion of the space between the two words. You'd think they would check for namespace collisions.

Dark Hunter (vs. Unseelie Dark Hunter). This was a terrible, edgy-AF name to begin with, but then they went and used it twice. It is truly the "Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #2" of prestige classes.

Champion of Gwynharwyf. Gesundheit.

Nosomatic Chirurgeon. First off, I realize "noso-" is the Latin root for "disease," but that doesn't mean it doesn't sound absurd. Second, "chirurgeon"? How many times did you run that one through a thesaurus? Third, you misspelled your own made-up word. It should be "-mantic," not "-matic," you pitiful fools.

Mage-Killer. Really, you're going to call yourself Mage-Killer? Your only class features are Augment Summoning and four copies of Spell Focus. What does that have to do with killing mages? Nothing. I mean, what's next? "Check out my new prestige class: Ooze Slayer! It grants Dodge and Alertness as bonus feats, halves the time required to craft scrolls, allows you to cast message at will, and makes your unarmed strikes count as silver for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction!"

Blighter. Even if you're not from a region where this is a common slang term, it still sounds like a zombie movie that refuses to use the word "zombie."

[Saintheart]

Thrall of Fraz-Urbluu.


Much more bearable if you abbreviate and retitle it logically to be the Thrall of ****-U.

[Venger]

Shade Hunter. Sounds like it should be some sort of Van Helsing or Ghostbuster, right? Nope, it's all about delving into dungeons and finding treasure.

It doesn't help that it hunts monsters that literally do not exist. As a consolation, you are really good at packing suitcases.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Acolyte of the Ego

Your class features are arrogance and narcissism, which you express by constantly saying your own name.

[Metastachydium]

Nosomatic Chirurgeon. First off, I realize "noso-" is the Latin root for "disease," but that doesn't mean it doesn't sound absurd. Second, "chirurgeon"? How many times did you run that one through a thesaurus? Third, you misspelled your own made-up word. It should be "-mantic," not "-matic," you pitiful fools.

Personally, I think all whatevermancy-type names that have nothing to do with divination are stupid and very clear proof that whoever came up with the name in question had no idea what they are doing. The worst offenders on this front are probably
Cerebremancer (really?) and
Anarchomancer (you tell the future from… Anarchy?), but
Arachnomancer is up there, as would be
Nosomantic Chirurgeon (which is indeed horrible, no matter how we tweak it). I'll give the developers the benefit of the doubt, though, and pretend that it was meant to be Nosematic Chirurgeon (from νοσημα, -ατος, 'disease'). It's still bad, of course but a tiny little bit less bad.

Anyway, here's a further selection of offenders:
Psion Uncarnate (that's not a real word and you know that!);
Illumine Soul (illumine is a verb!);
Psibond Agent (no. Just no);
Master Thrower (we get it, you throw stuff);
Illithid Body Tamer (extra credit for being horribly nondescriptive);
Yathchol Webrider (what's a yathchol?);
Skullclan Hunter;
Arcanopath Monk (no comment);
Cerebrex (could you perhaps make sure your made-up words at least sound good-ish?);
Bowman Charger (a bowman that charges! Truly, the pinnacle of tactical insight);
Harmonium Peacekeeper;
Incantifier (…);
Ranger Knight of Furyondy (say it with me: Furyondy);
Shark Cultist (adding insult to injury, they have to wear the head of a shark as a hood);
Stoneface;
Wormhunter;
Holocaust Warrior (whoever thought that this is a good idea? Now, seriously?)

[Kurald Galain]

nosomatic chirurgeon

A no-somatic chirurgeon is clearly someone who surgically removes somatic components from spells, right?

[Dalmosh]

Unseen Seer takes the cake for me

[Manyasone]

Yeah, I know of him. As he was already famous by the time the class came out, apparently it's a prestige class named after a rapper. I'm not sure that makes it less silly...

Isn't the Ghostfaced Killer PrC based on...welll, the ghostfaced killer antagonist of the "Scream" franchise

[Telonius]

What book is that in?

Dragon 310. It's a weird little prestige class, Halfling-only.

[Biggus]

It's probably named after the character from "The Mystery of Chess Boxing," which is where the rapper got the name from but since he was quite a bit more famous when sword and fist came out, it's distracting and a bad name for a prc since wu tang is all anyone's going to be able to think of.

Wow, no I had not heard of that.

I feel like Ashworm Dragoon and IVT are at least reasonable. Dragoon is exactly what it says on the tin: you ride an ashworm and do the usual mounted combat tricks. Imaskari Vengeance Taker is approaching edgelord territory, but it's essentially just another <Race> <Adjective> <Noun> type name and I don't see anyone here bad mouthing Dwarven Defenders or Elven Bladesingers.

Ashworm Dragoon is fair enough logically, it just sounds silly to me.

Imaskari Vengeance Taker is a really clunky name though. What's wrong with "Avenger"?

Isn't the Ghostfaced Killer PrC based on...welll, the ghostfaced killer antagonist of the "Scream" franchise

Apparently not, see Venger's answer above.

[loky1109]

Isn't the Ghostfaced Killer PrC based on...welll, the ghostfaced killer antagonist of the "Scream" franchise

I think it's something Japanese.

[ShurikVch]

Shade Hunter. Sounds like it should be some sort of Van Helsing or Ghostbuster, right? Nope, it's all about delving into dungeons and finding treasure.

Shadow Chasers?

Lady/Lord of the Dead. I appreciate that there's finally a prestige class aimed at genderfluid characters, but boy(/girl), it certainly does not roll off the tongue.

King/Queen of the Wild (Masters of the Wild) was published 8 months earlier

Elder Druid. I don't care what Terry Brooks says; this is D&D, and around here, this is not an appropriate name for a prestige class that is only accessible to arcane casters.

In the Midnight Campaign Setting, Druid is a prestige class that is only accessible to arcane casters

Wizard of High Sorcery. Same problem. Which are you, a wizard or a sorcerer? Make up your mind!

Dragonlance predates the 3E; there were no sorcerers on Krynn

Nosomatic Chirurgeon. First off, I realize "noso-" is the Latin root for "disease," but that doesn't mean it doesn't sound absurd. Second, "chirurgeon"? How many times did you run that one through a thesaurus? Third, you misspelled your own made-up word. It should be "-mantic," not "-matic," you pitiful fools.

I took "Nosomatic" as "No-somatic" - i. e. something like "to operate without a movement"

Harmonium Peacekeeper;

Also, Appalachian dulcimer is called "harmonium" too

Wormhunter;

In the Kyuss-centered adventure path. Stupid?

Holocaust Warrior (whoever thought that this is a good idea? Now, seriously?)

Well, firstly: the PrC is for Githyanki - always-Evil race of godless imperialists
Secondly: Holocaust cloak in the Princess Bride (1987)
Thirdly: among the various monsters in the game is a Living Holocaust (Hey, they also have Genocid!)

Isn't the Ghostfaced Killer PrC based on...welll, the ghostfaced killer antagonist of the "Scream" franchise

I thinking it every single time I seeing a mention of this particular PrC
(Especially after the addition to the Dead by Daylight)