My Dungeons & Dragons Repository

In a world of unique heroes, here are my remditions of some of the things I have liked over the years to help diversify characters all the more. Enjoy!!!

"Well, I feel like giving my opinions on some prestige classes. If you don't want to hear my opinion, you forgot it's MY site page, or you can just go read something else."

I like and favor prestige classes, personally, even though I've heard many people complain about them. I feel that they add a degree of uniqueness to the characters, one that is supposed to be there from the get-go, but that is hard to see sometimes. You might note that many mentioned prestige classes are Forgotten Realms-based. Well, FRCS is my favorite campaign setting, and many of the D&D books I own focus on that world.

• Archmage: As the power-player I like to portray at times, this prestige class is one of my favorites. You continue to progress as a wizard/sorcerer, you already got most of the benefit out of the base class you were a member of, and you gain access to some really nice special abilities. A wonderful choice for one who often plays wizards, like myself, and a nice set of special abilities to enter the epic arena with, as most archmages should be ready to do, by the end. This prestige class also means high-level game, which I like better.
• Hierophant: The archmage of clerics , but really, I like it a lot. While I dislike that the cleric's or druid's spell progression halts, their specials don't cost permanent spell slots, where as the archmage's does. Also, the feat requirements are a good deal less strict than the above PrC.
• Magelord: The prestige class made for the wizard players who wish they'd been sorcerers. You get all the benefits of being a wizard (nigh-unlimited choice of spells to know), along with a great deal of the preparation-flexibility that makes a sorcerer different, and some argue better. It's like practicing both classes, but getting to keep progressing in spells at a higher level. Other than the slightly higher number of castings sorcerers get, it's the best of both worlds. Select a few spells you really like, and will often need, as mastered spells, and then you can afford to prep those other spells you use less often, just in case, and burn them if you need. Also, you should have amongst your best choices, should you be sans-spellbook.
• Elven High Mage: I have always been a fan of Elven High Magic, all the way back in the days of 2E, and I was very pleased to finally get the PrC, especially after the many references to the magic type in prior sources. This prestige class focuses on making epic spellcrafting cheaper and easier; something I am quite the fan of. Seeing as I almost always play Elven wizards, now they all have something real to aspire to, even if the chances are slim to none.
• Netherese Arcanist: Another class that focuses on getting those epic spells faster, this one does a bit more, in a bit less time.
• War Wizard of Cormyr: While I am a bit lax on the Cormyr part, the battle mage is a theory I really like, and being able to make fireballs proportionatley larger than normal is fun, especially with the Wounding Spell feat, or some such. Cross it with Archmage's Mastery of Elements or Mastery of Shaping, and you can lay down larger, unusual element configurations, and let your friends get out scott free. As for the Cormyr part, well, I play wizards, foremost, so its also a better choice for a Cormyrian character I might play than the Purple Dragon Knights.
• Spellfire Channeler/Spellfire Hierophant: I managed to persuade/trick a few GMs into letting me play a character with spellfire, and let me tell you, I was an abusive person with it; just like one should be. Spellfire is among the single niftiest abilities I have ever gotten to sneak into a character, and the prestige classes attached to it only make it more fun to fong the opposition. Might also be the reason every kobold in that campaign was a fighter. As to the S. Hierophant, I don't know how anyone has had it; Spellfire is rare enough as is, and te idea of any of them reaching epic levels for the S. Hierophant seems ludicrous to me. Still, I like the PrC, overall.
• Dragon Rider of Krynn: See? Something not Forgotten Realms. But seriously, I really like this prestige class. While its reqs are a bit steep, you get a fighter (good BAB and lots of bonus feats), give him great skill, and then add to him a permanent dragon companion, making him a one-man siege engine. Definately a nice bit of flavor to the otherwise hack n' slash beatstick. If paladins were realistically playable , and available in Krynn, not that that stops my King Brokenblade, they'd rock here.
• Orc Warlord: If you have to have orcs, then have a lot of them, and if there is one thing this prestige class grants, its a lot of them. It is also good if your GM will let you play a full orc, or a half-orc could grab this, too. If you toss in a simple cloak of charisma, the Might Makes Right feat, or several other options, you become a monster, leading a mob of monsters to lay siege, like the Orc hoardes of old. Finally an old-day claim that players today can also achieve. If you take levels of bard, or maybe even better, attract a cohort with levels of bard, you become what players get up and leave the game for; a steaming pile of... (Clears a room almost as fast as the word "chronomancer".) Still, it rocks big-time.
• Iaijutsu Master: Overall, I found the Oriental Adventure book wanting, as they described lots of things, and then they said how many of them weren't for the the world the book presented. One of the things I did like, however, was the Iaijutsu Master prestige class. Getting to add various extra stats to various extra attributes is very nice. Being arlmed with a katana, while adding your Intelligence modifier to Dexterity modifier for Defense, as well as your Charisma modifier to your Dexterity modifier for Initiative, equals badass, and that doesn't include Iaijutsu Focus, two attacks and a move, and a free round of striking.
• Planeshifter: The only planar prestige class I have ever really liked. Getting to avoid the bad bits/effects of various planes, planeshifting at will, and, finally, getting your own little demiplane to call home, Hazaah!!!

However, there are some prestige classes that I might like, or just don't, but regardless, they are too specific to be cool for me. I often play and run campaigns, and they usually involve a great deal of travel, and time away from home. Certain prestige classes seem really great, until you leave an area, and lose your benefits.

• Hathran: A rather nice prestige class, overall, until you leave Rasheman, and become just another spellcaster. While 3.5 rewrite does seem to have improved this some bit, it still is rather limiting, especially with the rules for Regional feats.
• INSERT NAME Guild Member: I have yet to find very many guilds in Dungeons & Dragons where membership actually gives cool benefits. While some magical ones do grant access to like-minded wizards, who might be willing to share spell knowledge with you, easy access to components, and/or access to a spellpool, they usually cost a good bit, or, even more annoying, require that you be in the area frequently. It would be hard to be a member of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors or a Mage of the Arcane Order, and go adventuring for a long trip, if you are expected to be around to teach, or some such, every other fortnight. Others, like Guild Thieves, seem completely pointless. Almost every benefit you get for it already comes to regular rogues, while most sneaky rogues really shouldn't want Leadership and followers. The Guild leader, okay, but others not so much, especially if you can't attract other rogues (Leadership attracts experts and warriors).
• Spellguard of Silverymoon: This is a fine example of a spot where even I said "this is too specific, even for a prestige class". Being able to circumvent portions of Silverymoon's near-mythal is nice, but that's about all it does. Few campaigns will likely take place in Silverymoon alone, especially with a Chosen of Mystra sitting in the castle, underneath her mythal, and those that would won't likely have a Spellguard, since, like the Guild Mages, you need to be in Silverymoon often. Outside Silverymoon, a Spellguard is little more than a wizard anyway. As for the magical bodyguard training, there are better prestige classes for magical protectors to apply themselves to.
• Imaskari Vengeance Taker: A fine prestige class for the WTF factor. What is the need for this prestige class? People in Deep Imaskar don't need to worry about the Vengeance Takers, since they are related, and those who leave Deep Imaskar lose their memories of home, in order to keep knowledge of their location secret. Most people assume that the Imaskari are all long dead, and the Deep Imaskari are happy to maintain that for the time being. Otherwise, more people would probably want their own vengeance against the Imaskari of old, anyway, for the crimes of that nation. I don't understand how secretive people who just want to be left alone can take it upon themselves to punish others, where their own forefathers were deityless, slave-driving jerks.
• Evereskan Tomb Guardian: I don't really like the prestige classes that assume you are going to sit in a little room for the rest of your life. Now, while I admit nothing says specifically "you must stay here!", I see the purpose of prestige classes being to get unique abilities, and these only function inside the tomb. This is another great example of an NPC-geared prestige class. If you are going to sneak into an Elven tomb, having a decent-leveled NPC, with levels in this prestige class would be interesting, but for PCs, I just don't see it.
Netherese Arcanist VS. Elven High Mage
If you ask the elves, they will tell you that they are innately connected to magic; that they are the greatest practioners of the Art, and that they taught the Netherese everything they knew. If you asked Netheril, they'd say that they surpassed the elves, taking what they were taught, and raising it to a new level, never obtained by the elves, or anyone else. Regardless of who is right, both the Arcanists of Netheril and the High Mages of the Elven kingdoms were mighty wizards, able to raise, and destroy whole nations with their magic, and able to put even the greatest epic spellcasters of their world and others, in this time and the past, to shame.

Benefits and Drawbacks of the Netherese Arcanist Seven epic seeds discounted, all at once Discount to all constructed epic spells Five levels long Requires large amount of extra spell slots Seven epic seeds you can NEVER use again

Benefits and Drawbacks of the Elven High Mage Continue spellcasting progression Four discounted seeds Able to choose new seeds previously unavailable (mythal and shadow, for instance) as discounted Four discounted epic spell constructions (do you usually need more?) Ten levels long Feat-heavy requirements

Site Links

Elven High Mage (not official)
Dragon Slayer (my version)
Dragon Slayer Mage (my version)
Horned Harbinger (official)
Wearer of Purple (official)
Dracolich Siege-Master (original)
Undead Aspirant (original)
Ring Master (original)
Wizard of High Sorcery (not official)
The Rite of Becoming (original)
High Sorcerer (offsite)
Dragon King and Avangion (offsite)
Epic Penumbral Lord
Epic Pale Master
Netherese Arcanist (official)
Nar Demonbinder (official)
Chaos Lord (offsite)
Chronomancer of Inzeladun (offsite)
Inzeladun: Guardian of Time (offsite)
Community: E3 Prestige Classes
Prestige Classes from Dragon Magazine
Mind Mage
Epic Psion
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