Supplement Four
Mongoose
Why do Prestige Classes only have 10 levels? Do you have to be 10th level before your character can become one?
Conan Prestige Classes:
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Supplement Four
Mongoose
So, why do they have 5 or 10 levels then? If you're 6th level and meet the prerequisites for a Prestige Class, shouldn't that class have 14 levels (to make you a 20th level character?)
Its a shame the Conan game even had to stain their hands with such a concept! It seems that every d20 books had throw out a set of worthless Prestige Classes! I like classes to be a generalized as possible (the core Conan book did a fantastic job at that), with everything else being fluff. Folks are way too reliant on the rules to cover every little possibility, and Prestige Classes are just rule-wank to me!
To my knowledge, Prestige Classes are based on Character Kits from 2nd Ed AD&D. When 3.0 D&D came out, I felt that the Paladin class should have a Prestige Class, becuase it plays out like a Fighter with some added powers and abilities, and it requires the player to follow a moral code - failing to uphold this code reduces the Paladin to a common Fighter (until atonement) or a Doom Guard (if really bad!). If that would have happened, WotC would have made Alignment to focal point of such classes when v3.5 came out, so they would likely have made Prestige Classes for each of the 4 extreme Alignments (LG, CG, LE & CE).
To my knowledge, Prestige Classes are based on Character Kits from 2nd Ed AD&D. When 3.0 D&D came out, I felt that the Paladin class should have a Prestige Class, becuase it plays out like a Fighter with some added powers and abilities, and it requires the player to follow a moral code - failing to uphold this code reduces the Paladin to a common Fighter (until atonement) or a Doom Guard (if really bad!). If that would have happened, WotC would have made Alignment to focal point of such classes when v3.5 came out, so they would likely have made Prestige Classes for each of the 4 extreme Alignments (LG, CG, LE & CE).
Supplement Four said:
Lack of ideas for further expanding the prestige class, maybe.
Nope. Character level is simply a sum of all class levels one has aquired. After you reach the end of prestige class (be it its 5th or 10th level) you just revert to the class you've abandoned to turn "prestigeous".
Clovenhoof
Mongoose
PrCs having 10 levels is a D20 convention. In fact, D20 PrCs regularly have a progression beyond 10 levels, BUT you can take the 11th level only on EPIC character levels, i.e. 21+.
Since there are no Epic levels in Conan, you can never take more than 10 levels in any PrC as per the D20 rules. And since you can't take them, you don't need to write more than 10 levels for any Conan PrC, either.
That said, I am with Malcadon on this one:
I didn't even know there _were_ official Conan PrCs... since I don't have any of the books in which they are contained.
Since there are no Epic levels in Conan, you can never take more than 10 levels in any PrC as per the D20 rules. And since you can't take them, you don't need to write more than 10 levels for any Conan PrC, either.
That said, I am with Malcadon on this one:
I didn't even know there _were_ official Conan PrCs... since I don't have any of the books in which they are contained.
Supplement Four
Mongoose
Jacek said:
You may have misread me, or I don't understand multi-classing yet.
If a 6th level Barbarian has the prerequisites for a Prestige Class and becomes one the next level (Barb 6th, Pcl 1st), doesn't that make him a 7th level character?
If he's a Barb 6th and a Prestige 7th, then he's a 13th level character, right?
Supplement Four said:
Exactly so. It looks like I wasn't specific enough. When you reach the final level in your prestige class, the next level can be any of the basic classes or any prestige one for which requirements are met. I hope now I'm easier to understand.
In any case thoutgh, you never loose any skills you've gained previously through prestige classes, or any other classes for that matter. It was somewhere in the books, Thunder River I believe.
Sorry for messing it up.
Supplement Four
Mongoose
Jacek said:
Understood that's how it goes...just don't understand why Prestige classes are limited.
If a Barb 6th becomes Barb 6/Pcl 1 on his next level, then puts all his XP into that prestige class, he'll finally get to Barb 6/Pcl 10. He's a 16th level character.
For level 17, he's got to pick some other class, whether it be barbarian again, some other prestige class for which he meets requirements, or one of the base classes.
Seems strange to go from a Prestige class back to a simple thief (or whatever).
I think it stops at 10th or 5th in some cases, because the 3.0 and 3.5 stopped at 10th or 5th. I think that the prestige classes add some more flavor to the mix. If you think of it at 10th level character is a master of his class. Now if you add 10 levels of a prestige class to make him/her 20th level, he is a master in both. And usually the prestige adds to the original class.
It's nice as an optional rule. The DM can drop it or keep it based on his/her campaign.
It's nice as an optional rule. The DM can drop it or keep it based on his/her campaign.
