Damien said:
I don't recall where the Poitainian Knight PrC occurs, but I'm sure a decent BAB is required too.
Quite. +5, to be exact. I was using it as my example when I said "why should I have to wait until fifth level to be a knight" - which is how long it would take a straight soldier to get there.
That quote's to show you where I'm at in reading as I chime in here with some thoughts.
First, has as been said, PrC's are supposed to be special, you have to EARN the right to become what that represents, 'be accepted into the fold' so to speak. The qualifications to be considered are rendered in terms of the game mechanic. BAB X+, Y many ranks in these skills, take the feat "needed feat" etc.
Then comes the hard part (especially since it requires a little bit of actual ROLE-playing), find the group and get them to accept you for membership.
IMO (as unhumble as it is), any GM truly worth their salt would NEVER allow PCs to be taking levels in any PrC without them actually 'qualifying' for it within the campaign.
I would ask "why a Knight?" as in what do you hope for your character to gain from the class? Some special class-based ability that you can't get with the current multiclassing options? For the char to have a title that it can bandy about in some vain attempt to seem important? To get some stuff (equipment, property, wealth) that it probably wouldn't get any other way?
From what I've read so far, it seems like having a knight class doesn't serve the campaign as much as much as it is one of the questions I asked above. The same questions can really be asked of any class.
As far as Knight being a base class, bad idea. It is MUCH harder for a GM to prevent players from taking a level in a base class (especially a creation) than it is to say NO to them taking a PrC.
anyway, as I said, my 2 coppers.