#1: Prestige Class Design Basics, Part One

[RPGnet Columns]

http://www.rpg.net/columns/designingprestigeclasses/designingprestigeclasses1.phtml

Summary:

Describing the parts that compose a prestige class.

Go to the column (http://www.rpg.net/columns/designingprestigeclasses/designingprestigeclasses1.phtml) for more information.

[committed hero]

This column doesn't address what should be the most important part of a prestige class: how it fits into the campaign. There are competing schools of thought as to whether a prestige class reflects membership in an exclusive group or just a collection of cool mechanics. Likewise, a discussion of the entry requirements should touch on whether this means class/ability prerequisites or story-driven ones. That would have been more valuable advice than "look at an official entry and copy it." Kids have been doing that with D&D for decades.

[Bartmoss]

I do agree with the sentiments of the above post.

The problem with Prestige classes as I have seen most of them is that they do not seem to be what they were apparently meant to be.

Originally they were supposed to be special classes that created something unique in regards to the world that you were in. For example you may have been a "Member of the Illuminated Order" and you got a class based on what it would be to be a member of the order.

Most prestige classes have not gone that way. They just seem to be as stated earlier "a collection of cool mechanics", though to some players they "a collection of poor mechanics".

It would be great if we could address the issue of "why is this Prestige class necessary?"

[DrNate]

I always assumed that Prestige Classes were intended to offer options for specialization (like feats, I suppose). I guess I got that assumption from the first PrCs we ever played, Arcane Archer and Dwarven Defender.

It's a fair start, I'm looking forward to reading these articles and seeing how things develop.

[Save-vs-DM]

Well, this first one is kind of bland, yeah. I address a few more of those concerns (especially "why to make one!") in later articles. I found that I had so much I wanted to say, that I had to really cut it into a lot of parts. Still, some good suggestions.

Save vs DM

[Thanatos02]

I think these are well done. So far, this is exactly how I had it broken down, and are the standards I use on my own PrCs. I'm interested to see how these continue to break down.

[Strange Visitor]

I do agree with the sentiments of the above post.

The problem with Prestige classes as I have seen most of them is that they do not seem to be what they were apparently meant to be.

Originally they were supposed to be special classes that created something unique in regards to the world that you were in. For example you may have been a "Member of the Illuminated Order" and you got a class based on what it would be to be a member of the order.

Most prestige classes have not gone that way. They just seem to be as stated earlier "a collection of cool mechanics", though to some players they "a collection of poor mechanics".

It would be great if we could address the issue of "why is this Prestige class necessary?"


I think there's nothing illegitimate about PrCs that exist to make some, otherwise painful and suboptimal operating procedures more workable; I believe Jonathon Tweet even indicated that was one of their functions early on (with a Whipmaster PrC as an example).

[LMPjr007]

Well we broken down the system for creating prestge class to make this Prestige Class Creation Cookbook (http://lpjdesign.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=22526&).

[Save-vs-DM]

Well we broken down the system for creating prestge class to make this Prestige Class Creation Cookbook (http://lpjdesign.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=22526&).

Huh, haven't seen that one before. That would be a great product for some folks, though!

Save vs DM