Post originally by Sang at 2003-06-10 10:49:58
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Roy Morgan wrote:

<b><i>Actually the swordsman schools in Swashbuckling Adventures and its supplements were prestige classes, usually only five levels, but prestige classes nonetheless. This sounds completely different.</b></i>

Indeed it is. They sound like the mechanic that was invented for the "Path of" series of books by FFG, and it is a thorooughly ill conceived mechanic. First off, there is no reason why the concepts they represent shouldn't be prestige classes. Second, by costing raw XP, they throw off the level mechanic, which is so central to the d20 system that it is hard to ignore. For example, if you have several steps in a school, you are arguably much more powerful than a character of the listed level. But you still gain XP as a character of that level, and your contribution to the party average level is pulled down despite that you are not really weakened.

FFG's representative heard these complaints and brushed these aside as some people weren't complaining about them (obviously people who wanted the power boost or didn't think too hard arout the implciations.) It's a shame to see it being carried forward and polluting more potentially good products.

-Sang, foe of bypassing levels.