Prestige Everywhere

[Prestige Classes] For years now, I’ve struggled with the existence of prestige classes in the d20 RPG system. I understand the desire to have them; they provide an underlying rule set to accompany a significant variation on the core character archetypes that are normal classes. They are “prestigious” in that there are necessary prerequisites to gaining entry into them. They are “classes” because progression in a PrC takes the place of the normal progression through a normal class.

Since the 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook was released in 2000, Wizards of the Coast has been on a fairly-steady schedule of monthly releases, putting out additional skills, feats, spells, classes, and prestige classes that can help mold their rule set to whatever setting you may wish to run it in. They’ve re-released the Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk, as well as Eberron and a number of environment-type-based settings (Frostburn etc.).

All told, there are currently 652 prestige classes published by Wizards of the Coast for the d20 system. This doesn’t count the plethora of prestige classes present in OGL products like the Iron Kingdoms, Midnight, or Warcraft. Granted, many of these 652 PrCs are repeats (Archmage, Incantrix, and Wayfarer Guide are some that show up in two books), but this is a truly-obscene preponderance of customized character rules, and likely indicative of either a fundamental flaw in the system’s underlying mechanics or something far more insidious in their marketing department.

4 thoughts on “Prestige Everywhere”

  1. chunkbot

    it’s the marketing…

    The whole level-based stuff is kinda weak-sauce… The thing about palladium stuff was that once you folks had craeted level 1 characters, they were pretty bad ass, and I never really wanted to level them further. I think that feats are really cool, and I like the way d20 modern also gives set archetypes certain abilities… but more and more I wish everything was like the d20 cthulhu… offense or defense, and that’s it.

  2. Burrowowl

    Well, level-based tweaking is the fundamental reason why so many people prefer systems like the old Chaosium Call of Cthulhu game system, or R. Talsorian’s Cyberpunk system, or even the World of Darkness ruleset. These systems are “skill-based” as opposed to “level-based,” and encourage a more natural-feeling progression for characters.

    Of course, level-based systems have the distinct advantage of setting clear milestones for a character’s growth. Such milestones can be used as quick references when describing a situation to fellow gamers:

    “So I had this level 13 Magic User that was investigating the ruins of an ancient monastery, when a freakin’ Gorgandour came ripping up out of the ground. I just about marinated myself!”

    If the listener has an appreciation of what a Gorgandour and a 13th level Magic User are, the above statement means something. In a game like Call of Cthulhu, though, your description of your character isn’t likely to have a lot of relation to his power-level:

    “So I had this biology professor on a research trip down in the Conga, when a Byhakee came swooping down through the canopy and tore his guide in half! The professor was in a padded room for five months!”

    Well, any character would have been in a padded room for five months after such an ordeal. Skill-based systems tend towards characters that are either hideously over-powered or hideously under-powered. An exception is the RIFTS ruleset, in which a given character can be over or underpowered at 1st level, and gaining additional levels doesn’t really matter all that much.

  3. Orrin Grey

    …and likely indicative of either a fundamental flaw in the system’s underlying mechanics or something far more insidious in their marketing department.

    Or both.

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