DnD question:What is a prestige class?

[Anarchist Bunny]

I was wondering what a prestige class is in Dungeons and Dragons. I don't play anymore(accually I realy never played in the first place). I'm asking mostly out of curiosity because recently Ryan "Red Mage" Sosa and nuklearpower.com came up with a fighter and BM prestige classes(and is going to do 3 more)

[Iceberg]

A prestige class in D&D 3E is roughly analogous to a kit in AD&D 2nd Edition - it's a specialization in some way of a standard class. In theory, any character can become a member of any prestige class, but in practice, unless you're of the class or group of classes that the prestige class is intended for, it's all but impossible.

Typical requirements to enter a prestige class include being of a specific race, such as elves/half-elves (Arcane Archer) or dwarves (Dwarven Defender), alignment or having a certain number of skills, level of spellcasting ability or other such. A certain minimum attack bonus is usually required for a prestige class (regulating minimum level of entry).

[Alyrium Denryle]

*picks Jaw up off floor* Iceberg summed it up perfectly. Also, prestige lasses...you can have a nearly unlimited mumber(provided yu have the character levels, as there ae levels for Prestige classes) And there is huge abuse otental

[Master of Ossus]

I was wondering what a prestige class is in Dungeons and Dragons. I don't play anymore(accually I realy never played in the first place). I'm asking mostly out of curiosity because recently Ryan "Red Mage" Sosa and nuklearpower.com came up with a fighter and BM prestige classes(and is going to do 3 more)

It's basically a sub-class that you can become. Think of them like specialists. For example, you can be a regular old archer, or you can be even more specialized. There are various different deities that clerics can draw power from, etc. In terms of game-play, they are designed to make single-class characters competitive with multi-classed characters.

[Iceberg]

Thank you. You know you play too much D&D when you can summarize the rules much more naturally and gracefully than the rulebooks can (summary for attacks of opportunity: If you do something in a fight other than fight, you tend to get hit for it).

[Ryoga]

8-Bit Prestige Classes for D&D? Where do I sign up?

[Peregrin Toker]

Some bonus rules about sub-types of certain character classes. Fighters, for example, can become knight protectors, cavaliers, etc.

[Zoink]

Can someone tell me exactly what Wizards of the Coast did with Ad&D and D&D? I *was* a AD&D 1st and 2nd edition player myself (still think 1st edition is the best). I know they've released their new D&D rules books, which I've thumbed through, did they incorporate AD&D and D&D into one system?

[Iceberg]

D&D 3E was a major rethink of the resolution system. The bipolar dice system was thrown out in favor of a stat + skill + 1d20 system (hence the name "d20 System") wherein a higher roll is always better.

Combat, skills and saving throws are now all resolved using the same mechanics.

Ability score requirements have been dropped from all base classes. God knows why you'd want to, but you CAN play a Paladin with an 8 WIS, or a Wizard with a 10 INT.

Ability scores can be raised - you get one ability point every four levels to put into whatever score you wish.

Armor class was changed - instead of counting down from 10, armor counts up from 10.

Needless to say, THAC0 was removed permanently. For those who don't speak D&D, "THAC0" stands for "To Hit Armor Class 0," and is pronounced the same as "whacko," which is what most people think THAC0 is.

AD&D was, plain and simple, an insane system. In all mechanical aspects, D&D 3rd Edition is a massive improvement.

What's the same?

Ability scores are still rolled the same way. The default method is 4d6-drop-low and place now, instead of 3d6 straight down (not a bad change, since most campaigns used 4d6 drop low anyway).

Alignments are mostly the same. True Neutral and Chaotic Neutral alignments have been slightly tweaked to make them more playable.

The magic system is unchanged other than to change saving throw mechanics to the new system.

So in short, D&D 3E is original AD&D as it might have been conceived in the late 1990s. Which is, essentially, what it actually was.

[Peregrin Toker]

Alignments are mostly the same. True Neutral and Chaotic Neutral alignments have been slightly tweaked.

Does it really matter??? Most gamers I know don't pay their alignments much attention. (understandably so, since alignments unfortunately have a habit of reducing characters to stereotypes)

[Ryoga]

I can't seem to find anything on these 8-Bit prestige classes. Does Red Mage have a 'twink out' ability?

[The Dark]

They're in the last two Twinkin' Out columns, and only Fighter and Black Mage are done so far.