Prestige Class Question

[LevelSix_SYSTEM]

I know the prestige classes add to your caster class levels but do they add to your rogue(thug) or other class lvs for the abilities? For stuff like Trapfinding or Brutal Beating?

[InEffect]

no, unless stated otherwise.

[LevelSix_SYSTEM]

Dang.... that really makes prestige classes.... 'less prestigious'... OK thanks!

[Naked Granny]

In general, Prestige Classes will ruin your character in Pathfinder. They're there for flavor and maybe one or two extremely, incredibly specific builds. It doesn't help that this game currently only has literally the worst and oldest PrCs of the D&D / PF family of rulesets.

If you put a level into a prestige class, restart your game or delete that character. They're literally ruined. You can put two or three levels of Rogue on Octavia if you're taking her into Arcane Trickster. Otherwise, delete the character.

And as InEffect said: the answer to "does it stack?" is *****ALWAYS***** "no, unless specifically stated otherwise". Especially in the case of class features like caster levels.

[InEffect]

Ek is strong. DD is amazingly strong, Duelist has it's niche uses, AT I actually dislike, but it's good for nuking unfair, 1 level of stalwart is the most cost-effective 1AC bump at full BAB for a lot of builds.
Prestige classes are far from useless; Even theurge is actually pretty good for spell spam as he gets a lot more slots than anyone else.

update: who the hell gives octavia more rogue levels? just use accomplished sneak attacker and don't gimp perfectly fine companion(aside from her constant rest moaning)

[Shadenuat]

I wish giving bad advice was a bannable offence on Steam forums.

[The Infinity Sock]

If you have no problems with using mods you can make a prestige classes work the mod i use is the bag of tricks cheats and tools on nexusmods it lets me play as a level 20 sylvan sorcerer level 10 druid and level 10 mystic theurge

[Marcos_DS]

Originally posted by Aunt Tony:

If you put a level into a prestige class, restart your game or delete that character. They're literally ruined. You can put two or three levels of Rogue on Octavia if you're taking her into Arcane Trickster.

One level of rogue is enough for an arcane trickster since you can take the feat "Accomplished Sneak Attacker" for an extra SA die (and 2d6 is enough to qualifiy).

[Near Gravity]

Originally posted by Ankhseram:

I know the prestige classes add to your caster class levels but do they add to your rogue(thug) or other class lvs for the abilities? For stuff like Trapfinding or Brutal Beating?

They're basically the most powerful add-ons to your class progression in the game, because not only do they have their own unique progression, but they are specifically designed to naturally augment and improve your original class progression.

That's the Prestige.

People might not like them, but I expect that has more to do with, "I'm not in control," than anything else. Or, to put it mildly, they're predesigned augmentations, so they can't claim credit for the results.

But the simple fact is, if you level a Wizard up to 3rd level spells, and pull one level of whatever Fighter you want, then grab Eldritch Knight, you get a Fighters base attack Bonus, Eldritch Knight Feat and Ability Progression, you Wizards Spell Progression continues level per level once you get second level, and all your progress counts towards the ability to get Feats for Fighter and Wizard, (Weapon Specialization for example), for 10 levels.

In this game anyway; it's not that way in the original ruleset. Basically it means you progress almost completely in 2 classes at the same time.

Arcane Trickster is the same, as is Mystic Theurge. Mystic Theurge gives you 10 levels of progression as a Wizard and Cleric in spell progression, so you can effectively end up being a 17th level Wizard/13th level Cleric in terms of spell progression and feat access. Or the other way around.

Arcane Trickster gives you 10 levels of progression as an Arcane Caster, in addition to a bunch of abilities specific to the Arcane Trickster.

You don't lose much of anything with these classes, and you gain a lot. That said, they're also kind of broken. The only balanced Prestige classes here are the non-casters. Stalwart Defender for example. Great Prestige Class.

But alternatively, you can also mash abilities from several classes and create your own unique tool for damage dealing, or tanking, or both, or whatever, and some people really seem to like that.

Is it better? Well, on one hand they can achieve high DPS and/or high AC, but they will likely never achieve any significant higher level abilities, and tbh, in some cases those are almost entirely pointless anyway, and can be replaced by a 1st-3rd level magical item, or they're just very specific.

Follow one route, you can build a reasonable decent, rounded character, with some limitations; the other, usually just DPS, AOE, Tank, Healer, or some combination of. Effective, but in my opinion boring, or sometimes just out of place.

A lot of people are just looking to make a build that can solo end game. Meaning it might not do so well between the start and late game, but final touches make it solo the end. Helps if you know what the end is.

On the other hand, if you threw a completely different challenge at it, it would be meat paste, while your average, rounded build would just be badly thumped.

[LevelSix_SYSTEM]

Originally posted by Near Gravity:

Originally posted by Ankhseram:

I know the prestige classes add to your caster class levels but do they add to your rogue(thug) or other class lvs for the abilities? For stuff like Trapfinding or Brutal Beating?

They're basically the most powerful add-ons to your class progression in the game, because not only do they have their own unique progression, but they are specifically designed to naturally augment and improve your original class progression.

That's the Prestige.

People might not like them, but I expect that has more to do with, "I'm not in control," than anything else. Or, to put it mildly, they're predesigned augmentations, so they can't claim credit for the results.

But the simple fact is, if you level a Wizard up to 3rd level spells, and pull one level of whatever Fighter you want, then grab Eldritch Knight, you get a Fighters base attack Bonus, Eldritch Knight Feat and Ability Progression, you Wizards Spell Progression continues level per level once you get second level, and all your progress counts towards the ability to get Feats for Fighter and Wizard, (Weapon Specialization for example), for 10 levels.

In this game anyway; it's not that way in the original ruleset. Basically it means you progress almost completely in 2 classes at the same time.

Arcane Trickster is the same, as is Mystic Theurge. Mystic Theurge gives you 10 levels of progression as a Wizard and Cleric in spell progression, so you can effectively end up being a 17th level Wizard/13th level Cleric in terms of spell progression and feat access. Or the other way around.

Arcane Trickster gives you 10 levels of progression as an Arcane Caster, in addition to a bunch of abilities specific to the Arcane Trickster.

You don't lose much of anything with these classes, and you gain a lot. That said, they're also kind of broken. The only balanced Prestige classes here are the non-casters. Stalwart Defender for example. Great Prestige Class.

But alternatively, you can also mash abilities from several classes and create your own unique tool for damage dealing, or tanking, or both, or whatever, and some people really seem to like that.

Is it better? Well, on one hand they can achieve high DPS and/or high AC, but they will likely never achieve any significant higher level abilities, and tbh, in some cases those are almost entirely pointless anyway, and can be replaced by a 1st-3rd level magical item, or they're just very specific.

Follow one route, you can build a reasonable decent, rounded character, with some limitations; the other, usually just DPS, AOE, Tank, Healer, or some combination of. Effective, but in my opinion boring, or sometimes just out of place.

A lot of people are just looking to make a build that can solo end game. Meaning it might not do so well between the start and late game, but final touches make it solo the end. Helps if you know what the end is.

On the other hand, if you threw a completely different challenge at it, it would be meat paste, while your average, rounded build would just be badly thumped.

So the prestige classes wont give higher level abilities but what about scaling up the linked class's low level abilities say like the Sage Sorcerer level 1 spell like ability Arcane Bolt: will it scale the damage all the way up to 10(1d4+1) dmg with 10-Sage Sorc/10-ArcaneTrick or would it only be 5(1d4+1), not counting the Trickster lvs

[UR|wRÅR]

no, unless stated otherwise.

[Cheb]

I think the most comfortable prestige class I've ever ran with has been regular 10 aldori defender/10 aldori swordlord.

[Immortal Reaver]

Originally posted by Near Gravity:

But the simple fact is, if you level a Wizard up to 3rd level spells, and pull one level of whatever Fighter you want, then grab Eldritch Knight, you get a Fighters base attack Bonus, Eldritch Knight Feat and Ability Progression, you Wizards Spell Progression continues level per level once you get second level, and all your progress counts towards the ability to get Feats for Fighter and Wizard, (Weapon Specialization for example), for 10 levels.

Or give your wizard Martial Weapon proficiency feat and lose only 1 caster level, and have 19 caster levels and 15BAB. It is not per PnP rules but in this game it works.

[The Cystocot]

About the only good use i've found for prestige classes was Regongar as a DD in his role as General in my kingdom for the extra strength.(made Octavia one on my recent playthrough so they could have matching wings, and she got +2 int in the later levels to help with her job as Magister, yay! But, mostly did it for the image of having the pair stand about in my throne room looking like demons hanging about in the shadows)

[Immortal Reaver]

Val with Bard and 4 levels of DD is great tank. DD levels are for Mirror Image, +4 STR and +2 natural armor.