Designing Prestige Classes: Tips and Tricks
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the current edition of Dungeons and Dragons are the prestige classes. These advanced classes can really give a character scope and additional depth in addition to providing a character with several unique abilities that cannot be duplicated in a normal manner. Yet for many dungeon masters, the process of creating a prestige class can be a daunting one. Many look at the process of being overly complex or difficult. This doesn’t have to be the case. With a few helpful tricks you too can design prestige classes in no time flat.
This guide is by no means exhausting or complete. There are dozens of small details that cannot be covered in one simple article. While page 197 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide does provide a few general guidelines for designing prestige classes, this article expands on the information. It is my hope that this guide will provide novice and veteran dungeon masters alike with some new tools for designing a prestige class.
This guide follows the rough process of a designing a prestige class from start to finish. Each section provides both general and some specific advice on all aspects of class design. While advice cannot completely replace experience, it can certainly give a new designer a leg up and a step in the right direction. However, do not take this advice as canon or empirical law – designing a prestige class is as much an art as it is a science.
Step One: Concept
Your very first step in designing a prestige class is to solidify the concept for the class in your mind. Start by writing down a few phrases about the class and what it does. You should be able to boil down the concept of a prestige class into one or two short sentences. If you cannot boil the class down to a few sentences, you probably have something that is more akin to a base class than a prestige class. Most prestige classes are rather narrow in focus and tend to be good at one specific thing.
For example, you might put down “this class is good at breaking objects and constructs” or perhaps “this class is a maser of wielding a net and trident in combat.” This is your hook and the foundation upon which all other class abilities will stem from, so it’s best to really have a solid concept before you move any further in the process.
If you find that you have several sentences or ideas for the class, start finding the ones that go best together and removing those ideas that are dissimilar. For example, if you have “this class is good at survival in the woods, making rare herbal remedies, and fighting with a longbow” you might take a look and discover that being good with a longbow is somewhat out of focus compared with surviving in the wild and making herbal remedies. You might want to remove the bit about the longbow and just focus on survival and herbal item creation.
Once you have a solid concept in mind, one that you really like, it’s time to move on to step two.
Step Two: Ability Concepts
Start by listing the concept of the class on a clean sheet of paper or in a word processor. Under this concept start listing abilities that fit into the theme of the class. Don’t worry if you have too many ideas or if some seem odd – you’ll be pruning these ideas a bit later. Don’t be afraid if your abilities seem vague or don’t have any mechanics attached to them yet – that process comes a bit later.
For example, you might have something like this.
Master of Rocks – “This class has total control over all sorts of earthquakes, stones, and the earth itself.”
- Ability to make an earthquake
- Ability to make magical throwing rocks
- Ability to walk in stones and through the earth
- The power to hurl really big rocks at people
- The ability to learn the wisdom of the earth and stones.
- Bones that are as strong as stone
- Fists that are like big boulders
- Stony skin
Once you have a nice list of abilities, start sitting down and removing any ideas that don’t seem to go together are don’t seem to fit thematically with the prestige class. The idea is to build up a large list of abilities and then just take the best four to seven ideas. If you think all the abilities fit, try to see if you can’t combine some of them together. At this point, you’re ready to move on to step three.
Step Three: How Many Levels?
Now you need to start looking at the actual mechanics of the class and a few general class abilities. Some designers might feel more comfortable making up the prerequisites for the class before assigning abilities, though I feel that making up abilities first helps to define just what the prerequisites of the class should be.
Your first step is to decide how many levels the class should contain. Generally prestige classes are either three levels, five levels, or ten levels. While a few classes may have six, twelve, or fourteen levels, most of them have three, five, or ten levels. It’s best to stick with the three, five, ten rule at first.
Generally, three level classes define a minor deviation from a core class or a class that is very limited in scope or power. If you don’t have many ideas or your idea is very unusual, you might want to consider making the class only three levels.
Five level classes generally define a deviation from a core class but not a highly specialized idea or concept. Five level classes are generally good for a class that belongs to a specific guild, collective, or other organization as well as a class that has a single “shtick.” If you have more material than a three level class can contain but not enough for a ten level class, consider making a five level class.
Ten level classes are the big daddy of all prestige classes. They are also the only prestige classes than can be taken into the epic levels. A ten level prestige class is often a major deviation from a standard class and often provide powerful abilities that cannot be duplicated anywhere else. If you have a long list of abilities you’d like to include, consider making a ten level class. Once you’ve decided on how many levels the class should contain, it’s time for step four.
Step Four: Basic Mechanics
So, you have your concept, some ideas for a few abilities, and a general idea of how many levels this class should contain. What’s next, Chester? That would be deciding upon the basic mechanics of the class.
Basic mechanics are the base attack bonus, hit dice, saving throws, skill points, and class skills of the prestige class. These are the one thing that all classes have in common, so they’re an excellent place to start working on the mechanics of the class.
Start with the base attack bonuses. Highly martial and combative classes probably need a full base attack bonus (character level). These classes are often designed to appeal to barbarians, fighters, paladins, and rangers. Somewhat martial, divine spellcaster, or more utilitarian classes without spellcasting generally have a moderate base attack bonus (character level * 3/4). These types of classes general appeal to nearly any class, depending upon the special abilities present. Spellcasting or non-martial prestige classes probably require a poor base attack bonus (character level * 1/2). Generally the only prestige classes that have a poor base attack bonus are ones that have a full or nearly full arcane spellcasting progression or a host of very powerful class abilities.
Base saving throws fall into two categories: good ((character level * 1/2) +2) or poor (character level * 1/3). Classes with a full base attack bonus generally have one good save, classes with a moderate base attack bonus generally have one or two good saves, and classes with a poor base attack bonus generally have one or two good saves.
Take a look at the concept of your class, as this will generally provide a good clue as to which saves should be good and which should be poor. Martial prestige classes generally have good Fortitude save (if they’re beefy types) or good Reflex saves (if they’re nimble types). Spellcasting prestige classes generally have good Will saves.
The general rule of thumb is that if a class is tough or resilient to physical damage, then it has a good Fortitude save. If the class is nimble or focuses on evasion type qualities, it generally has a good Reflex save. If the class is strong of mind or has some spellcasting, it generally has a good Will save.
Hit points are generally typed to the base attack bonus of the prestige class. Classes with a full base attack bonus generally have d12, d10, or d8 hit dice. Classes with a moderate base attack bonus generally have d8 or d6 hit points. Classes with a poor base attack bonus generally have d6 or d4 hit points (usually d4). Use your best judgment and look at other prestige classes if you’re stuck on this subject.
Finally, decide upon the class skills and skill points of the class. Like saving throws, the base attack bonus of the class often suggests the number of skill points and class skills of the class. Full base attack bonus classes tend to have 2 or 4 skill points per level, moderate base attack bonus classes can have anywhere between 2 to 8 skill points per level, and poor base attack classes usually have 2 or 4 skill points per level. If you’re unsure of how many skill points the class should have, take a look at the base class that the prestige class most appeals to and use the same number of skill points.
Any skill that is a prerequisite of the class should appear on the class skill list. Generally, avoid putting more exclusive skills (such as Disable Device, Sleight of Hand, or Use Magic Device) in a prestige class unless it really fits the theme. In general, the most skill points your class contains the more class skills it should have.
In general, most prestige classes are designed to appeal to one or two base classes, so you can generally get a good idea of the class skill list for the prestige class by looking at the target base class skill list.
Rough Balance Equivalents
Please keep in mind that these are rough ball park figures that can change at the drop of a hat depending upon the power of the class’ special abilities.
- A full base attack bonus is roughly equal to the loss of five spellcasting levels
- A moderate base attack bonus is roughly equal to the loss of three arcane spellcasting levels.
- A one die size decrease in hit dice is roughly equal to 2 more skill points and about 4 extra class skills.
- A two hit die size decrease in hit dice is roughly equal to one additional good saving throw.
Okay, still with me? Either I’m a decent writer or there’s nothing on television now but old hee-haw re-runs. Anyway, onward to the next section of doom.
Step Five: Class Features
So, we’ve got some groovy abilities just sitting in a handy list just waiting to be put to good use. Once we have a basic framework, we need to make these ideas into actual abilities. Unfortunately, this is the one area where experience really helps. However, there are a few general rules that can help you make this class a reality.
First, take a look at your list of ability concepts and see if any of them can be duplicated with existing spells or feats. If this is the case, simply grant the class a bonus feat or a spell-like ability once (or more) per day. Many common class features can be granted in this easy method.
For unusual abilities, the method is a bit more complex and difficult. Start by examining existing prestige classes to see if you can get a basic idea of how you want the ability to function. If no pre-existing examples exist, you’re going to have to kind of “wing it”. This is where experience and feedback on the message boards is exceptionally valuable. If you’re unsure of what to do, start asking for help, as the gaming community is by and large rather friendly and happy to help.
Once you have your class abilities written up, it’s time to add them into the class progression. Graduated abilities (abilities that get better over class levels) should generally fall into one of three patterns. Every odd level starting at first level (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), ever even level starting at two (2, 4, 6, 7, 10), or every third level starting at three (3, 6, 9). If the ability is minor, suck as a skill bonus, every odd level starting at first is generally best. If the ability is good but not overpowering, every even level starting at second is generally best. For a good ability or an ability that has few progressions every three levels starting at third is fine.
Generally class abilities become more powerful as the class advances in level. Most classes also contain a kind of “capstone” ability that is the hallmark of the class. This capstone ability is always gained at the last class level. The more levels your class contains, the better the capstone ability.
Again, learning how to place class abilities is largely a function of experience and intuition. I cannot stress enough the value of the message boards and your peers and friends as a great source for help.
So, it looks like we’re more or less done, right? Think again, Chester. We have a couple of more steps to complete.
Step Six: Class Prerequisites
Now that you have a working class, it’s time to set the requirements for the class. Generally, most prestige classes shouldn’t be obtainable before level five, unless this it is a three or five level Eberron prestige class, in which case level three or four isn’t horribly unreasonable.
There are three hard limits on entry level for a prestige class: your base attack bonus, your caster level, and skill ranks. These two things can never exceed a set number at each class level. Generally, this is the best way to set the entry level of the prestige class.
Martial classes generally require a base attack bonus of +5, +6, or +7 for entry. The better the class is, the higher the base attack bonus prerequisite. Generally three and five level prestige classes usually require a +5 or +6 base attack bonus while ten level classes generally require a +6 or +7 base attack bonus.
Most general prestige classes require either 5, 8, or 10 ranks in a certain skill. Classes that also require a base attack bonus generally only require 5 or 8 ranks in one or two skills. Classes that require only skills generally require multiple skills at 8 ranks or one skill at 10 ranks. Skill requirements are often heavily focused on the ability of the class and often are pulled from the class list of your target base class.
Most spellcasting prestige classes require the ability to cast either third or forth level spells, or a spellcaster level of fifth, seventh, or even ninth level. Most spellcasting classes also require ranks in either one or more Knowledge skills or the Spellcraft skill.
In addition to mechanical requirements, some classes require a “roleplaying” type of requirement, such as the inclusion in a particular guild, completing some specific task, or something of a similar nature. Generally these requirements serve to highlight the focus of the class in some way.
You can include a feat requirement as well. Generally, classes that have a lot of good abilities require one or two “bad” feats, such as toughness, skill focus, or some other feat that is generally considered unattractive. Be wary of including too many non-fighter feats as prerequisites, as they can delay the attainment of a prestige class beyond what level you had in mind (since you only gain one feat every three levels).
Finally, you can add a racial or regional requirement to a class that is specifically targeted at a certain race or nation. Generally racial prestige classes are the epitome of a racial stereotype, such as the tough dwarf or the ambitious human. Regional requirements are generally a way to emphasize a culturally common theme of a nation. So, we have some prerequisites. Are we there yet?
Step Seven: Thirty-One Flavors of Fun
Now that we have all the fun mechanical things out of the way, let’s give this class some life. Go back to your class abilities and write a short one or two lines of “flavor text” for each class ability. These tend to give players a lot to work with, so don’t be shy about writing them. Even things like “As the master of toasted bread continues his training, he learns how to toast even the most difficult bread products with lightning ease” can add a lot to a class.
After giving your class abilities some flavor, write up the rest of the class according to the common format featured in the newer books. This includes a short little quote about the class, a paragraph or two about the class in general, how to become a member of the class, and a page or two of general class “fluff.” This part is just as important as the class abilities section, as this is what breathes life into your creation.
Don’t be shy about asking your friends for help in writing this fluff. The message boards are also a great way to get feedback and suggestions for your class. You don’t have to be a fantastic writer, but some good, solid flavor text really does make all the difference.
So, we’re done, right? Think again. We have one final step in the process – game balance.
Step Eight: Game Balance
There is one primary and golden rule of prestige class game balance, and it is a simple question. Once things have been created, sit down and ask yourself with an unbiased mind: “Why would my target class/race not take this prestige class?” You must be brutally honest and unbiased when asking this question. If you need to, ask your friends this question as well.
If you cannot come up with at least one or two reasons why your target class or race would not take this class, then it is probably overpowered and you need to do one of two things: tone down the power or make it harder to enter.
Toning down the power of the class is generally the first method most people use. Take a look and see if you’re simply giving too many abilities and cut one or two of them out and then spread the remain abilities around or split them into multiple abilities. You can also consider lowering the base attack bonus, base saving throws, skill skills, skill points, or hit dice as well, though this is generally only advisable if your class is only slightly overpowered.
If you think that the class is only slightly too powerful, consider adding one or two prerequisites that are discouraging for your target class to take, while still being somewhat useful. For example, take a look at the Dwarven Defender. It requires both endurance and toughness, two feats that add very little to a dwarven fighter (the target class). This is part of the balance to the class. Considering requiring one or two underpowered feats, a cross class skill or two, or even something odd.
Once you’ve done a little pruning, ask yourself the question once again. If you can now honestly come up with reasons not to take the class, then you’ve probably got a mostly balanced class on your hands. You can now show it to your friends, post it on a message board, and begin play testing the class.
Conversely, if you can’t conjure up more than one good reason to take the class, you might have not made it powerful enough or much too narrow in scope. Starting adding abilities or increasing the base mechanics of the class until you have one or two good reasons to take the class.
That’s about it. I’ve rambled on enough and here’s hoping you found this useful. Just one more little section for those of you who use message boards.
Message Board Tips and Tricks
- Please, please, please, spell check and proof-read your class before you post it on the boards (I know I probably made a mistake in this very document, so just call me the Kettle). It makes the class so much easier to check for balance and ideas if we can clearly understand what you have written.
- Those neat little ability blocks are done with the code and /code tags (put code and /code in square brackets []). When you make your table, use a fixed width word editor, such as notepad. (I make my tables in word and then cut and paste them into notepad to make them line up all nice and pretty).
- Try to follow the same format as the most recent books (such as Races of Destiny or Magic of Eberron). That way those who are helping you know just where to look for things.
That’s it. Thanks for reading and I hope this was helpful!
- Save-vs-DM
However, I disagree on encouraging people to use the "new format" PrC set-up. I know many people on this board find it to be needless page-count padding, and my experience with it has largely been unimpressed. I haven't found it to really do much for the PrCs I'm reading, except in exceptional circumstances. Now, it's not an awful idea, but it just doesn't seem a necessity to me, either.
Very timely too, as I was just contemplating creating some prestige classes to flesh out the homebrew world I am creating...
Step Seven: Thirty-One Flavors of Fun
Now that we have all the fun mechanical things out of the way, let’s give this class some life.
This is a very good article. However, this step should not be so low on the list. Arguably, this step should be integrated with Concept (Step 1) or there about.
While it is true that a simple concept that focuses on how the PrC will function in the game is really going to help with the game mechanics build for that PrC. From a campaign building perspective and for DMs who prefer PrCs to supplement the campaign (not just give the players yet another option), the fluff or flavor is just as important as the concept you have outlined.
Deciding to make a class that break constructs easily is all fine and well. But if it serves no purpose in your campaign, then why spend the time building it other than trying to show if off on the boards (and getting upset when some says it’s stupid or broken). If step one is to figure out a concept that will translate into a prestige class, step two should be to figure out how this concept will work in your campaign. If there is a niche for it in your world and it will interact with the party (either a player may be interested in taking it or a BBEG will be of this class), then make it. If there is no niche and there is no reason ever that a player or BBEG will use this PrC, then don't waste the time making it.
I could add some stuff on psionics.