Hey folks!
Working on a new prestige class. Let's keep it simple and say that it is for members of a secret society like the Freemasons.
I wanted to structure it along the lines of the Loremaster, with a number of "degrees" and "secrets" that are learned at each level, chosen from a list.
Easy enough. Don't worry about the details (It's a SECRET!)
The problem is, I want the PrC to be open to ALL CLASSES. While it is easy enough to change the requirements, the trouble comes with BAB, Saves and, especially, the "+1 level to existing spellcasting class."
If you have a general PrC, you want to still offer that last option to spellcasting players, but those without spellcasting ability don't get the full benefit of the class.
Are there any common PrC examples I might reference that anyone can think of?
My idea was to offer ONE of the following options:
GOOD BAB
OR
GOOD SAVES
OR
SPELL LEVEL PROGRESSION
That way, if a fighter joins the secret society, he gets the secrets AND his nice BAB, but poor saves and no spell level progression. A rogue could get good saves, but not the other two and the secrets. A wizard, of course, would probably choose the spell level increase and get the goods, too.
Thoughts? Input?
Fleece
Errrr...that should read "TWO Good Saves" rather than just "Good Saves" -basically, a cleric progression (two good, one poor)rather than a fighter progression (2 poor, 1 good)...
It's probably better to create multiple prestige classes for the organization around specific roles. For examples (in Complete Adventurer), there are the daggerspell mage and daggerspell shaper for the Daggerspell Guardians, the Nightsong enforcer and Nightsong infiltrator for the Nightsong Guild, and the shadowbane inquisitor and shadowbane stalker for the Order of Illumination.
In this case, I'd recommend keeping the loremaster (possibly with some modification) as the "spellcasting" PrC and creating a full BAB version without spells (possibly based on the annointed knight in Book of Exalted Deeds and/or the warrior of darkness in Book of Vile Darkness) as the "martial" PrC. If both versions have 4 + Int mod skill points and a wide selection of skills, that should probably be a sufficient amount of choice.
I've made PrCs that are good for monks, rangers, rogues, and scouts, and used a Puissance ability, which either increases your unarmed strike damage, favored enemy bonus, sneak attack progression, or skirmish progression, or gave you a bonus combat feat if you didn't meet the other choices.
You might want to make it a +1/2 BAB class and offer a choice of an increase in caster level or insight bonus to attack rolls at every other level? Maybe have some other Secret that increases caster level by 1/2 the class level?
For example:
Secret Cultist
BAB: +1/2
Good Saves: Will
Hit Dice: 1d6
1. Insightful Instruction +1
2. Secret
3. Insightful Instruction +2
4. Secret
5. Insightful Instruction +3
6. Secret
7. Insightful Instruction +4
8. Secret
9. Insightful Instruction +5
10. Secret
Insightful Instruction. You gain an insight bonus to your attack rolls equal to the listed bonus, or you increase your caster level by the amount of the listed bonus.
Secret. You choose one of the following abilities at levels 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10.
Arcane Mastery. You add half your Secret Cultist class level to your caster level.
Strong Toughness. You gain add your Strength bonus to your hit points for each level you have in Secret Cultist.
No caster wants anything to do with a prestige class that doesn't give him full caster progression. There's no plum big enough to offset the lemon of losing that caster level, unless he's an NPC who's designed to get the "ye gods" plum at level 10 and never had to roleplay through the levels before.
Best bet is to make a set of prestige classes for members in the same order. Or simply make a "Member of a Secret Cult" feat which opens a suite of "Members Only" cool cultist feats which give you more cult status the more you take, in addition to other perks.