Talk:Initiate of the Black Tower (3.5e Prestige Class)

Ratings

	Foxwarrior likes this article and rated it 3 of 4.
	Some of those class features are pretty cool, and I guess the power boost from prestiging into this isn't any more than for prestiging into other available options.

Response to Old Foxwarrior Rating

You can't make a prestige class that loses a caster level -- otherwise it's too weak and no one will use it. There are plenty of even stronger prestige classes printed by WotC that do not lose caster levels so, unfortunately, that is the baseline. Surgo 03:47, 2 August 2012 (UTC)

I must disagree. Losing caster levels is perfectly fine, especially for non-wizard level games. You don't WANT to, but it's very much possible to lose CL and trading it out for something that's worth it. Thats the part which is the trick to it, the loss must be worth it (which WotC isn't very good at), and the more CLs you lose, the greater the importance. It's exponential, so for any pure caster oriented classes, the most I could ever recommend is -2 CL, and I discourage those.

No comment on the power level of this class though, haven't given it proper study. Just saying that "this would be a better trade if a CL was lost" is a valid argument. -- Eiji-kun 04:59, 2 August 2012 (UTC)

It should be noted that this is a Tome class from Tome of Fiends and by the Tome guidelines of spellcasting prestige classes, I believe, it is never worth it to lose a caster level. --Dr Platypus 09:15, 2 August 2012 (UTC)

especially for non-wizard level games

This is a Very High class, and the Wizard is by definition wizard-level. Classes that lose caster levels at any level that level 1 are identical to classes that don't lose caster levels (because they are just not taken at the point they'd lose the level). Classes that lose a caster level at level 1 are simply inferior to published WotC options. Surgo 14:33, 2 August 2012 (UTC)