[Mortui]

Hey there players, the team has noticed a few misconceptions as to what the PRCs are for and how to earn them, so we've written up this little guide to help you guys understand what we expect out of it. To note, all prestige classes have no mechanical requirements as per the wiki, and instead require DM approval.

It should be known that a character can only have one prestige class for balance reasons. (Many PCs may never even receive a PRC).

Assassin:

Assassins are relatively straight forward, for purposes of balancing the team has decided that becoming an assassin requires that your services become somewhat of a commonly known thing before you can receive the prestige class, this may require you to have a few completed contracts under your belt before you can take the class.

Arcane Archer:

Arcane Archers can come in many different varieties, especially when the team has removed all mechanical requirements from the PRCs.
From flavours ranging from simply being a magical archer, to the point of potentially developing new magic to enhance your marksman abilities to becoming an extremely renowned archer (in the vein of a ranged Weapon Master.) An Arcane Archer does not have to be Elven or even magical. The abilities that are gained via the class skills can be hand-waived as either pseudo magical or completely skilled if one so wished.

The traditional path of becoming the leader of an Elven Warband, or becoming a cultural figurehead in the Elven community remain as valid and possibly even the simplest path to gaining access to this PRC.

Blackguard:

A Blackguard is not, despite common belief, an Anti-Paladin. However, the very things a Blackguard gets up to will make them seen as the antithesis of a Paladin in all things.
The Blackguard is a mortal fiend, devoting his or her life to evil of the most foul calibre. In almost all circumstances, a Blackguards soul belongs to a Devil or Demon, though there are circumstances where a Blackguard might serve another entity such as a God, or something far more sinister.

To earn the position of Blackguard, the character in question must be rightly known as an evil cretin, on the path to becoming a server villain in their own right. They stand for all things evil and must be known to have few if any redeemable qualities. They should be feared by all, but at the very least feared by the peasantry.

Harper Scout:

Harper Scout is not available in Age of Magic.

Shadowdancer:

Mysterious and mercurial in temperament and body, the Shadowdancer is as unknowable as the forces they serve and are one with.
To be a Shadowdancer, one must be creative in earning it, there is no specified route to becoming a Shadowdancer and only the most elite, creative and involving players will earn the privilege of becoming one with the shadows.

Divine Champion (of Torm):

The Champion of Torm has been renamed as the Divine Champion for Netheril: Age of Magic. The Champion must represent their God in all aspects, and can be of any alignment. They are upheld to even more rigorous standards than priests of their Gods.

To become a Divine Champion, a character must represent their Gods dogma wholly (or otherwise represent another facet of said God). They are chosen by their Deity itself, and as such must both gain the attention of their Deity and impress them. It is not an easy path and it is fraught with more difficulties than a Paladins due to the fickle nature of the Gods.

Dwarven Defender:

A Dwarven Defender is not only the defender of his or her people, but is a cultural guardian and figurehead in the Dwarven community they belong to. They must embody the best aspects of their culture, be it Shield, Gold or Duergar. There are many different routes in going about this, but they all must be well known in their respected community and must be the de facto PC leader of said community.
It will be difficult going about becoming a Dwarven Defender if there are no Dwarves for you to defend, so recruit, recruit, recruit.

Pale Master:

The Pale Master is a both a step on the path to Lichdom, and another facet entirely. There are infinite ways one can play a Pale Master and it does not require that one even be evil. There are as many ways to become a Pale Master as there are to become a Shadowdancer, though markedly easier in the simplicity of such.

It should be noted that a pale master doesn't necessarily need to be able to cast magic.
A possible Pale Master might be working towards Lichdom, Vampirism, or even constructing an entirely new path in the realm of undead immortality. Creativity is key, and you are locked towards no one path in the pursuit of becoming a Pale Master.

(Red) Dragon Disciple:

The Dragon Disciple does not have to be the servant of a Red Dragon on Netheril: AoM. The only (typical) requirement to being on the path of a Dragon Disciple is being in the service of a Dragon of any age, colour or gender. Naturally, this requires that a Dragon both like and trust you enough to share its secrets and its blood with you, which is not an easy task.

There are more creative ways to become a Dragon Disciple, especially involving dragonslaying and blood magic.

Shifter:

This prestige class is probably one of the most difficult to obtain due to both the power they can obtain with our server level range, and the strange circumstances surrounding gaining its power.
A Shifter might be a Druid of renown, a doppelganger monster, an outsider worshipper granted the powers of shapeshifting or any other concept that could fit with the infinite ways of becoming a freak of nature.

Weapon Master:

A Weapon Master must be more than simply 'good' with their weapon. They must either be the best, most renowned user of their weapon or studying under someone who is the above.
One must work towards perfecting their skills, they must constantly challenge themselves at skill of arms.
They could be a worshipper of Targus, a savage enemy of the Empire seeking to gain the power to destroy their oppressors, or anything along those lines.

A Weapon Master must do more than be a level 15 fighter who kills everything they see on quests and events. Ideally, you will be known for being the best, or at least trying to be the best at what you do.

(Purple Dragon) Knight:

One of the more open ended Prestige Classes, the Knight can be anything from a sworn Sword of the Lady, to a knightly champion of the Houses, or even the personal blade of Archmagus Valstiir herself. It is both simple and complex earning this prestige class, but at least it is somewhat straightforward.