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CHAPTER 7ARCANECAMPAIGNS190EPIC PRESTIGE-CLASS CHARACTERSThe Dungeon Master’s Guide has information on advancingcharacters of the basic classes beyond 20th level (see EpicCharacters, page 206). You can also advance beyond 10thlevel in a prestige class that already offers ten levels, but onlyif your character level is already 20th or higher. You cannotadvance in a prestige class with fewer than ten levels beyondthe maximum level indicated for that class, regardless of yourcharacter level.When an epic-level character advances beyond 10th levelin a prestige class, he follows all the rules presented in theDungeon Master’s Guide. In addition, the DM must createan epic-level progression for the prestige class, just as theDungeon Master’s Guide presents epic-level progressions forthe classes from the Player’s Handbook. Many, but not all, classfeatures continue to accumulate after 10th level. The followingguidelines describe how to create an epic prestige classprogression, and are followed by a sample epic progressionfor the mage of the Arcane Order class (presented on page48).• Base save bonuses and base attack bonus don’t increaseafter 20th character level, and since a character can’t takean epic progression in a prestige class without being atleast a 21st-level character already, there are no base save orbase attack columns for prestige classes beyond 10th level.Instead, use Table 6–18: Epic Save and Epic Attack Bonuses,page 206 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, to determine thecharacter’s epic bonus on saving throws and attack rolls.• A character continues to gain Hit Dice and skill points asnormal beyond 10th level.• Generally speaking, any class feature that uses class levelas part of a mathematical formula (such as a loremaster’slore check) continues to increase as normal by class level.However, any prestige class feature that calculates a saveDC using the class level (such as the assassin’s death attack)should add only one-half the character’s class levels above10th. Thus, a 19th-level wizard/14th-level assassin’s deathattack would have a DC of 22 + Int modifier (base 10 + 10class levels + 1/2 class levels above 10th). Without thisadjustment, the save DC for epic character prestige classabilities increases at a much higher rate than those ofnormal class abilities.• For spellcasters, caster level continues to increase after10th level at the same rate it did during the ten levels of theprestige class. Thus, a 13th-level loremaster adds thirteento the caster level of her original class to determine totalcaster level. However, spells per day don’t increase after20th caster level.• The powers of familiars, special mounts, and fiendishservants continue to increase as their masters gain levelsif they’re based on a formula that includes the character’slevel.• Any class features that increase or accumulate as partof a repeated pattern (such as an assassin’s sneak attackdamage) typically also continue to increase or accumulateafter 10th level at the same rate. For instance, a 10th-levelrogue/15th-level assassin would deal an extra 13d6 pointsof damage with a successful sneak attack (5d6 from roguelevels and 8d6 from assassin levels). An exception to thisrule is any bonus feat progression granted as a class feature.Bonus feats gained by a prestige class don’t increase withepic levels. The prestige class instead gains a new bonusfeat progression that varies from class to class (see thenext item).• In addition to the class features retained from nonepiclevels, each prestige class gains bonus feats at a certainrate (usually every two, three, four, or five levels after10th). These bonus feats augment each class’s progressionof class features, not all of which improve after 10th level,and are in addition to the feat that every character gainsevery three levels.• Epic prestige classes don’t gain any new class features, andclass features with a progression that slows or stops before10th level or that have a limited list of options (such asthe loremaster’s list of secrets) typically don’t improve asa character gains epic prestige class levels. Likewise, classfeatures that are gained only once and do not improve as acharacter rises in level (such as a barbarian’s fast movement)also do not improve at epic levels.Sample Prestige Class Epic Progression:The Epic Mage of the Arcane OrderAn epic mage of the Arcane Order displays a great thirst forarcane knowledge. His associations with his guild and theSpellpool grow to new heights.Hit Die: d4.Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.Spells: An epic mage of the Arcane Order’s caster levelincreases by one for each new mage of the arcane order levelhe attains. A mage of the Arcane Order’s number of spellsper day does not increase after 10th level. If a mage of theArcane Order memorizes his spells from a book (as a wizarddoes), then each time he achieves a new spell level he learnstwo new spells of any level that he can cast.Bonus Language: For every four levels higher than 10th(14th, 18th, and so on), a mage of the Arcane Order gainsanother bonus language.Bonus Feats: An epic mage of the Arcane Order gains abonus feat every four levels after 10th.Spellpool: If you have access to the Epic Level Handbook,an epic mage of the Arcane Order can also call epic spellsfrom the Spellpool as long as he has the Epic Spellcastingfeat. Treat epic spells as 10th-level spells for the purpose ofaccumulating Spellpool debt. A DM might wish to rule thatcertain epic spells are unavailable to an epic mage of the ArcaneOrder on a case-by-case basis.EPIC FEATSThe feats below are available only to characters of at least 21stlevel. All feat descriptions presented here supersede earlierversions that may have appeared in other supplements.