The prestige classes in the Dungeon Master's Guide were the first (and, to date, the only) prestige classes considered part of the core rules for the game. The 3rd edition Dungeon Master's Guide contained six original prestige classes; the 3.5 revision included these six, and added ten more.
| Class | Description | Statistics |
|---|---|---|
| Arcane Archer | Arcane archers mix archery with magical ability; they may enchant arrows and send spells as effects through them. They must be either an elf or a half-elf. | OGL stats Image |
| Assassin | Assassins are killers and spies, generally for money. They must be of evil alignment and kill a victim as an initiation rite to join. They focus on stealth, sneak attacks, and safe (for them) poison usage. They also have a limited degree of magical talent focused on intrusion and stealth; it is cast normally like a Wizard in 3rd edition and spontaneous like a Sorcerer in 3.5. | OGL stats Image |
| Blackguard | Blackguards are dedicated champions of evil; mechanically, they are similar to reverse Paladins in many ways. Some older versions of the game included "Anti-Paladins," which are similar. Blackguards may be of any evil alignment; fallen Paladin Blackguards gain additional abilities. | OGL stats Image |
| Dwarven Defender | Dwarven Defenders are dwarf warriors who gain great defensive ability; they possess a higher Armor Class and gain damage reduction. Dwarven Defenders can also gain bonuses from a Defensive stance ability if they stay rooted to one spot. They must be of a Lawful alignment. | OGL stats Image |
| Loremaster | Loremasters are scholars who acquire knowledge and occluded secrets. They must possess some skill in divination spells and detailed mastery of at least two Knowledge skills. | OGL stats Image |
| Shadowdancer | Shadowdancers are able to use the cloak of shadows for a variety of powerful effects, such as hiding in plain sight or teleporting a short range through shadows. | OGL stats Image |
| Added in 3.5 revision | ||
| Arcane Trickster | Arcane Tricksters are rogues who combine larceny with magical talent. They may attempt skills such as picking locks or sleight of hand from a distance, and can force sneak attacks even on prepared targets. Arcane Tricksters cannot be lawful. | OGL stats Image |
| Archmage | Archmages are powerful wizards or sorcerers who gain a variety of special abilities in exchange for spell slots. | OGL stats Image |
| Dragon Disciple | Dragon Disciples are those with some draconic heritage who seek to transform into half-dragons. They must have some inherent spellcasting ability to attempt this. | OGL stats Image |
| Duelist | Duelists are nimble warriors who focus on wits and finesse. They gain a bonus based on intelligence to their armor class when not wearing armor and may strike their opponents with great precision with light weapons. | OGL stats |
| Eldritch Knight | Eldritch Knights learn both martial and arcane arts. They must possess both skill with all weapons and significant arcane casting ability, and go on to improve both in training as an Eldritch Knight. | OGL stats Image |
| Hierophant | Hierophants are already-powerful clerics or druids who seek a different form of training. The class does not enhance their spellcasting ability any, but hierophants gain powerful special abilities of their choice from their deity instead. | OGL stats Image |
| Horizon Walker | Horizon Walkers are explorer-warriors. They gain knowledge of various terrains with experience, and eventually learn even the terrain of the outer planes. | OGL stats Image |
| Mystic Theurge | Mystic Theurges are students of both divine and arcane magic. Mechanically, they are generally cleric / wizards who advance their spellcasting in both classes. | OGL stats Image |
| Red Wizard | Red Wizards are members of the ruling hierarchy of Thay in the Forgotten Realms setting. They are extremely specialized wizards; they forsake access to even more schools of magic in order to increase their mastery in their specialized school. | (see below) |
| Thaumaturgist | Thaumaturgists are generally former clerics who specialize in summoning allies from the planes. | OGL stats Image |
The Red Wizard prestige class was adapted from Forgotten Realms campaign-specific material. Because of its origins in Forgotten Realms, the Red Wizard is the only prestige class to appear in the Dungeon Master's Guide but not in the System Reference Document (SRD).
Read more about this topic: List Of Prestige Classes
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