Prestige Classes as Feats: Arcane Archer

Today I look at an idea which is not entirely novel, but has interested me nonetheless. To begin with, I have never really liked prestige classes in D&D 3.5 the way they were originally designed. I love the concept, but the implementation was, I feel, a disaster. The first problem is one which I have with multiclassing in general. It's just too good not to multiclass for most characters. Whether that means splashing a couple levels of fighter as a rogue or taking a powerful prestige class as a wizard, the benefits usually far outweigh the costs in terms of prerequisites and other things. The second problem is that prestige classes are, in general, inherently too good to ignore. A character who plays from level 1 to 20 as a single base class is generally going to be at a disadvantage by most metrics to a character who takes even a single prestige class. I have a few other minor gripes with prestige classes, but these two are the main ones. So I got to thinking about prestige classes in a recent EN World discussion which was focused on another topic, but sparked my interest in this idea. Someone posted what was essentially a conversion of the arcane archer prestige class into feats. I got to thinking, what if all prestige classes were that way?

I came up with a relatively simple notion. Convert all prestige classes into feat trees consisting of five feats each. Given that prestige classes generally become available at 6th-level, these feat trees would all have a minimum level requirement of 6th-level. From 6th-level all the way to 18th-level a character receives five feats. So through this conversion, a character who wants to be a consummate expert at the prestige class abilities would need to devote all feats from 6th-level onward to the prestige feat tree. But this would not preclude the character from dabbling in the prestige class by taking only one or two of these feats.

Prestige feats are a new type of feat which function as feat trees that grant a character successive abilities which become increasingly more powerful as one advances. Prestige feats generally have the same entry requirements as the prestige class upon which it is based. They also typically combine elements from one or more prestige class levels into each feat. The benefit granted by a base prestige feat is generally enhanced by each successive prestige feat in that chain. Below is an example of the Arcane Archer prestige feat chain.

ARCANE ARCHER (PRESTIGE)
Prerequisites: Elf or half-elf, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow), ability to cast 1st-level arcane spells, base attack bonus +5.
Benefit: Every nonmagical arrow you nock and let fly becomes magical, gaining a +1 enhancement bonus. Unlike magic weapons created by normal means, you need not spend experience points or gold pieces to accomplish this task. However, your magic arrows only function for you.
Additionally, you gain the ability to place an area spell upon an arrow. When the arrow is fired, the spell’s area is centered on where the arrow lands, even if the spell could normally be centered only on the caster. This ability allows you to use the bow’s range rather than the spell’s range. It takes a standard action to cast the spell and fire the arrow. The arrow must be fired in the round the spell is cast, or the spell is wasted.
Special: For each feat you possess which has Arcane Archer as a prerequisite, the magic arrows you create gain +1 greater potency.

SEEKER ARROW (PRESTIGE)
Prerequisites: Elf or half-elf, Arcane Archer, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow).
Benefit: You can launch an arrow once per day at a target known to you within range, and the arrow travels to the target, even around corners. Only an unavoidable obstacle or the limit of the arrow’s range prevents the arrow’s flight. This ability negates cover and concealment modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally. Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action).
Special: For each feat you possess which has Seeker Arrow as a prerequisite, you gain one additional use of this feat per day.

PHASE ARROW (PRESTIGE)
Prerequisites: Elf or half-elf, Arcane Archer, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Seeker Arrow, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow).
Benefit: You can launch an arrow once per day at a target known to you within range, and the arrow travels to the target in a straight path, passing through any nonmagical barrier or wall in its way. (Any magical barrier stops the arrow.) This ability negates cover, concealment, and even armor modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally.
Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action).
Special: For each feat you possess which has Phase Arrow as a prerequisite, you gain one additional use of this feat per day.

HAIL OF ARROWS (PRESTIGE)
Prerequisites: Elf or half-elf, Arcane Archer, Phase Arrow, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Seeker Arrow, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow).
Benefit: In lieu of your regular attacks, once per day you can fire an arrow at each and every target within range, to a maximum of two targets for every Arcane Archer feat you possess. Each attack uses your primary attack bonus, and each enemy may only be targeted by a single arrow.
Special: For each feat you possess which has Hail of Arrows as a prerequisite, you gain one additional use of this feat per day.

ARROW OF DEATH (PRESTIGE)
Prerequisites: Elf or half-elf, Arcane Archer, Hail of Arrows, Phase Arrow, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Seeker Arrow, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow).
Benefits: You can create an arrow of death that forces the target, if damaged by the arrow’s attack, to make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 character level + your Dex modifier) or be slain immediately. It takes one day to make an arrow of death, and the arrow only functions for you. The arrow of death lasts no longer than one year, and you can only have one such arrow in existence at a time.
Special: For each feat you possess which has Arrow of Death as a prerequisite, you may have one additional arrow of death at a time.

Note that I have left the door open for further expansion of this feat chain. If a character wishes to continue taking Arcane Archer feats into epic levels, you could extrapolate to create greater effects, as well as granting more uses of the previous Arcane Archer feats and a greater enhancement bonus to arrows. These feats end up being a little more powerful than the arcane archer prestige class itself, but the cost is that you are giving up the flexibility of taking other feats and you do not gain some of the other benefits of the arcane archer prestige class, such as skills, saving throws and so on.