New PrC Dwarven Battle Bard (EDITED)

[trentonjoe]

I am working on a Lawful bard like character. THe class will be the available to devout followers of Clangedin Silverbeard, the dwarven god of battle. I would like the "special" abilities to be geared toward combat, espicially dwarven combat.


Requirements
To become a Battle Bard, the character must fullfill the following criteria.

BaB: +6
Skills: Perform (sing)6 ranks,
Feats: Weapon Focus (any axe), Skill focus perfrom


Essentially the BAB, Saves, Hit DIce, SKills, and Skill Points are the same as the Bard class.

Replacing the songs and spells are the abilities below. THey function like Bard's songs, they take a full round of singing before taking effect. The only difference is that each song can be sung once per day.

1st- The Inspire Courage Bardic Ability, Smite Hill Giants

2nd- Endurance-

3rd- Sing though Silence

4th-Inspire Greatness Bardic Ability

5th - Axe Storm of Clangedin


* Inspire Courage: A bard with 3 or more ranks in Perform can to inspire courage in his or her allies. To be affected, an ally must hear the bard sing for a full round. The effect lasts as long as the bard sings and for 5 rounds after the bard stops singing (or 5 rounds after the ally can no longer hear the bard). While singing, the bard can fight but cannot cast spells, activate magic items by spell completion (such as scrolls), or activate magic items by magic word (such as wands). Affected allies receive a +2 morale bonus to saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus to attack and weapon damage rolls. Inspire courage is a supernatural, mind-affecting ability.
THese seem a little underpowered compared to the spells and entire list of standard Bardic abilities.

* Smite Hill Giants- Once per day the Batle bard can sing and get to add his/her BATTLEBARD level to her attack rolls against Hill giants and recieve a 1d6 extra damage vs. hill giants.

*Endurance- As spell but the Battlebard does not need to touch the target, the target only needs ot hear the song. THe duration is length of the song + 5 rounds.

*Sing through Silence- THe battle bard may make a Perform check of 20 to sing through magical silence.

*Inspire Greatness: A bard with 12 or more ranks in Perform can inspire greatness in another creature. For every three levels the bard attains beyond 9th, the bard can inspire greatness in one additional creature. To inspire greatness, the bard must sing and the creature must hear the bard sing for a full round, as with inspire courage. The creature must also be within 30 feet. A creature inspired with greatness gains temporary Hit Dice, attack bonuses, and saving throw bonuses as long as he or she hears the bard continue to sing and for 5 rounds thereafter. (All these bonuses are competence bonuses.)
The target gains the following boosts:
* +2 Hit Dice (d10s that grant temporary hit points).
* +2 competence bonus on attacks.
* +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves.
Apply the target's Constitution modifier, if any, to each bonus Hit Die. These extra Hit Dice count as regular Hit Dice for determining effects such as the sleep spell. Inspire greatness is a supernatural, mind-affecting enchantment ability.

*Axe Storm of Clangedin: When the Battlebard may sing this powerful song ALL listening, allied dwarves recieve once free partial attack at their highest bonus but only with an axe. Only dwarves with axes recieve the free partial action. It does not stack with the haste spell or similar magic.


Comments welcome

 

[Bassar]

I know this is not combat related but...

what about a song that inspires dwarves or anyone for that matter to work harder/longer?

 

[Xarlen]

Re: I know this is not combat related but...

what about a song that inspires dwarves or anyone for that matter to work harder/longer?

That's what Endurance would do. Eventually thy'd have to make Con checks, and the added Con would prolong them.

 

[las]

LIke song of best work.
This song Gives a +2 to craft checks and a plus 4 to enduernce checks to all that here the song. This ability lasts 5 + Cha mod rounds after the Dwarf bard is done singing.

 

[trentonjoe]

I changed some stuff around and added a few more abilities.

I like the idea of "working" harder but I wanted this to be more war slanted.

Please keep the comments coming.

 

[hong]

Off the top of my head:

1) I don't usually like 5-level prestige classes. If something is worth a PrC, it should be worth 10 levels. If there aren't enough spiffy abilities to fill out 10 levels, perhaps the concept isn't broad or deep enough to warrant a PrC. But that's just my taste.

2) Inspire courage and inspire greatness are good. Inspire competence would also be good.

3) To be consistent with how it works elsewhere, smite should give a fixed bonus to attack, and a bonus equal to level to damage.

4) Limiting smite to hill giants alone is odd. Why not all creatures with the giant type (which is how the dwarf's racial bonus to AC works)? That would include ogres, fire giants, frost giants, and ettins, all of which seem like common enemies for dwarves.

5) I don't like sing through silence. If something blocks sound, then it blocks sound. Perhaps the ELH will have skill checks for getting around this, but the DCs will probably be astronomical.

6) Endurance is good. Along the same lines, bull's strength might also be a good idea.

7) Here's an idea: inspire fury, which gives all creatures who hear it (or maybe only some of them) the ability to rage as per the barbarian. Lawful creatures can't normally use this ability, but for a warlike class, it seems reasonable enough to me.