Brindisium
19-08-2008, 13:44
The winner of which might or might not get implemented by poor overworked Eonwe depending on what he and the staff think about this idea. I hasten to add this is off the top of my head... so it might get kicked into touch very quickly :) but if it doesn't it will give me something to think about on my next trip.
Here, completely plagiarised from an old post in the RPG HQ forums, is the material that got me thinking about how I could play a Lossoth Skald.
Any thoughts y'all? TSP, I know you worked on a PrC previously. If anyone else is interested how about this as a template:
Lossoth Skald
Warriors. Poets. Noblemen. The skalds are the elite of the barbaric tribes of of the North, embodying all that their people hold dear. In times of peace they are diplomats, shining examples of the best the tribes have to offer. In times of crisis they are leaders, advisors and beacons of morale for their people. In times of war they are cunning generals and skilled combattants.
Skalds walk the fine line between savage barbarian and courtly bard, making them incredibly versatile and dangerous. As barbarians they are hearty, brave and at home in the harsh and varying landscapes of the North. As bards they tend to focus on vocal performances, inspiring their allies with chants, epics and poetry, often weaving events of an ongoing battle into their orations on the spot.
As members of the noble class, skalds are often well dressed and well-equipped. Invariably they are possessed of powerful, almost inhumanly flawless voices and an unmistakeable air of confidence that commands respect wherever they go. Skalds tend to be well-mannered, honourable and ethical, and though they all enjoy the thrill of combat, most would prefer to avoid unncessary violence when possible.
The emphasis is less on other bardic music abilities, and more on the use of inspire courage during a rage.
Hit Dice: d10
Requirements
Alignment: Any non-lawful
BAB: +4
Skills: Knowledge (Local) 5 ranks, Perform (oratory or sing) 8 ranks, Survival 5 ranks; either Diplomacy 3 ranks or Intimidate 3 ranks
Special: Rage ability; inspire courage Bardic Music Ability
Class Skills
The skald's class skills (and the key ability for each) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually)(Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Con), Swim (Str)
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
Lvl BAB Fort Ref Wil Special
1 +1 +2 +0 +2 Bardic Music, Rage, Battlesong
2 +2 +3 +0 +3 Tenacious Focus +2
3 +3 +3 +1 +3 Awesome Presence +2/+1
4 +4 +4 +1 +4 Tenacious Focus +4
5 +5 +4 +1 +4 Words of Rejuvination
6 +6 +5 +2 +5 Tenacious Focus +6
7 +7 +5 +2 +5 Awesome Presence +4/+2
8 +8 +6 +2 +6 Tenacious Focus +8
9 +9 +6 +3 +6 Demoralize
10 +10 +7 +3 +7 Tireless Battlesong
Bardic Music (su): The skald's class levels stack with his effective bard level for determining the number of uses per day of his bardic music ability. The skald adds his barbarian levels, plus twice his class level to his effective bard level for determining the strength of his inspire courage ability.
Rage (ex): The skald's class levels, as well as any levels in bard that he may posses, stack with any other levels that grant the Rage ability, such as the barbarian, for determining the number of times he may enter a Rage per day, as well as the Greater Rage, Tireless Rage and Mighty Rage abilities.
Battlesong (su): Battlecries, poetry and war chants come so naturally to the skald that he is able to effortlessly weave a vocal performance during the heat of battle. When entering a rage the skald can chose to make his rage a battlesong rage instead. During a battlesong rage the skald can expend a use of his bardic music ability to inspire courage even though he is not normally allowed to perform actions that require concentration while raging. Furthermore, he can start his inspire courage ability as a free action, and he can maintain concentration on it as a free action during any round in which he makes at least a single melee attack against an opponent.
The Battlesong rage lasts so long as the skald is able to maintain concentration, even if this exceeds the normal duration for a rage.
Tenacious Focus (ex): Beginning at 2nd level, the skald is able to hold on to a core of surprising tranquility while performing a Battlesong, and gains a +2 morale bonus to concentration checks to maintain a Battlesong rage when damaged or otherwise distracted. This bonus increases to +4 at 4th level, +6 at 6th level, and +8 at 8th level. Furthermore, even if he fails a concentration check while raging, he may spend a use of his Bardic Music Ability to re-roll his concentration check as an immediate action.
Awesome Presence (ex): At 3rd level a skald's bravery and prowess are impossible to hide. He gains a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks; this bonus doubles against members of the barbarian's tribe. If he has the Leadership feat, he gains a +1 bonus to his base Leadership score.
At 7th level these bonuses increase to +4 and +2 respectively.
Words of Rejuvination: A 5th level skald can inspire his allies to shake off the effects of fatigue and exhaustion. Fatigued characters who hear the skald speak for one minute are no longer fatigued, and exhausted characters are only fatigued. The skald can use this ability only once per hour. It is a language-dependent ability that counts as one daily use of the bardic music ability.
Demoralize: When a 8th level skald uses his inspire courage bardic music ability during a battlesong rage, all opponents within a 60' radius suffer a -1 morale penalty on attacks, weapon damage rolls, and saves vs fear effects. If the battlesong rage ends, but the inspire courage effect persists, this penalty no longer applies. This is a mind-affecting effect, but not a language-dependent effect.
Tireless Battlesong: At 10th level a skald is no longer fatigued at the end of a battlesong rage.
Just an example, it needs NWN/3.0 rules adaptation, balancing and UTT/Tolkien-ising.
Here, completely plagiarised from an old post in the RPG HQ forums, is the material that got me thinking about how I could play a Lossoth Skald.
Any thoughts y'all? TSP, I know you worked on a PrC previously. If anyone else is interested how about this as a template:
Lossoth Skald
Warriors. Poets. Noblemen. The skalds are the elite of the barbaric tribes of of the North, embodying all that their people hold dear. In times of peace they are diplomats, shining examples of the best the tribes have to offer. In times of crisis they are leaders, advisors and beacons of morale for their people. In times of war they are cunning generals and skilled combattants.
Skalds walk the fine line between savage barbarian and courtly bard, making them incredibly versatile and dangerous. As barbarians they are hearty, brave and at home in the harsh and varying landscapes of the North. As bards they tend to focus on vocal performances, inspiring their allies with chants, epics and poetry, often weaving events of an ongoing battle into their orations on the spot.
As members of the noble class, skalds are often well dressed and well-equipped. Invariably they are possessed of powerful, almost inhumanly flawless voices and an unmistakeable air of confidence that commands respect wherever they go. Skalds tend to be well-mannered, honourable and ethical, and though they all enjoy the thrill of combat, most would prefer to avoid unncessary violence when possible.
The emphasis is less on other bardic music abilities, and more on the use of inspire courage during a rage.
Hit Dice: d10
Requirements
Alignment: Any non-lawful
BAB: +4
Skills: Knowledge (Local) 5 ranks, Perform (oratory or sing) 8 ranks, Survival 5 ranks; either Diplomacy 3 ranks or Intimidate 3 ranks
Special: Rage ability; inspire courage Bardic Music Ability
Class Skills
The skald's class skills (and the key ability for each) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually)(Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Con), Swim (Str)
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
Lvl BAB Fort Ref Wil Special
1 +1 +2 +0 +2 Bardic Music, Rage, Battlesong
2 +2 +3 +0 +3 Tenacious Focus +2
3 +3 +3 +1 +3 Awesome Presence +2/+1
4 +4 +4 +1 +4 Tenacious Focus +4
5 +5 +4 +1 +4 Words of Rejuvination
6 +6 +5 +2 +5 Tenacious Focus +6
7 +7 +5 +2 +5 Awesome Presence +4/+2
8 +8 +6 +2 +6 Tenacious Focus +8
9 +9 +6 +3 +6 Demoralize
10 +10 +7 +3 +7 Tireless Battlesong
Bardic Music (su): The skald's class levels stack with his effective bard level for determining the number of uses per day of his bardic music ability. The skald adds his barbarian levels, plus twice his class level to his effective bard level for determining the strength of his inspire courage ability.
Rage (ex): The skald's class levels, as well as any levels in bard that he may posses, stack with any other levels that grant the Rage ability, such as the barbarian, for determining the number of times he may enter a Rage per day, as well as the Greater Rage, Tireless Rage and Mighty Rage abilities.
Battlesong (su): Battlecries, poetry and war chants come so naturally to the skald that he is able to effortlessly weave a vocal performance during the heat of battle. When entering a rage the skald can chose to make his rage a battlesong rage instead. During a battlesong rage the skald can expend a use of his bardic music ability to inspire courage even though he is not normally allowed to perform actions that require concentration while raging. Furthermore, he can start his inspire courage ability as a free action, and he can maintain concentration on it as a free action during any round in which he makes at least a single melee attack against an opponent.
The Battlesong rage lasts so long as the skald is able to maintain concentration, even if this exceeds the normal duration for a rage.
Tenacious Focus (ex): Beginning at 2nd level, the skald is able to hold on to a core of surprising tranquility while performing a Battlesong, and gains a +2 morale bonus to concentration checks to maintain a Battlesong rage when damaged or otherwise distracted. This bonus increases to +4 at 4th level, +6 at 6th level, and +8 at 8th level. Furthermore, even if he fails a concentration check while raging, he may spend a use of his Bardic Music Ability to re-roll his concentration check as an immediate action.
Awesome Presence (ex): At 3rd level a skald's bravery and prowess are impossible to hide. He gains a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks; this bonus doubles against members of the barbarian's tribe. If he has the Leadership feat, he gains a +1 bonus to his base Leadership score.
At 7th level these bonuses increase to +4 and +2 respectively.
Words of Rejuvination: A 5th level skald can inspire his allies to shake off the effects of fatigue and exhaustion. Fatigued characters who hear the skald speak for one minute are no longer fatigued, and exhausted characters are only fatigued. The skald can use this ability only once per hour. It is a language-dependent ability that counts as one daily use of the bardic music ability.
Demoralize: When a 8th level skald uses his inspire courage bardic music ability during a battlesong rage, all opponents within a 60' radius suffer a -1 morale penalty on attacks, weapon damage rolls, and saves vs fear effects. If the battlesong rage ends, but the inspire courage effect persists, this penalty no longer applies. This is a mind-affecting effect, but not a language-dependent effect.
Tireless Battlesong: At 10th level a skald is no longer fatigued at the end of a battlesong rage.
Just an example, it needs NWN/3.0 rules adaptation, balancing and UTT/Tolkien-ising.