Truesinger [PRC]

[Tavar]

This class is inspired by the idea of a Bard/Truenaming PrC, and more specifically by the PrC found in Kellus's truenaming rebuild. However, this is meant to work with Kyeudo's Truenaming fix (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120488). Right now, however, I'm a bit stuck. Specifically, the original class had an ability called truesinging, one that really was a centerpiece of the class. Unfortunately, it doesn't translate between the versions, so now I need something to takes it's place. Any Ideas?

The Truesinger

Many an adventurer has claimed to be a master of music, but few of these so-called “bards” realize what it is that they manipulate when they play their magical songs. In reality, these performers tap unknowingly into the most ancient and powerful source of power in the cosmos: the original language, the language of truespeach. By channeling a fraction of the power of truespeach into their music, bards achieve powerful results. Some, however, master the art of music and also delve into the secrets of truenaming. These self-styled truesingers combine the lyrical medium of music with the words of power and syllables of devastation that make up the one true language.

Requirements
Utterances: Know 2nd level utterances from the Lexicon of the Evolving mind.
Special: Bardic music class feature
Skills: Truespeak 8 ranks, Perform (sing) 8 ranks

Hit Die: d6.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Class Skills: The truesinger’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken indivually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int), Truespeak (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Table 1.7: The Truesinger
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|
Truenaming

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Bardic music, fluid tongue|+1 level of existing truenaming class

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Irresistable incantation +1, Inspire Competence |+1 level of existing truenaming class

3rd|
+1|
+1|
+3|
+3||+1 level of existing truenaming class

4th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+4|Bonus recitation feat|+1 level of existing truenaming class

5th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+4|Lingering lyrics, Suggestion|
–

6th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+5|Irresistable incantation +2/4|+1 level of existing truenaming class

7th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+5||+1 level of existing truenaming class

8th|
+4|
+2|
+6|
+6|Shared recitation|+1 level of existing truenaming class

9th|
+4|
+3|
+6|
+6||+1 level of existing truenaming class

10th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+7|Irresistable incantation +3/6, Inspire Greatness|+1 level of existing truenaming class

[/table]

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the truesinger.

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: The truesinger does not gain any additional weapon or armour proficiencies.

Truenaming: At every level except 5th you learn additional utterances as if you had gained a level in a truenaming class you have previously gained levels in. These levels stack with your previous levels to determine your truenamer level.

Truesing: There is more truth to the phrase "music is the language of the soul" than most realize. Upon gaining your first level in this class, you may use your Preform:Sing in place of your Truespeaking skill for all uses. This includes feat and class prerequisites.

Bardic Music: A truesinger continues to practice his magical melodies. His truesinger levels stack with his bard levels to determine how many times per day he may use his bardic music abilities. These levels also stack to determine save DCs of his bardic music where applicable, and the bonus granted by his inspire courage class feature. In addition, he learns new songs according to the above table.

Inspire Competence: As bard ability
Suggestion: As bard ability
Inspire Greatness:As Bard Ability

Fluid Tongue (Su): Truesingers combine the fluidity of music with the powerful language of truespeak. Whenever a Concentration shcek would be required while speaking an utterance, you may make a preform check instead. In addition, you may combine your songs and utterances, speaking utterances while using Bardic Music. Bardic Music abilities that require concentration still take a standard action to preform.This mirrors the Melodic Casting feat, found in the Complete Mage

Irresistable Incantation (Su): By combining melody with language, the truesinger can create an irresistable incantation that draws in even the most stalwart foes. This bardic music ability makes his truenaming easier.

By expending a use of bardic music as a standard action, the truesinger may create an ongoing effect that he must maintain with concentration. While under this effect, the saves of his utterances increase by 1, and the Truespeak DC to use all of his utterances is reduced by 2. Otherwise, this ability follows all the normal rules for bardic music. The increase in saves only works against those who can hear his music.

As the truesinger advances, this ability improves. Every 4 levels after 2nd, his saves increase by one, and the dc's decrease by 2.

Bonus Feat: At 4th level, the truesinger may select any Truename feat for which he qualifies.

Lingering Lyrics (Su): At 5th level, the truesinger can leave his magical lyrics enduring in the air. This bardic music ability lengthens his utterances.

To use this ability, the truesinger must expend as use of bardic music as part of speaking an utterance, he can mimic the Chant Utterance feat, without increasing the DC of the utterance.

Shared Recitation (Su): At 8th level, the truesinger can use his musical prowess to share utterances. As a full round action, and by expending two uses of Bardic Music, he can target one additional creature with the utterance per class level. Creatures make their saves independently. This is very taxing on the truesinger, though, and the truespeak check goes up by 1 for each additional target.

[demidracolich]

What if someone decides to have the unfixed truenamer as their base class?:smalleek:
(Kidding)
Not many people are that stupid.:smallbiggrin:

[arguskos]

For the record, Tavar, I am watching this. I have rather little to add to be honest, as this isn't my area of specialty, but, I'll be watching with great anticipation. :smallamused:

[Flickerdart]

What if someone decides to have the unfixed truenamer as their base class?:smalleek:
(Kidding)
Not many people are that stupid.:smallbiggrin:
It certainly helps out the class by being a PrC which progresses Truenaming, although the 2 level losses (1 to qualify, 1 from progression) aren't that nice. The Perform swap is neat because there's a lot more support for that skill, so there are more ways to boost it. I would support extra abilities similar to Lingering Lyrics for other Meta-naming feats, especially Quicken.

[Tavar]

How about folding them into true singing. Something like:

Truesinging; At first level, you gain the truesinging ability, once per day. To use this ability, first you must be using some form of Bardic Music. As a free action, it becomes True singing. It continues to provide the bonuses that it did, but while singing you may take 10 on any Truespeak check. Additionally, as a full round action, you may speak an utterance enhanced by any Inflection feat you wish. If you don't know the Inflection, the DC to apply it is doubled. If you do know it, the DC is halved. You gain additional uses as shown on the chart.


Sound Good?

[Kyeudo]

Well, having looked this over and the original implementation by Kellus, I've got a few things that might help and a few problems to bring to your attention.

First, your entry requirements can be met by someone who has not taken a single level in the Truespeaker class. If you are a straight classed Bard and take Truename Training, Least Utterance of the Evolving Mind, and Lesser Utterance of the Evolving Mind, you can meet all the entry requirements. Why is this a problem? Because you then have no existing truenaming class to advance with the PrC's levels. I ran into this problem alot with my own classes, and I solved it by requiring the Knowledge Focus (which is Truenamer specific) on the ones that offered an advancement to truenaming. This might not work for you, but I'm just pointing out the problem and how I solved it.

Second, Fluid Tongue is poorly worded. Rather than say that you can use Bardic Music and utterances at the same time, I would use the text from the feat you are basing it off of, which says you can cast spells while using bardic music. This makes it a lot clearer how you want it to interact with the turn system.

Third, I see what you are trying to do with Irresistable Incantation and I like the idea. I do have one problem and three suggestions for this, though. The problem is that you are requiring concentration to use the ability. This consumes your standard action every round, so you can never speak an utterance while using the effect. This is likely due to copypasta problems (Kellus had utterances as a move action). My first suggestion is to make this a new bardic music effect. This folds it into the existing rules structure and allows it to benefit from existing bard feats. My second suggestion is to move the DC decrease to even numbers (2,4,6). Every two points of Truespeak DC change is equal to one use of a Truespeak ability or one level higher of a Truespeak ability. My third suggestion is to make the benefits only apply against those that can hear the Truesinger's music.

Fourth, my suggestion for what to use for the Truesing ability is very simple. Put it at first level. Allow the Truesinger to use Perform(sing) in place of Truespeak when attempting to use an utterance. This will decrease the number of skill points the Truesinger must spend at each level to have all his class features work.

Fifth, you may want to modify Shared Recitation. I think 2 uses of bardic music per target is a little expensive. I'd probably drop it to just one per additional target. Further, the penalty to Truespeak checks for one round seems . . . pointless. You will rarely have a chance to use Truespeak before the penalty expires. Instead, just increase the difficulty of the Truespeak check for the utterance being used by 1 for every additional target.

Sixth, may I suggest another type of song to add to the truesinger's repetoire? Make it the opposite of Irresistable Incantation. Make it increase the difficulty of Truespeak rolls made by enemies and grant a bonus to saves against Truespeak-based abilities.

On the whole, you've got a fairly solid idea here, it just needs a little polishing. You may want to consider updating the names of the various abilities to something more fitting, especially Irresistable Incantation and Shared Recitation.

One thing I did notice is that you don't progress bardic spellcasting. I assume this is an intentional choice, making the bard swap over to using the power of utterances instead of the power of spells.

[Tavar]

I'm not to worried about the entry requirements. Pretty much all of the special abilities are based off of the truenamer, so a Bard really wouldn't gain anything, and would be losing quite a bit. In fact...yeah. I'll make straight bards actually gain something from this class. Probably something like: At first level a truesinger can choose to progress any truenaming class or trade in it's arcane casting for truenaming. If it chooses the latter, it's bonus truenaming levels stack with it's bard levels for determining how many spell slots it has. For every spell slot of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level it gains one utterance of The Lexicon of the Evolving Mind, for every spell slot of 4th level the Lexicon of the Crafted Tool, and every spell slot of 5th level the Lexicon of the Perfected Map. They lose access to arcane spells, and no longer count as knowing them for spell completion item, or other such requirements. This affects all future bard spell casting levels they may gain.

I've changed Fluid Tongue, Irresistable Incantation, and Truesing per your suggestions.

As for shared Recitation, I meant for it to be 2 bardic Music uses to activate the ability, and then you could target 1 additional target per class level, not that it'd cost 2 uses per additional target.

The new music effect sounds good, especially since I have quite a few dead levels in the class now.

As for new names, not sure about Irresistible Incantation, but how about Chaining Chant for Shared Recitation?

[Kellus]

For what it's worth, here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54748) is a version of the truesinger that was made to work with the original truenaming rules. Maybe it will be easier to convert between versions?

[Kyeudo]

I'm not to worried about the entry requirements. Pretty much all of the special abilities are based off of the truenamer, so a Bard really wouldn't gain anything, and would be losing quite a bit. In fact...yeah. I'll make straight bards actually gain something from this class. Probably something like: At first level a truesinger can choose to progress any truenaming class or trade in it's arcane casting for truenaming. If it chooses the latter, it's bonus truenaming levels stack with it's bard levels for determining how many spell slots it has. For every spell slot of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level it gains one utterance of The Lexicon of the Evolving Mind, for every spell slot of 4th level the Lexicon of the Crafted Tool, and every spell slot of 5th level the Lexicon of the Perfected Map. They lose access to arcane spells, and no longer count as knowing them for spell completion item, or other such requirements. This affects all future bard spell casting levels they may gain.


First, I was pointing out the potential problem between having this line: "At every level except 5th you learn additional utterances as if you had gained a level in a truenaming class you have previously gained levels in. These levels stack with your previous levels to determine your truenamer level." and having an entry that could allow in a character with no truenamer level. It causes confusion when someone actually pulls that off at table and there is no preparation for it.

Second, that sounds like a needlessly complicated conversion mechanic there. How about just keeping it simple and saying that a Truesinger that does not belong to a truenaming class learns utterances as though it was a Truenamer of his class level.



I've changed Fluid Tongue, Irresistable Incantation, and Truesing per your suggestions.


I would rephrase Fluid Tongue a little further. Change "In addition, you may combine your songs and utterances, speaking utterances while using Bardic Music" to "In addition, you can speak utterances while using bardic music". Otherwise, you imply that you can use the same action to use both an utterance and a bardic music effect (not that this would be a bad class feature, just that this is not the class feature you intend). Fluff in the wrong place can be taken as crunch.

As for Irresistable Incantation, I would list it with the other bardic music effects (even italicize the title instead of bold it) and change the text to something like:

Irresistable Incantation (Su): This bardic music effect, unique to truesingers, can only be used by a truesinger with at least 10 ranks in Perform (Sing). When used, the truesinger produces a melody that harmonizes and resounds with the words of his utterances lending them additional power. As long as the truesinger continues to sing, any utterance he uses on a creature that can hear him sing has its save DC increased by 1 and the truesinger recieves a +2 morale bonus on the Truespeak check. At 6th level and again at 10th level, the bonus to Save DC increases by 1 and the morale bonus on Truespeak checks increases by 2.

By listing it with the bardic music abilities, you don't have to include the "By expending a use of bardic music as a standard action" piece, as those are naturally part of a bardic music effect unless explicitly listed otherwise.



As for shared Recitation, I meant for it to be 2 bardic Music uses to activate the ability, and then you could target 1 additional target per class level, not that it'd cost 2 uses per additional target.


If it is two uses to affect everyone you want, then I would go with a +2 on the Truespeak DC per additional target, to keep it in line with existing similar abilities. The two uses of Bardic Music just go to offset the lack of targetting restrictions, as this ability affects anyone you want while both existing versions of Speak Unto the Masses are specific about which groups you can target.



The new music effect sounds good, especially since I have quite a few dead levels in the class now.


A dead level is a level where you don't gain a new trick. Any level where you gain a new spell or utterance is not a dead level.



As for new names, not sure about Irresistible Incantation, but how about Chaining Chant for Shared Recitation?

Rulesmith != Namesmith. I suck at coming up with good names for things. Much of the time that I spent on my fix was just coming up with good names.