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Icewalker
2008-11-01, 05:17 AM
The steps that lead up to the hall glimmer, white marble shining. The wide ornate front entrance burnished and shining like it has never been used. At the great painted wood and glass doors wait the ushers, ready to welcome the guests as they arrive. The entryway of the great theater is lined with luscious red carpet, perfectly clean. Through the arches there lies the hall itself. Rows upon rows of beautiful red and gold chairs, in new condition. On the grand wooden stage lies a great piano. He sits there, playing. The music echoes throughout the hall, and from it outside and through everything. And he sits there, always playing.

The Opera Hall
The Opera Hall is a grand and beautiful structure, always in perfect repair, sitting in the center of the multiverse, perched in the middle of the astral plane. Within the great theater is Death himself, sitting at his grand piano, and playing for the souls of the dead as they travel to the hall. His music permeates the whole of the multiverse, audible throughout reality. However it can only be heard by those who have shed their physical senses. When a soul hears the music, they travel to The Opera Hall, where Death plays forever. Everybody has a few notes, their Measure of Deliverance, which Death plays for them when they arrive, sending them to their plane to rest for eternity.

There are some who resist the music, because they have some great urge to stay behind for some purpose. These lost souls remain as ghosts, leaving for The Opera Hall once their last regret is settled.

The Sepulchral Ushers
Waiting at the gates are two grand shadowy figures, letting the lost souls in to hear their measure of deliverance. They keep order in the hall, and keep those who are not yet ready out of its doors. Within the hall itself are a number more of these great servitors, who wait throughout the theater, to greet the departed or to remove unwelcome guests.

Large undead (incorporeal)
HD: 15d12+135 (232 hp)
Initiative: +14
Speed: Fly 40ft. (perfect)
AC: 28, Touch 28, Flat-footed 18
(-1 size, +10 Dex, +9 deflection)
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+11
Attack: Incorporeal touch +16 (1d6+Tacet+1d8 strength drain)
Full Attack: 2 incorporeal touches (1d6+Tacet+1d8 strength drain)
Space/reach: 10ft./10ft.
Special attacks: Tacet, Decrescendo, Ritarding aura, Spell-like abilites
Special Qualities: DR 15/Silver and Magic, Fast Healing 10, SR 27, undead traits, unholy toughness
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +15, Will +12
Abilities: Str-, Dex 30, Con-, Int 18, Wis 25, Cha 29
Skills: Perform (Sing) +27, Sense Motive +25, Spot +25, Listen +25, Knowledge (History) +22, Spellcraft +22
Feats: Ability Focus (Decrescendo)(2), Ability Focus (Tacet)(2), Improved Initiative, Combat Expertise
Environment: The Opera Hall
Orginization: Solitary or Pair
CR: ?
Treasure: None
Alignment: True Neutral
Advancement: -

Tacet: By striking a living target, a Sepulchral Usher can mute a part of their song. The causes the target to be staggered for 1d4 rounds unless they succeed on both a DC 27 fortitude and will save.

Decrescendo: When it strikes a living target, an Usher can also fainten the music. The target takes 1d8 strength drain unless they succeed on both a DC 27 will and fortitude save.

Aura of Ritard: All creatures within 30ft. of a Sepulchral Usher must make a DC 25 Will save each round or have their speed reduced by 10ft. for all modes of movement to a minimum of 0ft.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will-gust of wind, haste, greater dispel magic, detect magic, ray of enfeeblement, feeblemind, wall of force, halt indead; 3/day-feeblemind, hold monster, dimensional lock, true seeing, banishment; 1/day-waves of exhaustion, bigby's clenched fist, time stop.

While the ushers stand to ensure that only the dead may enter, and only the dead may remain, there are methods of coercing them. With a DC 30 Perform check, the Sepulchral Ushers will be swayed and allow even a living being to pass.

The Soulless Songborn
There are some who know of The Opera Hall, and of those, there are some who seek it. Some beings travel to The Opera Hall before their time, to try to learn its secrets, and to hear the music. If they can perform their way past the Ushers at the gate, they can enter the hall itself. These few sit in the presence of Death, and wait. They try to hear the music, but they cannot, as their soul remains suppressed by their bodies. And they sit, and they wait. And eventually, their soul hears the music. Those who wait long enough in the presence of Death and his music eventually hear their measure of deliverance played. These are the Soulless Songborn, beings whose souls have been separated from their bodies, but reside inside the physical form nonetheless. They are known as the Soulless Songborn, as their soul and body are no longer a connected whole.

Soulless Songborn: Template
Soulless Songborn is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature with a soul (this excludes outsiders and elementals.)

Size and Type: The creature's size and type remain the same.
Hit Dice: Soulless Songborn neither gain nor lose hit dice.
Speed: Same as the base creature.
Armor Class: Same as the base creature.
Attacks: Same as the base creature.
Damage: Same as the base creature.

Special Attacks: Soulless Songborn gain no special attacks.

Special Qualities: Soulless Songborn gain the following special qualities:

Played: Because death will only play any living being's measure of deliverance once, a Soulless Songborn's soul is not compelled or even allowed to return to The Opera Hall. This means that when a Soulless Songborn is killed through damage, their soul remains waiting in their body. While still losing consciousness at -1 hit points, a Soulless Songborn does not truly die when passing -10 hit points, and any hit points of damage in the negatives may be healed normally to return the Songborn to consciousness.

Because of this, if the body is completely destroyed (torn to scraps, a disintegrate spell, or some similar means) then the only way to create a new working body for the Songborn is through the use of a Wish or Miracle spell. The soul of the Songborn can then inhabit the new body as if a True Resurrection had been cast.

Severed Life: Because of the severed state of the Soulless Songborn, all healing effects affecting them are reduced numerically by half.

Gone and Returned: Because a Soulless Songborn has seen death himself, and can no longer truly die, they gain a +4 inherent bonus on saves against fear.

The Eternal Dancers
Many of the Soulless Songborn are performers themselves. Their measure of deliverance has been played, and they cannot truly die. These ever living bards (if living they can be called) often go on to tie their crafts to that which defines their existence: the music of death and reality. They can hear the music an individual that lies within and throughout reality, and can flow through that music themselves, and eventually, they can learn to play it.

Prerequisites:
The ability to play Bardic Music
Perform (any two) 8+ ranks

Special:
Must have the Soulless Songborn template.

The Eternal Dancer
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Ear to the Universe, Bardic Progression, Bardic Harmony|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Crescendo|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3||+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Bardic Dischord|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4||+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+5|Arcane Harmony|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+5||+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

8th|
+6|
+2|
+6|
+6|Arcane Dischord|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

9th|
+6|
+3|
+6|
+6||+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

10th|
+7|
+3|
+7|
+7|Measure of Deliverance|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class [/table]


Ear to the Universe: Having already been played, Eternal Dancers can hear the music of other mortals. Each round, as a free action, an Eternal Dancer can attempt a listen check to hear the music of any creature with a soul within 100ft. The DC is equal to (Creature's HD times 5 minus the creature's HP lost). Alternatively, an Eternal can take a move action to attempt to discern a specific creatures song, granting them an untyped bonus on the listen check equal to twice their class level. Once an Eternal dancer has heard a creature's song, they can automatically sense the creature anytime it comes within 100ft. of them.

Bardic Progression: Eternal Dancer levels stack with bard levels for the purpose of Bardic Knowledge, number of uses of Bardic music and the effects of bardic music effects already obtained.

Bardic Harmony: An eternal dancer can harmonize his bardic music with the songs of his allies. Any bardic effect she uses on an ally whose music she can hear lasts for ten rounds after she stops performing and has all its numerical effects doubled.

Crescendo: At second level, an Eternal Dancer develops an ear for what causes a creature's music to crescendo, meaning bringing them closer to death. Against opponents whose music she can hear, an Eternal dancer gains a morale bonus on attack and damage rolls equal to her class level.

Bardic Discord: An Eternal Dancer learns to make her music clash with that of her enemies. Against opponents whose music she can hear, an Eternal Dancer gains a +5 bonus on perform checks for the purpose of countersong and fascinate abilities.

Arcane Harmony: An Eternal Dancer can weave her spells into the music of her allies. Beneficial spells cast upon her allies whose music she can hear gain a bonus to caster level equal to 1/2 her class level and are either empowered or extended as appropriate (if both apply she may only choose one).

Arcane Discord: An Eternal Dancer can cause her spells to clash with the music of her opponents. Offensive spells cast on creatures whose music she can hear gain a bonus to caster level and DC's equal to 1/2 her class level. They are also empowered or extended as appropriate (if both apply she may only choose one).

Measure of Deliverance: Upon reaching the pinnacle of her musical abilities, the Eternal Dancer may mimic death. By expending a use of bardic music, an Eternal Dancer may attempt to play the measure of deliverance of a creature whose music she can hear. On the first round she makes a DC 30 perform check. Failure causes the ability to be wasted. The target must then make a will save DC (10+1/2 character level+Cha modifier) or have its soul forced to its plane of rest. The Eternal Dancer must continue to play (making another DC 30 perform check every round) for three rounds until the soul arrives in the afterlife. At this point the target is dead. If the Dancer is interrupted, the soul begins to journey back to its body, taking as many rounds as it has been absent. Any damage dealt to the empty body during this time is applied normally.

The Rejected
A measure of deliverance is played but once. If your measure has been played, you are no longer welcome in The Opera Hall. There are some who are returned to their original realm after they have died and been sent away by death's music. These souls are forever cut off from The Opera House, and if they are ever slain again, and turned away by the ushers and forced to wander the multiverse, spirits with no home.

Intelligent undead, returned forcefully by uncaring necromancers have their souls shoved back into their original bodies. If these forms are slain, their soul cannot return to its plane of rest, as there is no measure to send it.

The powerful and wealthy, killed and resurrected, are forever cut off from a final rest once they have been returned, cursed to wander endlessly once their final death comes, the music of The Opera Hall taunting them for eternity.

These are the rejected.


Rejected
Rejected is an acquired template.
Rejected have the same statistics as ghosts except as follows.

1. Rejected cannot be put to rest, they must be banished or returned to their plane of rest some other way.
2. Rejected can hear the music of other living creatures, granting them the ability to sense any living creature within 100ft.
3. Rejected posses none of the equipment they did in life.
4. A Rejected may select four abilities from the ghost's list instead of three.

Rejected are full of bitterness, and tend to attack any living thing they sense.

[hr]
[hr]

This is The Opera Hall, My and SilentNight's entry for the Embodiment of Song competition. It was my concept, and I wrote up the fluff. SilentNight wrote the Sepulchral Ushers, the Rejected, and we worked together to create the Soulless Songborn and the Eternal Dancer.

The original inspiration for this idea comes from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's What is Eternal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN35NFUlMsU). That's the best I could find for it.

Kizara
2008-11-01, 09:05 AM
Dude, bloody NICE man. Very well thought-out.

EvilElitest
2008-11-01, 10:09 AM
creepy i love the idea, some more detail could be needed through
from
EE

SilentNight
2008-11-01, 10:30 AM
creepy i love the idea, some more detail could be needed through
from
EE

How so? BTW, Icewalker, I realize I forgot to include caster level and DC's for the Usher's spell-like abilities. Should be CL 15, standard DC's for spells. Also, they don't get feeblemind at will, I forgot to take it out. My bad.

EvilElitest
2008-11-01, 10:33 AM
some more back ground, detail, and description would be nice, maybe a creation myth too
from
EE

SilentNight
2008-11-01, 10:49 AM
some more back ground, detail, and description would be nice, maybe a creation myth too
from
EE
It's existed since the beginning of time. That's simply the way Death functions. So I suppose including it changes the existing D&D mythos but it's not that big of an overhaul.

LucyHarris
2008-11-01, 02:41 PM
It looks good as is to me. I like the ominous and mysterious feeling it has, and at the same time it's fascinating.

EvilElitest
2008-11-01, 06:39 PM
It's existed since the beginning of time. That's simply the way Death functions. So I suppose including it changes the existing D&D mythos but it's not that big of an overhaul.


i'm just asking for general more detail dnd information, its always nice to see more use of a good concept
from
EE

Icewalker
2008-11-01, 06:47 PM
Yeah, it's pretty simple for a location entry in the contest, and more of a setting concept than an adventure locale.

I'm guessing by more detail you mean like a more specific layout, and perhaps some bits of history, associations of Eternal Dancers, etc?

wadledo
2008-11-01, 07:37 PM
I really want to play a Soulless Songborn frenzied barbarian now.:smallbiggrin:

Magnifik!

EvilElitest
2008-11-01, 07:55 PM
Yeah, it's pretty simple for a location entry in the contest, and more of a setting concept than an adventure locale.

I'm guessing by more detail you mean like a more specific layout, and perhaps some bits of history, associations of Eternal Dancers, etc?

yeah, its a great concept i just think it could be a bit more fleshed out.
from
EE

Mewtarthio
2008-11-02, 12:10 AM
So, if I read this right, then adventurers who accept resurrection spells are automatically cursed to become Rejected upon death? So, do you have to become a Soulless Songborn before you ever die (because, otherwise, you'd have already heard your Measure of Deliverance)?

Icewalker
2008-11-02, 12:25 AM
Yep, if you've taken a resurrection you are cursed to be a Rejected. That follows the premise which is used in a lot of canon that there are very few high level people, so resurrections wouldn't be common.

Didn't think about the post-resurrection attempt at Soulless Songborn though...hrm...