[Template] He's always singing there...

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Elegy

Bards can alter the world about them with their singing. It is said that the essence of a truley great weaver of words never dies. When a masterful singer dies, oftentimes the song remains, bolstered and strengthened by the memory of all that heard. An echo of the being that once was bonds to it and is reborn as a resonance of the hearts and minds of those that heard it and the bit of the world that was changed by it. Many times however the song and singer are forgotten, leaving them to haunt familiar surroundings. Often thought to be ghosts, they are instead but a lingering tune of life...


Sample Elegy

The sound of drums thumping and a voice raised in song echoes through the woods as a small figure glides above the ground...

Tomtom Sossle, Gnome Bard 8
Small Fey (augmented humanoid, incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 8d6+8 (36 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 60 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (+5 deflection, +4 dex, +1 size), touch 20, flat-footed 16; or 15 (+4 dex, +1 size), touch 15, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+0
Attack: Rapier +10 melee (1d4-1)
Full Attack: Rapier +10/+5 melee (1d4-1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Call of the whip-poor-will, day the music died, manifestation, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Bardic music, bardic knowledge, gnome traits, immunities, incorporeal traits, inspiring presence, lifesong, lowlight vision, tongues, rejuvenation
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +10, Will +6
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 20
Skills: Bluff +16, Concentration +12, Listen +13, Perform (percussion) +16, Perform (sing) +16, Sense Motive +11, Tumble +15
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +4

Tomtom Sossle was once one of the finest singers and players of the hand drum of the large gnome town within which he lived. There was much rivalry between he and another, though Tomtom didn't realize how fierce until he began to choke on the poisonous dust coating his drum during a performance. As he slumped over the drum continued to play for several moments and then lay silent.

Several days later Tomtom's rival was heard screaming hysterically. Since then he has been unable to speak, the terror that was in him that night stealing away his voice.

To this day the sound of drums in the woods can be heard, accompanied by the owl and whip-poor-will...

Tomtom knows Common and Gnome, though speaks all languages thanks to his Tongues ability.

Combat
Tomtom is not naturally combative, and will often attempt to scare away potential foes, or flee into the air or the ethereal plane if the going gets tough.

Call of the Whip-Poor-Will (Su): As a full round action Tomtom can orchestrate the eerie song of nocturnal creatures with his own. The hoot of owl mixes with the chirping of crickets and warbling of frogs. Listen checks are made at a -8 modifier. Those attempting to cast spells with a verbal component within 100 feet of the Elegy must succeed on a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell. This effect lasts for as long as the Elegy sings or plays an instrument.

Day the Music Died (Su): As a full round action an Elegy can pull forth the music of another being within 60 feet for the purpose of destroying it. This is basically the elegy template applied to the target. The drawn song may perform no other action besides defend itself or fight back and is not a true entity. If the original elegy manages to kill the drawn song the being that the template was applied to becomes permanently mute. They automatically fail a perform check that requires a voice or instrument. This condition can only be reversed by using Ressurection or similiar spell to bring life back to the music.
While the elegy of the living being is pulled forth, the living being may sing and perform and suffers no impairments. Only the original elegy can see one pulled from a living being, even with spells. No harm of any kind can be done to this second elegy except by another elegy.

Immunities: Tomtom is immune to mind-affecting effects except by those stemming specifically from song, such as Bardic Music.

Inspiring Presence (Ex): Whether they know of his existence or not, those within 60 feet Tomtom gets a +4 competence bonus on Perform checks related to music while he is manifested.

Lifesong (Ex): Tomtom is immune to sonic damage, and regains hit points equal to the ammount of damage that would normally be dealt, though cannot exceed their healthy total. As well, a corporeal creature playing or singing a tune within 60 feet of him grants him the benefits of a Cure Light Wounds spell each round it is sung or played.
If Tomtom fails a fortitude save (instead of a will save) against a Silence spell, or is caught within its radius, he is stunned for its duration, and takes 1 point of Constitution damage every minute. He can attempt another fortitude save each minute to make a move action. Tomtom cannot enter an area under the effects of a Silence spell or similiar conditions of soundlessness.

Manifestation (Su): Tomtom dwells on the Ethereal Plane and, as an ethereal creature, he cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When he manifests, he partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane.
A manifested Elegy remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where he is not incorporeal. Tomtom can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Ethereal Plane. His incorporeality helps protect him from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane.

Rejuvenation (Su): In most cases, it’s nearly impossible to destroy Tomtom through simple combat: The “destroyed” song will often restore itself in 2d4 days as it is a melody undying. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. An Elegy that would otherwise be destroyed returns to the locale where last it sung with a successful level check (1d20 + 8) against DC 16. There is no way short of Wish, Miracle or other high-leveled spells to be rid of Tomtom. Another elegy with the Day the Music Died ability may permanently destroy Tomtom.

Spell-Like Abilities (racial): 1/day — Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation, Speak With Animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + gnome’s Cha modifier + spell level.

Spell-like Abilities: At will - Prestidigitation, Sculpt Sound, Whispering Wind. 3/day - Control Winds. Caster level 8th. Save DC's are Charisma-based.

Tongues (Su): Tomtom has a permanent tongues ability (as the spell, caster level 8th).

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Creating an Elegy

"Elegy" is an acquired template that can be added to any creature with 10 ranks or more in Perform (sing) and a Charisma score of at least 13, hereafter referred to as the base creature. An Elegy uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. It gains the augmented subtype.

Size and Type: Elegies become fey (incorporeal, augmented). Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
Hit Dice: Change all current and future Hit Dice to d6s.
Speed: An Elegy gains a fly speed of 60 feet, unless the base creature has a higher fly speed, with perfect maneuverability.
Armor Class: Natural armor is the same as the base creature but applies only to ethereal encounters. When an Elegy manifests its natural armor value is +0, but it gains a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma modifier or +1, whichever is higher.

Special Attacks: An Elegy retains all the special attacks of the base creature, although those relying on physical contact do not affect nonethereal creatures. The Elegy also gains manifestation and spell-like abilities and one to three other special attacks as described below. The save DC against a special attack is equal to 10 + 1/2 Elegy’s HD + Elegy's Cha modifier unless otherwise noted.
Cadenza (Su): Once per round an Elegy can merge its body with a willing creature on the Material Plane. This ability is similar to a magic jar spell (caster level 10th or the elegy’s Hit Dice, whichever is higher), except that it does not require a receptacle. The subject gains the Charisma score of the Elegy and their spell-like abilities. As well, they gain the perform skills of the Elegy which stacks with any they already possess. So if they had 4 ranks in Perform (sing) and the Elegy 10 ranks then the host could sing with a +14 modifier.
The elegy and host may seperate at any time, reguardless of the desires of the other.
Call of the Whip-Poor-Will (Su): As a full round action an Elegy can orchestrate the eerie song of nocturnal creatures with his own. The hoot of owl mixes with the chirping of crickets and warbling of frogs. Listen checks are made at a -8 modifier. Those attempting to cast spells with a verbal component within 100 feet of the Elegy must succeed on a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell. This effect lasts for as long as the Elegy sings or plays an instrument.
Day the Music Died (Su): As a full round action an Elegy can pull forth the music of another being within 60 feet for the purpose of destroying it. This is basically the elegy template applied to the target. The drawn song may perform no other action besides defend itself or fight back and is not a true entity. If the original elegy manages to kill the drawn song the being that the template was applied to becomes permanently mute. They automatically fail a perform check that requires a voice or instrument. This condition can only be reversed by using Ressurection or similiar spell to bring life back to the music.
While the elegy of the living being is pulled forth, the living being may sing and perform and suffers no impairments. Only the original elegy can see one pulled from a living being, even with spells. No harm of any kind can be done to this second elegy except by another elegy.
Lonesome Chill (Su): An Elegy that hits a living target with its incorporeal touch attack deals 2d6 cold damge. As well, the victim must succeed on a will save or take a –4 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls as a horrible feelings of despondency fills them. This penalty lasts for a number of rounds equal to the Elegy's Charisma modifier (minimum 1).
Incorporeal Traits: An Elegy is harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, powers, spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. It has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source, except for force effects or attacks made with ghost touch weapons. It can pass through solid objects, but not force effects, at will. Its attacks ignore natural armor, armor, and shields, but deflection bonuses and force effects work normally against them. An incorporeal creature always moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn’t wish to be.
Manifestation (Su): An Elegy dwells on the Ethereal Plane and, as an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When an Elegy manifests, it partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane.
A manifested Elegy remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where it is not incorporeal. A manifested Elegy can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Ethereal Plane. The Elegy’s incorporeality helps protect it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane.
Midnight Melody (Su): An Elegy can use song to instill fear in his enemies. To be affected, a foe must be able to hear the Elegy sing or play an instrument. The effect lasts for as long as the foe hears the Elegy sing or play and for 5 rounds thereafter. An affected foe becomes Frightened. This is a mind-affecting ability.
Spell-like Abilities: At will - Prestidigitation, Sculpt Sound, Whispering Wind. 3/day - Control Winds. Caster level equal to Elegy's HD. Save DC's are Charisma-based.

Special Qualities: An Elegy retains all qualities of the base creature and gains the following qualities.
Immunities: An elegy is immune to mind-affecting effects except by those stemming specifically from song, such as Bardic Music.
Inspiring Presence (Ex): Whether they know of its existence or not, those within 60 feet of an Elegy gets a +4 competence bonus on Perform checks related to music while it is manifested.
Lifesong (Ex): An Elegy is immune to sonic damage, and regains hit points equal to the ammount of damage that would normally be dealt, though cannot exceed their healthy total. As well, a corporeal creature playing or singing a tune within 60 feet of an Elegy grants it the benefits of a Cure Light Wounds spell each round it is sung or played.
An Elegy that fails a fortitude save (instead of a will save) against a Silence spell, or is caught within its radius, is stunned for its duration, and takes 1 point of Constitution damage every minute. It can attempt another fortitude save each minute to make a move action. An Elegy cannot enter an area under the effects of a Silence spell or similiar conditions of soundlessness.
Rejuvenation (Su): In most cases, it’s nearly impossible to destroy an Elegy through simple combat: The “destroyed” song will often restore itself in 2d4 days as it is a melody undying. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. An Elegy that would otherwise be destroyed returns to the locale where last it sung with a successful level check (1d20 + Elegy’s HD) against DC 16. There is no way short of Wish, Miracle or other high-leveled spells to be rid of the elegy. Another elegy with the Day the Music Died ability may permanently destroy an elegy.
Tongues (Su): An Elegy has a permanent tongues ability (as the spell, caster level equal to Elegy's HD).

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +4, Cha +4. A manifested elegy has a strength score of "-" for attacks and actions against creatures or objects on the Material Plane.
Feats: An Elegy gains Ghostly Grasp and Requiem as bonus feats if they can meet the prerequisites. Otherwise same as the base creature.
Environment: As base creature. Although an elegy has two home planes, the Material and the Ethereal, it is not considered extraplanar when on either plane.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.
Alignment: Any
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +4.

-=-=-==-=-

Ghostly Equipment
When an elegy forms, all its equipment and carried items usually become ethereal along with it. In addition, the elegy retains 2d4 items that it particularly valued in life (provided they are not in another creature’s possession), most often including an instrument. The equipment works normally on the Ethereal Plane but passes harmlessly through material objects or creatures. A weapon of +1 or better magical enhancement, however, can harm material creatures when the elegy manifests, but any such attack has a 50% chance to fail unless the weapon is a ghost touch weapon (just as magic weapons can fail to harm the elegy).

[Jack_Simth]

There's no duration listed on The Day the Music Died.

So as a DM, I send TomTom after the party bard (Fred), and have TomTom use The Day the Music Died on Fred. Fred picks up the template, and kills TomTom with the sound of Silence (TomTom was rolling poorly, and lost all his Con to the spell). TomTom never comes back... but what about poor Fred? Does he ever recover?

[Rama_Lei]

There's no duration listed on The Day the Music Died.

So as a DM, I send TomTom after the party bard (Fred), and have TomTom use The Day the Music Died on Fred. Fred picks up the template, and kills TomTom with the sound of Silence (TomTom was rolling poorly, and lost all his Con to the spell). TomTom never comes back... but what about poor Fred? Does he ever recover?

From what I understood, a simple miralce or wish wouls solve the problem

[Jack_Simth]

Of course a Miracle or Wish could. "Undo Misfortune"; it's even on the safe list.

But consider that this thing is +2 CR, and can be applied to nearly anything with 10 ranks in an appropriet Perform skill. A party could reasonably face off against one of these at 7th and just have it as a tough encounter. 10 levels from being able to cast Wish or Miracle. A long ways away from a scroll of Wish being reasonable treasure. Does it wear off? Can it be gotten rid of by Remove Curse? Break Enchantment? Is it instant, Permanent (and thus subject to an Anti-Magic Field), or is it measured in rounds/minutes/hours/days/months/years?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Ok, hopefully that should clear up some things.

[Jack_Simth]

Oh, so now, if Fred kills TomTom in the situation I outlined above, Fred gains an ally that is:
Invisible, even against See Invisibility, True Seeing, and Glitterdust
Essentially Indestructable
Able to attack things to good effect.

Umm.......

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Oh, so now, if Fred kills TomTom in the situation I outlined above, Fred gains an ally that is:
Invisible, even against See Invisibility, True Seeing, and Glitterdust
Essentially Indestructable
Able to attack things to good effect.

Umm.......

What in the glass eye of Vecna are you talking about?

[Jack Mann]

Fred's elegy. The one created through The Day the Music Died.

[Jack_Simth]

What in the glass eye of Vecna are you talking about?

Day the Music Died (Su): As a full round action an Elegy can pull forth the music of another being. This is basically the elegy template applied to a target. If the original elegy manages to kill its opponent the being that the template was applied to becomes permanently mute. They automatically fail a perform check that requires a voice or instrument. This condition can only be reversed by using Ressurection or similiar spell to bring life back to the music.
While the elegy of the living being is pulled forth, the living being may sing and perform and suffers no impairments. Only the original elegy can see one pulled from a living being, even with spells. No harm of any kind can be done to this second elegy except by another elegy.

So after Fred's called forth Elegy successfully kill's TomTom's original Elegy, Fred is fine, but now has an Elegy that:
Can't be seen (the only thing that could possibly have seen it is now dead), even with spells (thus See Invisibility, True Seeing, and Glitterdust are utterly ineffective).
Is basically indestructible (can only be harmed in any way by another Elegy)
Is probably going to be friendly to Fred (Fred's not a threat, and Fred's Elegy is based on Fred - so they both want to kill that ancient lich that's been plaguing the land).
Can attack things effectively - after all, an Elegy is a threat, and the new Elegy still has spells, bardsong, and possibly some limitless use abilities that can hurt things directly (Lonesome Chill).

A little much of a reward for a CR appropriet encounter, don't you think?

Of course, a Duration on the Elegy function of The Day the Music Died fixes that right up.....

[The Vorpal Tribble]

The elegy that is called forth is only called forth to be destroyed. It cannot do ANYTHING but fight the other trying to kill it.

This is similiar to the old psionic combat. Two people's psyches in a higher plane of consciousness did battle unconsciously. The elegy can bring out the song of another and try to destroy it. That which is brought out is only an elegy for the purpose of defending itself. That is it.

I guess I'll have to define it even more specifically...

[Jack_Simth]

Don't get me wrong - I'm CERTAIN you didn't mean it quite the way you wrote it - but when you wrote it, you put these things in, purely by accident. It's the target with the template applied. Well, the template does some nifty things, which are useful to be able to do, and doesn't limit the copy at all. The original fix did not add any listed limits on what the copy could do - just what could be done to the copy. Adding a duration - e.g., that a Elegy caused by Day the Music Died returns to it's original state of oneness with the original if not slain after X minutes - fixes it quite handily.

[Jack Mann]

Or say that the music returns to the victim when the elegy dies.

[Jack_Simth]

That would be another form of duration, yes.

With the 12:02 Edit, win or lose, you're now walking around with a ghost pulled from you which, should another Elegy happen to decide to dislike at a later date after bumping into him accidentally, can suddenly and without warning cause you to lose all abilities depending on sound. Great.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

With the 12:02 Edit, win or lose, you're now walking around with a ghost pulled from you which, should another Elegy happen to decide to dislike at a later date after bumping into him accidentally, can suddenly and without warning cause you to lose all abilities depending on sound. Great.

An elegy could pull it from someone and do that normally reguardless if it was already out. But considering how the elegy has to kill the other to do this damage, its hardly an unreasonable ability.

[fangthane]

1. The "drawn song" should explicitly return to roost if the original elegy is slain, even 'temporarily.'
2. Something a bit unclear; if the party takes the original elegy down to 1 hit point and the drawn song dusts it, does that kill it? When it's a matter of 1-on-1 it's a lot clearer, but in a group including another elegy (new-made or not) it's unclear whether the opponent elegy would be slain permanently or temporarily (i.e. a level 5 elegy is dumb enough to draw the songs out of a level 10 bard with friends)
3. Further to what Jack mentioned, here's a bad scenario: Elegy attacks, gets killed, pulls the voices out of the casters first. The casters (let's say a bard, a cleric and a sorc) continue on with their fighter pal while the elegies - who can't see one another and who are completely and irrevocably invisible to all others - go their own. If any of those elegies subsequently die, the subject characters go mute instantly and without warning or comprehension of why, which isn't really fair to the players. Alternately, they're immune to the effect of any elegy they meet since there's nothing left to pull out. Either way it's a hole I could push a tarrasque through. :)
4. Equipment - when you say the elegy gets any equipment except that currently being used by a creature, I assume that includes the creature from which a drawn song is pulled? In which case such an elegy is crippled in many ways since it has nothing at all; I'd give a drawn song the potential to deprive its primary of some piece of equipment for the duration, and limit the duration.

YMMV but that's my take on the concept. Nifty otherwise though, and I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who's aware of Requiem. How I love that feat for my evil undead-leading bard - what player, after all, expects the members of an undead force to receive a +4 to their attacks and damage? :)
Requiem+subsonics+improved invisibility = bardic loving. :)