The Ballad of Blades [ToB Discipline]

[Kellus]

The Discipline of Lost Lyrics

Music is the framework through which we can come to understand the world. Bards and other magical musicians believe that they are the only ones that can tap into this fundamental structure, but there exists a discipline which teaches understanding of music through battle. The song of sword on sword, the rhythm of steel on steel; the discipline of Lost Lyrics teaches its followers how to use combat to discover the true nature of music and to use the inherent rhythm of the world to their benefit.

All maneuvers from the discipline of Lost Lyrics are supernatural in origin.

Availability: In order to learn maneuvers from this discipline, either through a martial adept class or through the Martial Study feat, you must have the following feat:

Spoiler

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Swordsinger
Prerequisite: Base Attack Bonus +1, Perform (oratory or sing) 4 ranks
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on Perform (oratory) and Perform (sing) checks. In addition, you may learn maneuvers and stances from the Lost Lyrics discipline. Finally, Peform (oratory) and Perform (sing) always become class skills for you.

Discipline Weapons: The rapier, longsword, longspear, and short sword are the preferred weapons of the Lost Lyrics discipline.

Discipline Skill: The key skill for the Lost Lyrics discipline is Perform (oratory) or Perform (sing).

Maneuvers and Stances Summary

1st Level

Augment Anapaest: Strike–A successful strike augments ambient music.
Chainmail Chant: Stance–You can armour yourself in verse.
Endless Elegy: Boost–Continue dropped music with a strike.
Sword’s Song: Strike–Blend song and strikes.

2nd Level

Decipher Dactyl: Counter–Discover elements of an opponent’s fighting style.
Last Lament: Strike–Draw music from a dying creature.
Poetic Prose: Counter–Change speech to song.

3rd Level

Compose Cento: Counter–Use elements of an opponent’s fighting style.
Cutlass’ Cantiga: Strike–Blend song and strikes.
Magical Melody: Stance–Gain bardic music ability.

4th Level

Apply Accent: Boost–Accentuate one part of your attack.
Healing Haiku: Strike–Strike an opponent to restore health.

5th Level

Knife’s Knittel: Strike–Blend song and strikes.
Silent Stanza: Stance–Maintain music when it is stifled.

6th Level

Hijack Hymn: Counter–Steal opposing bardic music.
Reverberating Reverdie: Strike–Strike an opponent to shake off lasting damage.

7th Level

Baneful Ballata: Strike–Deliver a series of blows that cut through various defences.
Rapier’s Rhythm: Strike–Surprise an opponent with seven cuts.

8th Level

Temper Tristich: Strike–Attack three times with the same blow.
Vanishing Verse: Stance–Use music to mask your presence.

9th Level

Apocalyptic Aubade: Strike–Sing the song that ends the world.

Maneuvers and Stances

Apocalyptic Aubade
Lost Lyrics (Strike)
Level: Level 9
Prerequisite: Four Lost Lyrics maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

Your voice harmonizes with the song of your blade flying through the air, erupting into a cacophony of perfectly-pitched madness.

To use this maneuver, you must be under the effects of a bardic music ability. As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack. If this attack succeeds, you turn the pain of your target into a refrain of insanity that is carried on the aethereal music. All beings that can hear the music but are not under its effects must make successful Fortitude and Will saving throws or be permanently deafened and confused, respectively.

Apply Accent
Lost Lyrics (Boost)
Level: Level 4
Prerequisite: One Lost Lyrics maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You

As you flow harmoniously through a strike, you place added emphasis on a beat of your sword’s rhythym.

You initiate this maneuver when you are making a full melee attack or as part of a strike which involves iterative attacks. You may initiate this maneuver to add a +10 bonus to any iterative attack of your choice after the first one made in the attack or strike.

Augment Anapaest
Lost Lyrics (Strike)
Level: Level 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

As you strike your enemy, the music in the air seems to swell and grow with your success.

You can only use this maneuver is you are under an Inspire Courage bardic music effect. As part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. If this attack hits, the Inspire Courage bardic music bonus currently affecting you improves by +1 for the duration of the effect. This bonus applies to any creature that benefits from the Inspire Courage effect.

Baneful Ballata
Lost Lyrics (Strike)
Level: Level 7
Prerequisite: Three Lost Lyrics maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 full-round action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

Each refrain of your sword’s song takes on a different tone, cutting through all of your target’s defences.

As part of this maneuver you make a full attack against one creature. This first iterative attack in this strike catches the opponent flat-footed. The second iterative attack in this strike is treated as a touch attack. The third iterative attack in this strike bypasses any damage reduction the target posesses. If there is a fourth iterative attack in this strike, it bypasses the target’s regeneration, if it posesses any.

Chainmail Chant
Lost Lyrics (Stance)
Level: Level 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance

Your voice is your shield, music your armour. So long as you have your cadence and rhythm, you have no need of conventional protection.

While you are in this stance, you may apply your Charisma modifier as an armour bonus to your Armour Class (AC).

Compose Cento
Lost Lyrics (Counter)
Level: Level 3
Prerequisite: One Lost Lyrics maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You

After observing your enemy’s style and rhythym, you incorporate his verse into your own song.

You initiate this maneuver after having already used the Decipher Dactyl maneuver in a previous round against a particular enemy. When you activate this maneuver, you gain access to up to two feats that the enemy posesses of your choice that were identified by Decipher Dactyl. You only gain the benefit of these feats against this one enemy, and only for one encounter. If one of the feats identified is tied to a specific weapon, such as Weapon Focus (greatsword), you must have the correct kind of weapon to use it.

Cutlass’ Cantiga
Lost Lyrics (Strike)
Level: Level 3
Prerequisite: One Lost Lyrics maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

Your voice harmonizes with the song of your blade flying through the air, exploding into your target in a rhapsody of agony.

As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack. If successful, you deal additional sonic damage equal to the number of ranks you have in Perform (oratory) or Perform (sing) to your target and all creatures adjacent to it. Any creature sharing in a bardic music effect with you is immune to this sonic damage.

Decipher Dactyl
Lost Lyrics (Counter)
Level: Level 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

As you defend yourself against the battering attack, you notice the rhythm of your opponent, the timing of his swings, the melody of his steps.

You may initiate this maneuver whenever a melee attack is made against you. It allows you to glean certain parts of your opponent’s fighting style. When you initiate this maneuver, you discover all of the feats your attacker has which are eligible as fighter bonus feats.

Endless Elegy
Lost Lyrics (Boost)
Level: Level 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Duration: See text

As the bard’s voice falters and fails, your sword picks up the rhythm of the melody.

When you initiate this maneuver, you may restart any bardic music effect that ended in the last round. This music comes into effect as if you were the originator of the music, and continues so long as you make at least one succesful melee attack or strike on every turn. You may only maintain one bardic music effect at a time in this way.

Healing Haiku
Lost Lyrics (Strike)
Level: Level 4
Prerequisite: One Lost Lyrics maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

As you strike in time with the rhythm of the battle, magical music fills your soul and seems to restore your vitality.

As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack. If this attack is successful, you may heal hp equal to a Perform (oratory) or Perform (sing) check. In addition, you may divide this health between allies sharing a bardic music effect with you as you see fit.

Hijack Hymn
Lost Lyrics (Counter)
Level: Level 6
Prerequisite: Two Lost Lyrics maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: 60ft.
Target: One bardic music user

As a singer tries to conjure up a musical effect, you seize the tune and twist it to your own martial purposes.

To initiate this maneuver, a creature within 60ft. must be creating a bardic music or similar effect. You may make an opposed initiator level check against the creature’s caster or initiator level check. You gain a +4 bonus on this check. If successful, you gain the benefits of the bardic music effect instead of the original musician. If a passive effect, such as Inspire Courage, you are treated as if you were musician who began the effect, granting the same benefit to your allies that your opponent would have granted to his. If it is a one-time effect, you may instead redirect the effect as you choose. For example, you may choose to have a Fascinate bardic music ability target an enemy instead of an ally. The save DC, if any, against this hijacked effect is the same it would normally have been for the musician who attempted it. If you wish for the effect to continue in later rounds, you must maintain it exactly as if you had started it.

Knife’s Knittel
Level: Level 3
Prerequisite: Two Lost Lyrics maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

Your voice harmonizes with the song of your blade flying through the air, exploding into your target with a deafening falsetto.

As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack. If successful, you deal additional sonic damage equal to the number of ranks you have in Perform (oratory) or Perform (sing) to your target. In addition, all beings within 5ft./initiator level of the target becomes deafened for 1d4 rounds. Any creature sharing in a bardic music effect with you is immune to this deafening effect.

Last Lament
Lost Lyrics (Strike)
Level: Level 2
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

As you take the life of your target, you draw forth its final melody.

As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack. If this attack kills the target, you may grant an additional use of bardic music to any creature of your choice which is capable of using bardic music within 60ft. of the target. This may not grant the secondary target more bardic music uses than her maximum number of bardic music uses per day.

Magical Melody
Lost Lyrics (Stance)
Level: Level 3
Prerequisite: One Lost Lyrics maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance

Melodies and harmonies fill your mind, allowing you to see the underlying chords of the world... and alter them with your voice.

While in this stance, you gain access to bardic music. Your total initiator level adds to your total bard levels to determine bardic music uses per day, bardic music effects based on level, and the bonus granted by the Inspire Courage bardic music ability. You do not gain any other free bardic music abilities from this stance. Your effective bard level may not be raised higher than your character level in this manner. In addition, so long as you remain in this stance you may activate Inspire Courage as a swift action.

If you do not have any bard levels, your initiator level is used as your bard level for the purposes of gaining the Inspire Courage ability. Even if you leave this stance and return to it in one day, you are still limited by your effective bard levels for the number of times you may activate bardic music in one day.

Having access to this stance allows you to qualify for prestige classes that require the bardic music ability to enter.

Poetic Prose
Lost Lyrics (Counter)
Level: Level 1
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

As magic language begins to grip you, it changes to fluid poetry which harmonizes with your own rhythm.

You can use this maneuver whenever you are targetted by a language-based effect, such as a Power Word spell or a Truenaming effect. You may make a Perform (oratory) or Perform (sing) check, opposed by the attacker’s caster level check. If you are successful, the effect simply fails. If you fail this check, you take a -4 penalty on the saving throw against this effect.

Rapier’s Rondelet
Lost Lyrics (Strike)
Level: Level 7
Prerequisite: Three Lost Lyrics maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Seven melee attacks
Target: One or more creature

As the song of your sword reaches a crescendo, you jab out in a flurry of strikes that catches your opponent off-guard.

As part of this maneuver, you make seven melee attacks. Each of these melee attacks is made with your full base attack bonus, but at a -5 penalty, and deals half as much damage as it normally would (including magical enhancements or additional damage sources). If all seven of these attacks are successful, your target is considered flat-footed until his next turn.

Reverberating Reverdie
Lost Lyrics (Strike)
Level: Level 6
Prerequisite: Two Lost Lyrics maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

You plunge your weapon into a foe in time with the rhythm of the battle... and the tone of the piece seems to be brightening up.

As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack. If this attack is successful, you may heal ability damage or negative levels based on health points available. You have access to a number of health points equal to half the result of a Perform (oratory) or Perform (sing) check. It requires 1 health point to restore 1 point of ability damage, and 4 health points to restore 1 negative level. You may divide health points as you see fit between any being sharing in a bardic music effect with you.

Silent Stanza
Lost Lyrics (Stance)
Level: Level 5
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You

When all sound fails you, the music of battle still continues inside you.

While in this stance, you gain the ability to use music and rhythm even when you normally could not. You are immune to any silence effect for the purposes of using bardic music or for any maneuver from this discipline. In addition, you automatically overcome up to 20 points of sonic resistance when using a maneuver from this discipline.

Sword’s Song
Lost Lyrics (Strike)
Level: Level 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

Your voice harmonizes with the song of your blade flying through the air, composing a melody of pain.

As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack. If successful, you deal additional sonic damage equal to the number of ranks you have in Perform (oratory) or Perform (sing).

Temper Tristich
Lost Lyrics (Strike)
Level: Level 8
Prerequisite: Three Lost Lyrics maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

You find a refrain in your sword’s melody, which expands into three verses of identical length.

As part of this maneuver, you make three melee attacks against the same target. All three of these attacks are made at the same Base Attack Bonus, and the attack as a whole may be treated as one melee attack for the purposes of applying special effects, such as Smite Evil, onto it. If any such effect is added to the attack, it is applied to all three strikes but in all other regards counts as having been used only once, such as for uses per day.

Vanishing Verse
Lost Lyrics (Stance)
Level: Level 8
Prerequisite: Three Lost Lyrics maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance

As music washes over you, you lose yourself in the magical rhythm, until all that is left of you is a tune half-forgotten.

While in this stance, you are invisible so long as you are affected by a bardic music ability. This invisibility can be dispelled as normal with a See Invisibility spell or similar effect, which ends the stance.

[Dryad]

Since this is fun for bards, shouldn't it be more applicable to a swordsage, who uses many of the same stats, and has much more sophisticated flair?

I vote Swordsage, not Warblade, though a warblade is much tougher, stronger and a better combatant. It just fits a swordsage a lot better.

[Fax Celestis]

Since this is fun for bards, shouldn't it be more applicable to a swordsage, who uses many of the same stats, and has much more sophisticated flair?

I vote Swordsage, not Warblade, though a warblade is much tougher, stronger and a better combatant. It just fits a swordsage a lot better.

Close. Crusaders are much more Cha-centric and also have access to the Song of the White Raven feat (though I believe that Warblades can too).

My only query at this point is, how does one gain access to this discipline? Via an alternative class feature, perhaps, or a feat?

[SilentNight]

I like this although it does seem to fit the swordsage better.

@Fax:I would assume that there is no feat needed to access the manuevers.

[Vadin]

And lo, the Bard was the Buff, and the Blade was the Bard's Bard, and the Blade was Buff with the Bard, and all was well.

Nice. Make someone think about helping the poor Bard for once.
I like it.

[Kellus]

Okay, I edited a few typos and added a prerequisite feat to solve the question of entrance into the discipline.