General Prestige Class : Ardent Dilettante
The breeze that caresses the face brings with it a cooling balm and scent traces that trigger memories of old. The flavor of the fruit plucked from the tree is tart but sweet, and the sticky juice explodes in the mouth with a texture just as important as taste. The voices of the choir are rough but earnest, and they speak of experiences hidden in the melody that only a sensate can separate from the mix and appreciate.
Anyone can become an ardent dilettante. All it takes is a diversity of interests and a moderate level of ability in one skill. Bards and rogues are the most common among the members, but characters of all classes can find the calling of the ardent dilettante to their liking. However, advancing beyond 3rd level in the prestige class requires a larger suite of skills, abilities, and experiences and offers commensurately greater rewards. Only multiclass characters can achieve the highest levels of membership.
NPC ardent dilettantes can be found in any walk of life. Those who merely dabble in the class often focus on hedonistic pleasure. More devoted ardent dilettantes tend to travel widely and enjoy exploring or finding new challenges. They make ideal cohorts, allies, or employers of planar adventurers. NPC ardent dilettantes can make equally viable villains, for a quest for new sensations can lead down a very cruel and dark path.
Requirements
The ardent dilettante prestige class has increasingly more difficult requirements as a character advances in level.
To qualify to become a 1st-level ardent dilettante, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Any skill 8 ranks, any other five skills 1 rank in each.
Special: Must recount five experiences, one for each of the different senses, at a festhall or sensorium run by the Society of Sensation.
To qualify to become a 4th-level ardent dilettante, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Perform (any single skill) 8 ranks, any other skill 5 ranks, any other five skills 1 rank in each.
Special: Proficiency with at least two martial weapons.
Spells: Ability to cast 1st-level arcane or divine spells.
To qualify to become a 7th-level ardent dilettante, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Perform (any single skill) 8 ranks, any Strength-based skill 5 ranks, any Dexterity-based skill 5 ranks, any other three skills 1 rank in each.
Special: Proficiency with at least four martial weapons and one exotic weapon.
Spells: Ability to cast 1st-level arcane spells and 1st-level divine spells.
Special: The character must have visited three different planes.
To qualify to become a 10th-level ardent dilettante, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Perform (any single skill) 8 ranks, any Strength-based skill 5 ranks, any Dexterity-based skill 5 ranks, any Constitution-based skill 5 ranks, any Intelligence- or Wisdom-based skill 5 ranks.
Special: Proficiency with at least four martial weapons and one exotic weapon.
Spells: Ability to cast 1st-level arcane spells and 1st-level divine spells.
Special: The character must have visited six different planes.
Special: The character must have died and returned to life or unlife.
Class Skills
All skills are class skills for the ardent dilettante.
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the ardent dilettante prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Ardent dilettantes gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each ardent dilettante level after 1st, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which she belonged before adding the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved undead turning, metamagic or item creation feats, or the like). If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming an ardent dilettante, the player must decide to which class to add each ardent dilettante level for determining spells per day, spells known, and overall caster level.
Heightened Senses (Su): An ardent dilettante gains a competence bonus on Listen, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks equal to 1 + one-half her class level.
Lore: An ardent dilettante hears many intriguing rumors and learns odd facts while traveling. She may make a special lore check (1d20 + her ardent dilettante level + her Int modifier) to see whether she knows some relevant information about a notable person, place, or thing. This ability is otherwise identical to the bardic knowledge ability. If an ardent dilettante has a similar ability from another class (such as bard or loremaster), her ardent dilettante levels stack with those class levels for determining the success of the lore check.
Enthrall (Sp): Starting at 2nd level, an ardent dilettante can recount one of her many adventures or experiences, capturing the attention of an audience as with an enthrall spell. An ardent dilettante can use this ability once per day for every two class levels she has. Caster level equals character level; save DC 12 + Cha modifier.
Joie de Vivre (Sp): An ardent dilettante of 3rd level or higher takes such obvious pleasure in life that she can influence those around her to feel the same way, as with a good hope spell. An ardent dilettante can use this ability once per day for every three class levels she has. Caster level equals character level; save DC 12+ Cha modifier.
Bonus Feat: At 4th level, 7th level, and 10th level, an ardent dilettante gains a bonus feat. She must meet the prerequisites for the feat she selects.
Sense Link (Sp): At 4th level, an ardent dilettante becomes able to establish a link with another creature within 30 feet, gaining the benefit of a clairaudience/clairvoyance spell centered on that creature's position.
Once the link is established, distance is not a factor (though it works only on the plane you and the target currently occupy). Caster level equals ardent dilettante level; save DC 13 + Cha modifier.
Scent (Ex): At 5th level, an ardent dilettante's sense of smell becomes so acute that she gains the scent special quality.
Seen It Before (Su): Beginning at 6th level, an ardent dilettante can make a Will save to identify an illusion by perceiving it with any of her senses, even if the illusion provides sensory input for that sense. The DM should make this save in secret, to avoid alerting players that the character is witnessing an illusion. If the save fails, the ardent dilettante doesn't get another one until she interacts with the illusion.
See It Again (Su): Once per day, when targeted by or in the area of a spell effect, an ardent dilettante of 8th level or higher can use her next action (if it is made within round of the casting) to duplicate the casting of the spell with all aspects identical. For instance, an ardent dilettante subjected to a dominate person spell cast by a 12th level sorcerer can use an identical dominate person effect in the next round. The duplicated effect has the same save DC, range, and duration as if the original caster had cast it. The ardent dilettante automatically knows all relevant information about the spell in question (its name, effect, save DC, and so on).
Blindsense (Ex): Ac 9th level, an ardent dilettante's senses become so attuned to her surroundings that she gains blindsense out to 10 feet.
Death Holds No Mysteries (Su): When a 10th-level ardent dilettante is brought back from the dead by such magic as raise dead and resurrection, the ardent dilettante does not lose a level.
| Ardent Dilettante | Hit Die: d8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Heightened senses, lore | - |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Enthrall | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Joie de vivre | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Bonus feat, sense link | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Scent | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +5 | +2 | Seen it before | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +5 | +2 | Bonus feat | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 8th | +4 | +2 | +6 | +2 | See it again | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 9th | +4 | +3 | +6 | +3 | Blindsense 10 ft. | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +7 | +3 | Bonus feat, death holds no mysteries | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
Source: Planar Handbook