General Prestige Class : The Artist's Vengeance
The strange and beautiful creatures known as lillends are utterly dedicated to the defense of the arts and all forms of artistic expression. Anyone who dares to defile a masterpiece or smash a priceless musical instrument might become the target of a lillend's wrath. Those mortals who espouse the same causes merit special respect from these extraplanar patrons and protectors of the arts.
The Artist's Vengeance began as an underground association of bards from all lands who shared one common trait: Their work had been heckled, censored, or destroyed. After lillends came to the defense of some members, slaying those who had discredited the artists and destroyed their work, the group developed into a lillend-worshiping cult. Now, members of the cult (artist's vengeances) work from the shadows to defend both artwork and artists, and they actively seek revenge on anyone who would destroy art, inhibit artistic expression, or harm an artist.
Most Artists' Vengeance bands meet in secret bardic colleges or thieves' guilds, far from the prying eyes of the authorities. Some even take to the wilderness, meeting outside a city before beginning a night's work. Artists' Vengeance groups usually operate democratically, often with no specific leader. Because the organization acts in secret and is often outside the law, authority figures and wealthy nobles tend to view it as a threat. To the common folk, however, the Artists'
Vengeance represents light in a realm of darkness - a flame of inspiration that cannot be extinguished.
The typical artist's vengeance was once a bard, and many were bards of great renown before adopting the class. Non-bards are rare, although characters of other prestige classes that emphasize musical talent might also qualify.
Characters could encounter an NPC artist's vengeance who has come to the aid of a bard or other artist and work cooperatively with her. Alternatively, if the PCs have inadvertently desecrated or destroyed a classic piece of art while sacking a dungeon or keep, they could find themselves facing the legendary wrath of the lillend cult.
Requirements
To qualify to become an Artist's Vengeance, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Chaotic good
- Skills: Perform 8 ranks, Intimidate 8 ranks
- Class Feature: Bardic music ability.
- Special: The candidate's art (be it dance, prose, painting, or any other form) must have been attacked, unfairly critiqued, or destroyed by another force.
Class Skills
The artist's vengeance's class skills are Appraise, Bluff, Concentration, Craft (any), Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (all skills taken individually), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession (any), Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, SpellCraft, and Use Magic Device.
Skill Points at Each Level: 8 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the artist's vengeance prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An artist's vengeance gains no new weapon, armor, or shield proficiencies.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: At every odd-numbered artist's vengeance level, the character gains new bard spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in the bard class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit of the bard class.
Bardic Knowledge: If the character already has the bardic knowledge ability, her artist's vengeance levels stack with the levels of any other classes that grant her that ability for the purpose of determining the bonus. For example, a Bard 7/artist's vengeance 3 with an Intelligence score of 14 gains a +12 bonus on bardic knowledge checks.
Lillend's Song (Su): Beginning at 1st level, the artist's vengeance can call upon inspiration from a lillend to infuse her creations with quality and style. When she does so, she gains a bonus equal to her artist's vengeance level on a single Perform check. The artist's vengeance can use this ability once per day at 1st level and twice per day at 4th level.
Lillend's Tail (Ex): At 2nd level, the artist's vengeance grows a long, multicolored, snakelike tail. With it, she can make a primary natural attack, dealing 2d4 points of damage if she is Medium-size or 1d6 points of damage if she is Small. This attack does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the whitehorn's foe. If she uses a full attack action, she can make normal weapon attacks and use her tail as a secondary natural attack at the standard -5 penalty. Any applicable Strength bonus on damage rolls is determined normally, depending on whether the tail was used as a primary or secondary attack.
Fire Resistance (Ex): At 3rd level, the character's skin toughens and becomes more like a lillend's. The character gains fire resistance equal to 5 + her artist's vengeance level.
Lillend Apotheosis (Ex): At 5th level, the artist's vengeance completes her transformation into a defender of creativity. Her type becomes outsider, and she gains darkvision with a range of 60 feet. Unlike most outsiders, an artist's vengeance can be raised and resurrected as per her former type. Feathered wings of incredible beauty sprout from her back, granting her a fly speed of 70 feet (average).
| The Artist's Vengeance | Hit Die: d8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells per Day |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Bardic knowledge, lillends song 1/day | +1 level of existing class |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Lillends tail | - |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Fire resistance | +1 level of existing class |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Lillends song 2/day | - |
| 5th | +3 | +2 | +4 | +4 | Lillend apotheosis | +1 level of existing class |
Patron Deities: Liira, Milil.
Liira opposes oppression because it is a deterrent to joy. A subjugated society is an unhappy one, so her Artist's Vengeance cult works against the forces of tyranny whenever possible. Bane's return means that cult members must redouble their efforts.
Milil, the ultimate performer, views tyranny as a hateful, controlling force that inhibits those who make a living from their art. His cult views oppression as a destruction of self - the very antithesis of its members' beliefs.
Source: Dragon #307