General Prestige Class : Swift Scion
Some legendary weapons are meant for the hands of the quick and the silent. A swift scion might inherit her weapon or acquire it "by accident," but the weapon is no less part of her destiny than is the legendary weapon of any other scion. Characters of any class can become swift scions, but rogues, bards, rangers, and monks benefit most from the special abilities of the legendary weapons associated with this class.
Swift scions wield their weapons for a wide variety of purposes. A rogue may use it to supplement her income, while a monk might merely seek to master its use. A bard could draw upon the power of her weapon's rich history to enhance her music, while a ranger might use it as part of the hunt. Of all legendary Weapons, the ones associated with the swift scion class are the most focused in their application. Each tends to favor rogues, monks, rangers, or bards specifically, rather than a broad range of classes as the other legendary weapons do.
Hit Die: d6.
Requirements
To qualify to become a swift scion, a character must fulfill the criteria given in her particular weapon's entry. (For an example, see Dreamstriker, below.)
Class Skills
The swift scion's class skills are Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim, Tumble, and Use Rope.
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following are class features of the swift scion prestige class.
A legendary weapon associated with the class provides a unique set of additional special abilities, which are detailed in the weapon's description. (For an example, see Dreamstriker, below.) These abilities accrue in addition to those already noted on the swift scion table below. However, because those abilities are functions of the weapon rather than the wielder, they are lost if the legendary weapon that granted them is lost. The features mentioned on Table 5-11 are retained even if the weapon is lost.
Bonus Class Skill: At 1st level, 5th level, and 9th level, a swift scion may choose an additional class skill from the following list: Appraise, Concentration, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Disguise, Gather Information, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Survival, and Use Magic Device. Once designated, that skill is considered a class skill for the swift scion prestige class.
Bonus Special Ability: At 2nd level, 6th level, and 10th level, swift scion may choose an additional special ability from the following list. She may select the same ability more than once if desired, and the effects stack where appropriate.
Arcane Spells per Day/Spells Known: A swift scion may gain a number of new spells per day and spells known (if applicable) if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which belonged before adding the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (metamagic or item creation feats, and so on). If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming swift scion, the player must decide to which class to add each scion level for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.
Bardic Music: A swift scion may choose to gain an extra two uses of the bardic music ability, provided that she already has the ability. She doesn't gain any new bardic music abilities, nor do her existing bardic music abilities improve in effectiveness.
Fast Movement (Ex): If a swift scion has an enhancement bonus to her speed from a class feature, she may choose to increase this enhancement bonus by 10 feet. This enhancement bonus follows the same rules as her existing enhancement bonus to speed (for instance, a monk who selects this feature only benefits from the enhancement bonus when wearing no armor).
Improved Bardic Knowledge: A swift scion can choose to gain a +4 bonus on bardic knowledge checks. (If the character doesn't have the bardic knowledge class feature, this benefit has no effect.)
Improved Evasion (Ex): A swift scion may choose to gain the improved evasion ability, provided that she already has the evasion ability.
Improved Favored Enemy: If a swift scion has at least one favored enemy, the bonus gained on damage rolls and certain skill checks against any one favored enemy improves by +2. The character doesn't gain any additional favored enemies by selecting this ability.
Improved Unarmed Damage: If a swift scion has the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, she may choose to increase the damage dealt by her unarmed strikes. Treat this as if the character's monk level had increased by four. For instance, a 6th-level monk/2nd-level swift scion who selects this ability would increase her unarmed strike damage from 1d8 to 1d10. (If the character has no monk levels, she gains unarmed damage as a 4th-level monk.)
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): If a swift scion has the uncanny dodge class feature, she may select improved uncanny dodge. Her swift scion levels stack with her levels in other classes that grant uncanny dodge to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
Sneak Attack: If a swift scion has the sneak attack ability, she may choose to increase the extra damage it deals by 2d6 points.
Swift Tracker (Ex): If a swift scion has the Track feat, she may select this special ability. A swift scion with this ability can move at her normal speed while following tracks without taking the normal -5 penalty. She takes only a -10 penalty (instead of the normal -20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.
Trap Sense: If a swift scion has the trap sense ability, she can take this special ability to increase her bonus on Reflex saves and to AC against traps by 1.
| Swift Scion | Hit Die: d6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Bonus class skill |
| 2nd | +1 | +1 | +3 | +0 | Bonus special ability |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | - |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | - |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Bonus class skill |
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +5 | +2 | Bonus special ability |
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +5 | +2 | - |
| 8th | +6 | +2 | +6 | +2 | - |
| 9th | +6 | +3 | +6 | +3 | - |
| 10th | +7 | +3 | +7 | +3 | Bonus special ability |
Dreamstriker
A cabal of halfling clerics created the bow called Dreamstriker long ago. Since then, it has been passed down along a line of elite rangers and rogues, but was recently lost when its wielder was slain while away from her village.
Requirements: Any character can wield Dreamstriker as a +2 composite shortbow (+2 Str bonus) and also gain the benefit of the stealth special ability described below. A swift scion who wields Dreamstriker gains additional special abilities if the character fulfills the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +6.
Skills: Hide 10 ranks, Move Silently 10 ranks.
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Far Shot, Stealthy.
Special: The wielder must be of Small size.
Restrictions: Dreamstriker does not grant its stealth ability to a wielder who is not of Small size, though its enhancement bonus is still effective.
Attributes: Dreamstriker has the following attributes.
Hardness/Hit Points: 15/55.
Caster Level: 15th.
Value: To any character other than a swift scion who meets the above requirements, Dream striker appears to be worth as much as a Small +2 composite short bow (+2 Str bonus) that grants the stealth ability (market price 10,525 gp).
Special Abilities: Dream striker provides a number of special abilities to its wielder, depending on the character's class level in the swift scion prestige class (see the table below).
Initial Abilities: When it is first acquired, Dreamstriker functions as a +2 composite short bow (+2 Str bonus). Any Small character who wields it, whether a swift scion or nor, also benefits from the stealth ability (see below).
Stealth (Su): The wielder of Dreamstriker may use her Wisdom bonus (if any) as a bonus on her Hide and Move Silently checks.
Abilities Granted by Dreamstriker Swift Scion Level Ability Gained - Stealth 1st Invisibility 2nd Ghost touch 3rd Ephemeral presence (trackless) 4th Enhancement bonus +3 5th Dreamstrike arrows 6th Greater invisibility 7th Enhancement bonus +4 8th Ephemeral presence (scentless) 9th Etherealness 10th Enhancement bonus +5 Invisibility (Sp): A swift scion wielding Dreamstriker can become invisible once per day as a free action. The effect lasts for 1 round per class level.
For a swift scion of 6th level or higher, the invisibility granted by this power is the equivalent of greater invisibility. The duration remains 1 round per class level.
Ghost Touch (Su): When Dream striker is wielded by a swift scion of 2nd level or higher, any arrow fired from the bow can damage incorporeal creatures as if it had the ghost touch special ability.
Ephemeral Presence (Su): A swift scion of 3rd level or higher bearing Dreamstriker leaves no trail and cannot be tracked.
At 8th level, a swift scion bearing the weapon no longer gives off a scent. Creatures with the scent ability cannot detect her presence by means of that ability, nor can she be tracked by scent.
Enhancement Bonus (Ex): When Dreamstriker is wielded by a swift scion of 4th level or higher, the bow's enhancement bonus improves from +2 to +3. The bonus increases to +4 at 7th level and +5 at 10th level.
Dream strike Arrows (Su): Three times per day (but no more than once per round), a swift scion of 5th level or higher can fire a special arrow from Dream striker. The arrow strikes as a touch attack (ignoring armor, shield, and natural armor bonuses to AC). The arrow deals only half the normal damage, but the damage dealt is Wisdom damage, not hit point damage. Bonus damage dice, if any, do not apply to the damage dealt by a dreamstrike arrow.
Etherealness (Su): At 9th level or higher, a swift scion bearing Dreamstriker can become ethereal for up to 10 rounds per day (which need nor be spent all at one time) Activating this power, or deactivating it to become material, is a standard action.
Source: Unearthed Arcana