General Prestige Class : Virtuoso
The roar of the crowd, the praise of spectators after a great performance, the showers of gifts from attractive admirers - why would anyone trade all that for sleeping in the woods or poking around in smelly old dungeons? The virtuoso leaves creeping down dark corridors and matching wits against deadly traps to others. Her place is on the stage, surrounded by adoring fans. Fortunately for her, every place she goes becomes a stage, and as long as there's anyone around for her to impress, she's in the spotlight.
The typical virtuoso is outgoing, charismatic, and gregarious. She loves to be around people and is quick to win friends with her charming manner Some might call her a temperamental egomaniac, yet everyone feels a little better in her presence
Many virtuosos are musicians, others are accomplished dancers or actors. Still others choose to specialize in obscure and unusual forms of entertainment, such as stage magic or juggling.
Since entertainers are often on the road, a virtuoso can travel wherever she likes, incorporating as much adventuring into her journeys as she wishes. Because of her talent for winning admirers, she usually remains above suspicion should anything underhanded occur in a place she is visiting on tour.
Bards are most often drawn to this prestige class, although rogues, illusionists, and multiclass combinations of both can also excel in it. Bards rend to perform as musicians or actors, illusionists as stage magicians, and rogues as dancers, tumblers, or sleight-of-hand artists. Characters of most other classes are either nor outgoing enough to enjoy being virtuosos, or they find other channels for their extrovertism.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Virtuoso, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Perform 10 ranks, Intimidate or Diplomacy 6 ranks.
- Spells: Able to cast 0-level arcane spells (cantrips).
Class Skills
The virtuoso's class skills are Balance, Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Intimidate, Jump, Perform, Spellcraft, and Tumble.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the virtuoso prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Virtuosos gain no new weapon or armor proficiencies.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: Since the virtuoso often uses magic to enhance her performances, it's important for her to maintain her magical studies. Thus, whenever she gains a new virtuoso level, she gains new spells per day and spells known as if she had gained a level in a spellcasting class she belonged to 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, new familiar abilities, and so on). This means that she adds her new level of virtuoso to the level of some other spellcasting class she has, then determines spells per day, caster level, and spells known (if formerly a bard or sorcerer) accordingly. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a virtuoso, she must decide to which class she adds each level of virtuoso for purposes of spells per day and spells known.
Bardic Music: At 1st level, the virtuoso gains the bardic music ability if she did not already have it from a previous class. All the bardic music effects (countersong, fascinate, inspire competence, inspire courage, inspire greatness, and suggestion) become available to her immediately, subject to their usual Perform skill Requirements (see Bard abilities). Countersong requires either a musical or a poetic performance; all others can be produced with any performance type. Each bardic music effect except suggestion requires one daily use of either the virtuoso performance ability (see below) or the bardic music ability. Suggestion does not require any uses, but the subject must first be fascinated.
Virtuoso Performance: With an impassioned soliloquy or a haunting melody, the virtuoso can create magical effects beyond even the capabilities of bardic music. Virtuoso performance can be used once per virtuoso level per day. If the virtuoso has bard levels, those stack with virtuoso levels to determine uses per day. Many virtuoso performance effects require more than one of the ability's allotted daily uses. Although many of the names refer to musical performances, the virtuoso isn't actually so limited - for example, an actor could perform a "sustaining soliloquy" rather than a sustaining song.
As with bardic music, the virtuoso can usually fight while using this ability but cannot cast spells or activate magic items by either spell completion or command word. If the performance forces any target to make a Will save, the only other action the virtuoso can take in the same round is a 5-foot step.
Sustaining Song: A 1st-level virtuoso with at least 11 ranks in Perform can sustain her unconscious allies, negating their need for stabilization checks during her performance. Because they're not making stabilization checks, the affected allies are neither stabilizing nor losing hit points. A sustaining song lasts for 5 minutes or until the virtuoso stops performing, whichever comes first. Sustaining song is a supernatural ability.
Calumny (Su): A 3rd-level virtuoso with at least 13 ranks in Perform has mastered the fine art of slander and can deliver a performance that makes a specific character or group (class, race, nationality, or the like) appear in the worst light possible. Each member of the audience must make a Will save with a DC equal to the virtuoso's Perform check result. Success negates the calumny effect; failure shifts that individual's attitude toward the target by one category - that is, from friendly to indifferent, from indifferent to unfriendly, or from unfriendly to hostile (see Influencing NPC Attitude). Furthermore, each affected creature gains a +2 morale bonus on all opposed social interaction checks against the target. Calumny lingers in the minds of affected audience members for 24 hours per daily use of virtuoso performance applied to the calumny attempt. For example, a 7th-level bard/3rd-level virtuoso could apply seven daily uses of virtuoso performance to a song of anti-duergar sentiment. All who heard it and failed their Will saves would be affected for a week, and the virtuoso would have three virtuoso performance uses left that day. Calumny is a supernatural, mind-affecting, language-dependent ability.
Jarring Song (Su): A 4th-level virtuoso with at least 14 ranks in Perform can inhibit spellcasting. Anyone attempting to cast a spell during a jarring song must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + the spell level). Success allows normal completion of the spell; failure means it is lost. A jarring song requires three daily uses of virtuoso performance and is a supernatural, sonic ability.
Sharp Note (Sp): A 5th-level virtuoso with at least 15 ranks in Perform can sharpen the blades of all piercing and slashing weapons within a 10-foot radius. The affected weapons function as if a 6th-level sorcerer had cast a keen edge spell on them, except that the effect lasts only 10 minutes. Sharp note requires three daily uses of virtuoso performance and is a spell-like, transmutation ability.
Mindbending Melody (Sp): A 6th-level virtuoso with at least 16 ranks in Perform can dominate a humanoid that she has already fascinated. This ability functions exactly like a dominate person spell cast by a 9th-level sorcerer. The target can make a Will save (DC 15 + the virtuoso's Charisma modifier) to negate the effect. A mindbending melody requires two daily uses of virtuoso performance and is a spell-like, mind-affecting, language-dependent, charm ability.
Greater Calumny (Su): A 7th-level virtuoso with at least 17 ranks in Perform can whip her audience into a frenzy of loathing. Greater calumny functions exactly like calumny, except that the audience's attitude is shifted two categories (indifferent to hostile, for example), and each affected audience member gains a +4 morale bonus on all opposed social interaction checks with the target. Greater calumny is a supernatural, mind-affecting, language-dependent ability.
Magical Melody (Su): An 8th-level virtuoso with at least 18 ranks in Perform can empower allied spellcasters, raising their effective caster levels by +1 each for the purposes of spell effects and spell resistance checks. This effect lasts as long as the performance does. Magical melody requires two daily uses of virtuoso performance per minute maintained. it is a supernatural ability.
Song of Fury (Su): A 9th-level virtuoso with at least 19 ranks in Perform can enrage her allies. This ability functions exactly like barbarian rage on all willing allies within 20 feet, and it lasts as long as the virtuoso continues her performance. Song of fury requires three daily uses of performance per round maintained. It is a supernatural, mind-affecting ability.
Revealing Melody (Sp): A 10th-level virtuoso with at least 20 ranks in Perform can reveal all things as they actually are. All those who hear the revealing melody are affected as if by a true seeing spell cast by a 17th-level sorcerer. The effect lasts as long as the song does. Revealing melody requires two daily uses of virtuoso performance per round maintained and is a spell-like, divination ability.
| Virtuoso | Hit Die: d6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Bardic music, virtuoso performance (sustaining song) | +1 level of existing class |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | - | +1 level of existing class |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Virtuoso performance (calumny) | +1 level of existing class |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Virtuoso performance (jarring song) | +1 level of existing class |
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Virtuoso performance (sharp note) | +1 level of existing class |
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Virtuoso performance (mindbending melody) | +1 level of existing class |
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Virtuoso performance (greater calumny) | +1 level of existing class |
| 8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Virtuoso performance (magical melody) | +1 level of existing class |
| 9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Virtuoso performance (song of fury) | +1 level of existing class |
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Virtuoso performance (revealing melody) | +1 level of existing class |
Source: Complete Adventurer
Song and Silence