Faerûnian Prestige Class : Celebrant of Sharess
Sharess is a paradoxical deity. Originally, she was a war goddess of the Mulhorandi pantheon-a champion in the war against Set and his forces of evil. Now, however, she is a goddess of passion and sex who is more often referred to as the Festhall Madam than as the Foe of Set. Most of her priests forget her glorious past and spend their time running brothels and celebrating the Endless Revel of Life, a nearly constant parade of festivals in their goddess's honor.
But the celebrants of Sharess are different. They do not neglect Sharess in her present aspect as the goddess of pleasure and lust, but neither do they forget the ancient Foe of Set, who was Anhur's lieutenant. Celebrants of Sharess are seducers and warriors, hedonists and pious champions of good. While many of the goddess's followers are chaotic neutral and some even lean toward evil, the celebrants are an ever-present reminder that evil is the enemy, and that pleasure is to be enjoyed and shared with all as an act of good. Though celebrants of Sharess are not clerics, in many ways they represent a truer embodiment of their deity's nature than many of her clerics do.
Most celebrants were previously bards. Clerics who adopt this prestige class forsake their advancement in divine spellcasting, so it is not an attractive path for them. Sometimes barbarian/bards find themselves drawn to the celebrants, and rogues are common among their ranks as well.
Celebrant NPCs are rare, and they find little welcome in the decadent church of Sharess. The celebrants have initiated a reform movement within the church, challenging the establishment to change its interpretation of Sharess's dogma and remember the good aspect of her alignment as well as the free-wheeling chaotic one.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Celebrant of Sharess, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Chaotic Good
- Skills: Diplomacy 7 ranks, Perform (any) 7 ranks
- Feats: Sacred Vow, Vow of Purity,
Class Skills
The celebrant of Sharess's class skills are Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Jump, Listen, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spellcraft, and Tumble.
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the celebrant of Sharess prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Celebrants of Sharess gain no proficiency with any weapon, armor or shield. Armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble, and double the normal armor check penalty applies to Swim checks.
Spells: Beginning at 1st level, a celebrant of Sharess gains the ability to cast a number of arcane spells. To cast a spell, a celebrant must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the spell's level, so a celebrant with a Charisma of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Celebrant of Sharess bonus spells are based on Charisma, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the celebrant's Charisma bonus (if any). When the celebrant gets 0-spells per day of a given spell level (for instance, 1st-level spells for a 1st-level celebrant), she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Charisma score for that spell level. The celebrant's spell list appears below. A celebrant of Sharess casts spells just as a bard does.
Upon reaching 6th level, and at every even-numbered level after that (8th and 10th), a celebrant of Sharess can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. The new spell's level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level celebrant of Sharess spell the character can cast. For instance, upon reaching 6th level, a celebrant of Sharess could trade in a single 1st-level spell (two spell levels below the highest-level celebrant spell she can cast, which is 3rd) for a different 1st-level spell. At 8th and 10th levels, she could trade in a single 1st-level or 2nd-level spell (since she now can cast 4th-level celebrant spells) for a different spell of the same level. A celebrant of Sharess may swap only a single spell at any given level, and she must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for that level.
Fascinate (Sp): A celebrant of Sharess can use her flirtation ability (see below) to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated with her. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet of the celebrant and be able to see, hear, and pay attention to her. The celebrant must also be able to see the creature. The distraction of a nearby combat or other danger prevents the ability from working. For every three levels a celebrant attains beyond 1st, she can target one additional creature with a single use of this ability (two at 4th levels three at 7th level, and four at 10th level).
To use this ability, the celebrant makes a Perform check. Her check result is the DC for each affected creature's Will save against the effect. If a creature's saving throw succeeds, the celebrant cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and gazes at the celebrant, taking no other actions, for as long as she continues her performance and concentration (up to a maximum of 1 round per celebrant of Sharess level). While fascinated, a target takes a -4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Listen and Spot checks. Any potential threat (such as an ally of the celebrant approaching the fascinated creature) requires the celebrant to make a new Perform check and allows the creature a new saving throw against a DC equal to the new Perform check result. Any obvious threat (such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the target) automatically breaks the effect. Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.
Feline Familiar (Ex): A celebrant of Sharess can obtain a cat as a familiar. Doing so takes 24 hours but costs nothing (unlike the summon familiar ability of a sorcerer or wizard). The cat serves as a companion and servant. As the celebrant advances in level, her familiar also increases in power. This cat familiar follows all the rules for a sorcerer's or wizard's familiar, except that the celebrant's effective class level for the purpose of determining familiar benefits is twice her celebrant of Sharess level. Thus, a 3rd-level celebrant's familiar can speak with its master, as if the celebrant were a 6th-level sorcerer or wizard.
A celebrant cannot have more than one familiar, and her celebrant levels do not stack with levels of any other class for the purpose of determining her familiar's abilities. If she has levels in another class that can summon a familiar, use either her level in that class or twice her celebrant of Sharess level, whichever is higher, to determine familiar benefits.
Flirtation (Su): Once per day per celebrant of Sharess level, the character can combine her Perform skill with her talents at flirtation and seduction to produce magical effects similar to those of the bardic music ability on those around her. Starting a flirtation effect is a standard action. Some flirtation effects require concentration, which means the celebrant must use a standard action each round to maintain the effect. Even while using a flirtation ability that doesn't require concentration, a celebrant cannot cast spells or activate magic items by spell completion (such as scrolls) or command word (such as wands).
Fury of the Tigress (Ex): At 2nd level, a celebrant of Sharess can enter a state of rage, gaining phenomenal strength and durability but becoming reckless and less able to defend herself. She temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a + morale bonus on Will saves, but she takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class. This ability functions exactly like a barbarian's rage. A celebrant of Sharess can enter this state once per day at 2nd level, twice per day at 6th level, and three times per day at 10th level.
Suggestion (Sp): A 4th-level or higher celebrant of Sharess can make a suggestion (as the spell) to a creature that she has already fascinated (see above). Using this ability does not break the celebrant's concentration on the fascinate effect or count against her daily limit on flirtation effects. A Will saving throw (DC 10 + celebrant of Sharess level + celebrant of Sharess's Cha modifier) negates the effect. This ability affects only a single creature. Suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language-dependent ability.
Pounce of the Tigress (Ex): At 5th level, a celebrant of Sharess can make a full attack at the end of a charge.
Sanctuary (Sp): A celebrant of Sharess who is at least 7th level can prevent creatures from attacking her or her allies in a manner similar to the effect of the sanctuary spell. To use this ability, the celebrant makes a Perform check. Her check result is the DC for each affected creature's Will save against the effect. Any opponent attempting to strike or otherwise directly attack the celebrant or any of her allies, even with a targeted spell, must attempt a Will save. Success means the opponent can attack normally and is unaffected by that use of the flirtation ability. If the save fails; the opponent can't follow through with the attack, that part of its action is lost, and it can't directly affect the celebrant or her allies for the duration of the effect. Creatures not attempting to attack remain unaffected. This effect does not prevent opponents from using area or effect spells that would harm the celebrant or her allies. If the celebrant attacks another creature, or her allies do so, the sanctuary effect is broken.
Swiftness of the Tigress (Ex): When she reaches 8th level, a celebrant of Sharess can function as though affected by a haste spell. This benefit lasts for a number of rounds per day equal to her celebrant of Sharess level. This duration need not be consecutive - the celebrant of Sharess may break it up into increments as small as 1 round if she so desires. Ending the effect is a free action.
Inspire Desire (Su): At 10th level, a celebrant of Sharess can use her flirtation ability to inspire love or desire in a creature she has already fascinated. Using this ability does not break the celebrant's concentration on the fascinate effect, but it does count against her daily limit on flirtation effects. A Will saving throw (DC 10 + celebrant of Sharess level + celebrant of Sharess's Cha modifier) negates the effect. This ability affects only a single creature.
The love effect of this ability causes the target to fall in love with a specified creature, which must either be within sight of the target creature at the time the effect is used, or else be specified only as "the next creature you see." The subject takes any opportunity to be near the object of its affection and makes every effort to win that creature's love.
The desire effect is similar to the love effect, except that the target seeks any opportunity to become physically intimate with the specified creature, short of causing it physical harm.
Inspire desire is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.
| Celebrant of Sharess | Hit Die: d6 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells per Day | |||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Fascinate, feline familiar, flirtation | 0 | - | - | - |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Fury of the tigress 1/day | 1 | - | - | - |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | - | 2 | 0 | - | - |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Suggestion | 3 | 1 | - | - |
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Pounce of the tigress | 3 | 2 | 0 | - |
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Fury of the tigress 2/day | 3 | 3 | 1 | - |
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Sanctuary | 3 | 3 | 2 | - |
| 8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Swiftness of the tigress | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | - | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Fury of the tigress 3/day, inspire desire | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Spells Known | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| 1st | 2 | - | - | - |
| 2nd | 3 | - | - | - |
| 3rd | 3 | 2* | - | - |
| 4th | 4 | 3 | - | - |
| 5th | 4 | 3 | 2* | - |
| 6th | 4 | 4 | 3 | - |
| 7th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2* |
| 8th | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 9th | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 10th | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| *Provided the celebrant of Sharess has sufficient Charisma to have a bonus spell of this level. | ||||
Celebrants of Sharess choose their spells from the following list:
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Source: Player's Guide to Faerûn