Faerûnian Prestige Class : Spelldancer
Spelldancers are an energetic sort of spellcaster who draw on the quasi-primal energy of song and dancing to power their magic. Functioning similar to a sorcerer or bard, they create magic when they need it, drawing from a wide repertoire of spells but in a taxing manner. Some call them spellsingers, but the primary component of their magic is the dance, and "spellsinger" is often confused with the slang term for a mage, "spellslinger."
Most spelldancers are primarily sorcerers or bards, but some wizards find the path alluring, and clerics of deities such as Milil, Sharess, and Oghma sometimes walk the path of the spelldancer. Characters of other classes almost never become spelldancers. Most spelldancers are female.
NPC spelldancers often join traveling shows of minstrels, bards, and dancers. Their mundane dancing abilities are remarkable and the mobility of the group prevents too much unwanted attention. Some conservative spellcasters dislike spelldancers, and some common folk fear them and accuse them of consorting with fiends.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Spelldancer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: At least one-eighth elven blood
- Skills: Concentration 4 ranks, Perform (dance) 6 ranks, Tumble 4 ranks.
- Feats: Combat Casting, Dodge, Endurance, Mobility.
- Spellcasting: Able to cast 3rd-level spells.
Class Skills
The spelldancer's class skills are Concentration, Craft, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Perform, Profession, SpellCraft, Swim, and Tumble.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are Class Features of the spelldancer prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Spelldancers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shields.
Spelldance (Su): Spelldancing is a means of increasing the effectiveness of a spell by performing a vigorous magical dance before casting The spelldancer chooses one or more metamagic feats she knows to apply to a spell she wants to cast and begins her spelldancing. (Spells from the schools of Invocation and Necromancy can't be enhanced via spelldancing.) When she finishes spelldancing, she makes a Perform check with a DC of 10 + spell level (as modified by the metamagic feats). If she fails, the spell fizzles with no effect. If she succeeds, she casts the spell and it is modified by the selected metamagic feats (without the level of the spell being altered).
For every spell level higher than normal that a metamagic feat alters a spell, one full round of spelldancing is required to alter the spell. The spelldancer dances the required number of rounds, and on her next action she may cast a spell with the chosen metamagic feat (if she doesn't cast a spell that round, the spelldancing effect is lost). For example, a spelldancer could choose to empower a bull's strength spell, spelldance for 2 full rounds (the spell level adjustment for Empower Spell), then cast bull's strength (as a standard action) with the benefits of Empower Spell. Still Spell and Quicken Spell can never be used in conjunction with spelldancing. A spelldancer needs to know the metamagic feat in question to spelldance the effects of that feat.
Spelldancing requires extended motion. A spelldancing character has to move at least half her speed as part of her action on any round she spelldances. This movement is included in the full-round action of spelldancing, and means the spelldancer cannot take a 5-foot step on any round she spelldances. While spelldancing, the caster provokes attacks of opportunity normally, although she can still make Tumble checks to avoid attacks of opportunity.
A spelldancer can safely spelldance a number of rounds per day equal to her Constitution modifier plus her spelldancer class level. Every spell she casts with spelldancing after that causes her to make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + total rounds spent spelldancing in the last day) to avoid taking 2 points of temporary Constitution damage and becoming fatigued (if already fatigued, the character becomes exhausted and can't spelldance again until only fatigued).
Enthralling Dance (Sp): Once per day, a 2nd-level spelldancer can enthrall targets with a special dance. The effect is identical to the enthrall spell, except that it requires no vocal component and requires dancing as its somatic component. The DC to resist is equal to 10 + spelldancer level + Charisma modifier. The effect lasts as long as the spelldancer continues dancing (which is otherwise identical to spelldancing). At 4th level, the spelldancer can use her enthralling dance twice per day.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level, a spelldancer gains evasion. If exposed to any effect that normally allows a character to attempt a Reflex saving throw for half damage (such as fireball), she takes no damage with a successful saving throw. Evasion can only be used if the spelldancer is wearing light armor or no armor.
Cooperative Dance (Ex): A 3rd-level spelldancer can coordinate with another dancing character to share some of the effort of casting spells with spelldancing. The assisting character must dance during the same rounds as the spelldancer and then make a Perform check; for every 10 points of the check, the "cost" of the spelldance is reduced by 1 round (to a maximum reduction of 3 rounds for a check result of 30 or greater). This doesn't decrease the number of rounds required for the spelldance; it simply means that not as many rounds are deducted from the spelldancer's total number of spelldancing rounds per day. The cooperative dance can't reduce the number of rounds of spelldancing "spent" by the spelldancer to less than one for any casting, and the spelldancer can only coordinate with one character per spelldance.
Example - A spelldancer wishes to heighten a spell from 2nd to 5th level (+3 levels). This requires 3 rounds of spelldancing. If another character cooperates by dancing for the same rounds as the spelldancer and rolls a 22 on his Perform (dancing) check, the spelldance only "costs" the spelldancer 1 round (of her limited number of spelldancing rounds per day), rather than the full 3.
Sleep Dance (Sp): Once per day, a 4th-level spelldancer can dance in such a manner as to put nearby creatures to sleep. This requires 1 full round of dancing (as spelldancing), after which all creatures in a 30-foot-radius emanation fall into slumber as the -sleep spell (Will negates, DC 10 + spelldancer level + Charisma modifier) for 1 minute per spelldancer level.
Confusing Dance (Sp): The 5th-level spelldancer can confuse targets with a special dance once per day. This requires 1 full round of dancing (as spelldancing), after which all creatures within 15 feet of the spelldancer are affected as the confusion spell (Will negates, DC 10 + spelldancer level + Charisma modifier) for 1 round per spelldancer level.
| Spelldancer | Hit Die: d6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells per day |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Spelldance | +1 level in existing class |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Enthralling dance, Evasion | +1 level in existing class |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Cooperative dance | +1 level in existing class |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Sleep dance | +1 level in existing class |
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Confusing dance | +1 level in existing class |
Source: Magic of Faerûn