Faerûnian Prestige Class : Sword Dancer
Eilistraee the Dark Maiden encourages drow to return to the surface world and reestablish themselves as rightful, nonevil inhabitants of the Night Above. Although they need not be drow themselves, sword dancers are expected to lead that migration and work to promote harmony between. drow and surface-dwelling races. They nurture beauty, music, the craft of making musical instruments, and song wherever they find it, assist hunters and hunting, and help others in acts of kindness whenever they see ways to do so.
Most sword dancers are clerics, cleric/fighters, or cleric/bards. Other class combinations, particularly those including ranger, rogue, and sorcerer, are somewhat less common. Barbarians and wizards rarely become sword dancers. Drow and half-drow are by far the most common races to adopt the sword dancer class, but other races, particularly half-elves, humans, and surface elves, venerate the Dark Maiden as well. Sword dancers usually dwell together in small groups in places where other elven races might dwell. Most frequent woodland glades where they gather to dance, sing, and engage in swordplay under the light of the moon.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Sword Dancer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Elf, half-elf
- Gender: Female
- Skills: Diplomacy 5 ranks, Perform 5 ranks (includes dance and singing), Speak Language (Elven and Undercommon).
- Feats: Dodge, Combat Expertise, Skill Focus (Perform), Weapon Focus (any sword).
- Base Attack Bonus: +5.
- Spells: Ability to cast 2nd-level divine spells.
- Patron: Eilistraee.
- Special: The character must have seen the sun rise at least once and spent at least one continuous month living on the surface (without entering the Underdark), dancing each night under the light of the moon.
Class Skills
The sword dancer's class skills are Balance, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Hide, Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Religion), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Survival, and Tumble.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following are Class Features of the sword dancer prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A sword dancer gains no weapon or armor proficiencies. A sword dancer that wears medium or heavy armor or carries or wears a shield cannot use any of her special abilities, and a sword dancer wearing only light armor must succeed at an arcane spell failure roll in order to use any of her spell-like or supernatural abilities granted by this prestige class (not including spellcasting).
Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each sword dancer level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which she belonged before adding the prestige class level. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (such as an improved chance of turning or rebuking undead). If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a sword dancer, the player must decide to which class to add each sword dancer level for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.
Low-Light Vision (Ex): All sword dancers have low-light vision.
Sword Song (Su): A sword dancer can attune herself to a particular sword (magical or not), a process that takes one tenday. During this time she, must be wearing or holding the sword for at least 8 hours each day, and if interrupted she must start again. She may only be attuned in this fashion to one sword at a time. Beginning the process of attuning another sword negates the ability of the currently attuned sword. Once attuned to this sword, whenever she wields it the sword sings heroic songs, granting her a +2 morale bonus on attack and damage rolls with the sword and a +3 morale bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting spells and effects. This ability is a sonic, mind-affecting effect, and can be used for a maximum number of rounds per day equal to her class level plus her Charisma modifier. If this ability is applied to a dancing sword, the dancing sword gains the attack and damage bonus, but the saving throw bonus still applies to the sword dancer.
Moonlights (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, at will and as a free action, a sword dancer can create small lights equal to those produced by the dancing lights spell. These lights are under the control of the sword dancer but cannot move more than 5 feet from her body. The sword dancer can have in existence a number of lights equal to her class level.
Sword Dance (Su): At 3rd level, a sword dancer can attune herself to a particular sword (which may be the same sword as her singing sword) in the process described above. Once attuned to the sword, she may use it as if it had the dancing property. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to her class level.
Mobility: The sword dancer gains the Mobility feat at 4th level.
Maiden's Sword (Su): At 5th level, a sword dancer gains the ability to craft magic swords as if she had the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat. This ability only works on her attuned swords, but the magic abilities given to the sword persist even if she loses her attunement to the sword. She may add any properties (including enhancement bonuses) to a sword as long as she meets the property's other prerequisites.
Lesser Spellsong (Su): At 6th level, a sword dancer gains the ability to spontaneously cast prepared cleric spells of 3rd level or lower as any of her domain spells, just as a good cleric spontaneously casts prepared cleric spells as cure wounds spells. Any spells she casts in this manner always have a verbal component, in addition to their normal components. For example, a sword dancer with access to the Moon domain who has prepared divine favor (a 1st-level spell) may lose divine favor in order to cast faerie fire (a 1st-level spell from the Moon domain).
Spring Attack: The sword dancer gains the Spring Attack feat at 7th level.
Spellsong (Su): At 8th level, the sword dancer's lesser spellsong ability expands to include spontaneous casting of cleric spells of up to 6th level as domain spells.
Sword Shield (Su): At 10th level, as a free action a sword dancer may command her dancing sword to fight in a defensive manner, taking a penalty of up to -5 on the sword's attacks in order to add the same number (up to +5) to her Armor Class as an armor bonus. The changes to the sword's attack rolls and her Armor Class last until her next action. She can only use this ability on one dancing sword at a time.
| Sword Dancer | Hit Die: d8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells per Day |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Low-light vision, sword song | +1 level of existing class |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Moonlights | +1 level of existing class |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Sword dance | +1 level of existing class |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Mobility | +1 level of existing class |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Maiden's sword | +1 level of existing class |
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +5 | +2 | Lesser spellsong | +1 level of existing class |
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +5 | +2 | Spring Attack | +1 level of existing class |
| 8th | +6 | +2 | +6 | +2 | Spellsong | +1 level of existing class |
| 9th | +6 | +3 | +6 | +3 | +1 level of existing class | |
| 10th | +7 | +3 | +7 | +3 | Sword shield | +1 level of existing class |
Source: Faiths & Pantheons