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NeoSeraphi
2012-03-02, 09:46 PM
The Fiery Musician

Sometimes, a bard just has to follow the music, wherever it might take him. And if it leads him to setting houses on fire while he plays Billy Joel songs on his guitar with one hand and pours vodka down his throat with the other, so be it. Seraphi HomebrewTM is there for that guy, too.


Prerequisites: In order to become a fiery musician, you must meet the following prerequisites:

Feat: Dragonfire Inspiration (Fire) (DrM)
Skills: Perform (Any) 11 ranks
Class Features: Bardic Music, Inspire Courage +2
Special: Must have set a structure on fire just to watch it burn


HD: d6
Class Skills: The fiery musician's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points: 6+Int per level

{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special

1st|+0|+0|+2|+2|Burning Song, Fiery Spells

2nd|+1|+0|+3|+3|Burn Baby Burn

3rd|+2|+1|+3|+3|With Burning Breath

4th|+3|+1|+4|+4|Song of the Red Dragon

5th|+3|+1|+4|+4|Disco Inferno
[/table]

Class Features: All of the following are the fiery musician's class features.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Fiery musicians gain proficiency with the torch, and take no penalties in combat for using it as an improvised weapon. When a fiery musician wields a torch in combat, she deals bludgeoning damage with it equal to a longsword sized for her, plus 1 point of fire damage per class level. A fiery musician may treat any musical instrument that is light enough for a musician to wield in one hand and is currently on fire as if it were a torch for the purposes of wielding it as a weapon in combat.

Burning Song: A fiery musician's class levels stack with all class levels that grant her the bardic music ability for the purposes of determining her daily uses of bardic music. Additionally, when the fiery musician uses her Dragonfire Inspiration feat, all creatures affected deal an additional +1d6 points of fire damage per class level. The fiery musician does not advance her bardic music progression in any other way (New songs, improved inspire courage, higher save DCs for suggestion, etc).

Fiery Spells: Upon gaining her first level in the fiery musician prestige class, the fiery musician adds all spells with the [fire] descriptor of 6th level and lower from the sorcerer/wizard spell list to her bard spell list (if she is capable of casting bard spells) and treats them as if they were bard spells of the same level. At each class level, the fiery musician gains an additional bard spell known. This spell must have the [fire] descriptor and be of a level no higher than the highest spell level she is able to cast. If the fiery musician is a divine bard, she also adds the flame strike spell to her bard spell list, as a 5th level divine bard spell.

Burn Baby Burn (Su): A 2nd level fiery musician with at least 13 ranks in the Perform skill may play a song that lets her intensify, shrink, control, and even animate fire. This consumes a daily use of her bardic music, and works like the control flames psionic power. Treat the fiery musician as if she had a manifester level equal to her character level, and she may augment the power freely as described in the power, by spending one additional daily use of bardic music at the time she begins performing per 2 power points she would need to spend to augment. The fiery musician must concentrate each turn to maintain this effect.

With Burning Breath (Su): A 3rd level fiery musician with at least 14 ranks in the Perform skill may charge her allies with a powerful supernatural ability: the ability to breath fire, like her dragon ancestors. By expending a daily use of her bardic music, the fiery musician can begin performing this song. She need not concentrate to continue it. For as long as the fiery musician performs, all allies within 60 feet of her who can see and hear her gain the ability to breathe fire in a 30 foot cone. This supernatural attack deals 2d6 points of fire damage per 1d6 points of fire damage the fiery musician's Dragonfire Inspiration feat would normally grant (So 10d6 fire damage for most 3rd level fiery musicians). The ability allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage (DC 10+1/2 the breather's character level+the breather's Constitution modifier). An ally who does not possess a Constitution score or a mouth does not gain the benefits of With Burning Breath.

After using this breath weapon, an ally must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again. Moving out of the area of the effect and then reentering it does not reset the cooldown of the breath weapon.

Song of the Red Dragon (Ex): While a 4th level or higher fiery musician performs, her soul and the souls of her allies burn with a fiery passion that extinguishes any other fire. Literally. While the fiery musician is using her Dragonfire Inspiration feat or her With Burning Breath ability, she and all allies affected also gain immunity to fire.

Disco Inferno (Su): A master fiery musician can make the air spark and ignite flames at her fingertips. She controls fire, and now she can even create it. Starting at 5th level, a fiery musician with at least 16 ranks in the Perform skill may consume a daily use of bardic music to surround an enclosed area with fire, trapping all creatures inside. This ability works like the wall of fire spell, except that, for as long as the fiery musician continues to perform and for 5 rounds after, the flames are almost impenetrable. Only creatures of the [fire] subtype may freely move through the wall of fire the fiery musician created. All other creatures must deal damage to the wall to break it, as if it were made of solid stone. The wall of fire has a hardness of 10 that is not ignored by adamantine, and each 5' square section of the wall has 20 hit points. A creature who attacks the wall with a non-reach manufactured melee weapon or a natural weapon takes 2d6 points of fire damage, plus an additional 1 point of fire damage per character level of the fiery musician. As long as the fiery musician continues to perform, her wall has fast healing 5. The wall remains for as long as the fiery musician continues to perform, and for 1 minute afterward.

Milo v3
2012-03-02, 09:59 PM
I like the idea and the mechanics seem sound. I especially like mixing spells and powers, as most classes don't ever get Control Flame power even if they are fire manipulators.

Also I can really picture a bard using this classes abilities in a performance.

Pyromancer999
2012-03-03, 12:22 PM
Seems pretty good. However, the Inspire x seems a bit of awkward wording to me, so I suggest changing:

Inspire Fire -> Burn Baby Burn
Inspire Breath Weapon -> With Burning Breath
Inspire Inferno -> Disco Inferno

Then again, just suggestions. Overall, this is a pretty good class.

NeoSeraphi
2012-03-03, 12:27 PM
Seems pretty good. However, the Inspire x seems a bit of awkward wording to me, so I suggest changing:

Inspire Fire -> Burn Baby Burn
Inspire Breath Weapon -> With Burning Breath
Inspire Inferno -> Disco Inferno

Then again, just suggestions. Overall, this is a pretty good class.

Okay then.

Mulletmanalive
2012-03-03, 12:58 PM
Just the minor quibble that the normal bard allows you to use the class' perform abilities with one rank less than the maximum he could possibly have. Might be worth keeping to that, just for posterity's sake.

NeoSeraphi
2012-03-03, 01:05 PM
Just the minor quibble that the normal bard allows you to use the class' perform abilities with one rank less than the maximum he could possibly have. Might be worth keeping to that, just for posterity's sake.

Actually, that's not true. It only applies to the level 1 bardic music. Inspire Competence requires 6 ranks at level 3, Inspire Greatness requires 12 ranks at level 9, Song of Freedom requires 15 ranks at level 12, Inspire Heroics requires 18 rank at level 15, and Mass Suggestion requires 21 ranks at level 18.

Mulletmanalive
2012-03-03, 01:16 PM
Huh...I woulda sworn...

oh well...carry on

Grod_The_Giant
2012-03-03, 01:18 PM
Goddamnit, now I'm going to have that song stuck in my head all day. :smallmad:

Class looks pretty good, though. I love Song of the Red Dragon.

MesiDoomstalker
2012-03-03, 02:00 PM
Minor quibble: Disco Inferno first states that it lasts 5 rounds after the Fiery Musician stops playing and then later says 1 minute after the Fiery Musician stops playing. IIRC, 5 rounds is the standard but your Bard you created hade an ability that extends effects like this to 1 minute, which might be part of the conflicting time.

NeoSeraphi
2012-03-03, 02:06 PM
Minor quibble: Disco Inferno first states that it lasts 5 rounds after the Fiery Musician stops playing and then later says 1 minute after the Fiery Musician stops playing. IIRC, 5 rounds is the standard but your Bard you created hade an ability that extends effects like this to 1 minute, which might be part of the conflicting time.

No, that's not it. The impenetrable flames effect lasts for perform+5 rounds. The wall itself lasts for perform+1 minute. For those last five rounds, the wall is just like a normal wall of fire with no special rules for walking through it.

Wyntonian
2012-03-03, 03:35 PM
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Fiery musicians gain proficiency with the torch, and take no penalties in combat for using it as an improvised weapon. When a fiery musician wields a torch in combat, she deals bludgeoning damage with it equal to a longsword sized for her, plus 1 point of fire damage per class level. A fiery musician may treat any musical instrument that is currently on fire as if it were a torch for the purposes of wielding it as a weapon in combat.

Cue flaming piano. Maybe one appropriately sized and able to be held reasonably? Unless a colossal digeridoo would be a better flaming torch-club?



Burning Song: A fiery musician's class levels stack with all class levels that grant her the bardic music ability for the purposes of determining her daily uses of bardic music. Additionally, when the fiery musician uses her Dragonfire Inspiration feat, all creatures affected deal an additional +1d6 points of fire damage per class level. The fiery musician does not advance her bardic music progression in any other way (New songs, improved inspire courage, higher save DCs for suggestion, etc).


Good good.


Fiery Spells: Upon gaining her first level in the fiery musician prestige class, the fiery musician adds all spells with the [fire] descriptor of 6th level and lower from the sorcerer/wizard spell list to her bard spell list (if she is capable of casting bard spells) and treats them as if they were bard spells of the same level. At each class level, the fiery musician gains an additional bard spell known. This spell must have the [fire] descriptor and be of a level no higher than the highest spell level she is able to cast. If the fiery musician is a divine bard, she also adds the flame strike spell to her bard spell list, as a 5th level divine bard spell.

Yay blaster-bards! See my final comment.


Burn Baby Burn (Su): A 2nd level fiery musician with at least 13 ranks in the Perform skill may play a song that lets her intensify, shrink, control, and even animate fire. This consumes a daily use of her bardic music, and works like the control flames psionic power. Treat the fiery musician as if she had a manifester level equal to her character level, and she may augment the power freely as described in the power, by spending one additional daily use of bardic music at the time she begins performing per 2 power points she would need to spend to augment. The fiery musician must concentrate each turn to maintain this effect.

This is cool. What's the Arcane spell like this? Pyrotechnics? I guess they already get that from the Fiery Spells ability.


With Burning Breath (Su): A 3rd level fiery musician with at least 14 ranks in the Perform skill may charge her allies with a powerful supernatural ability: the ability to breath fire, like her dragon ancestors. By expending a daily use of her bardic music, the fiery musician can begin performing this song. She need not concentrate to continue it. For as long as the fiery musician performs, all allies within 60 feet of her who can see and hear her gain the ability to breathe fire in a 30 foot cone. This supernatural attack deals 2d6 points of fire damage per 1d6 points of fire damage the fiery musician's Dragonfire Inspiration feat would normally grant (So 10d6 fire damage for most 3rd level fiery musicians). The ability allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage (DC 10+1/2 the breather's character level+the breather's Constitution modifier). An ally who does not possess a Constitution score or a mouth does not gain the benefits of With Burning Breath.

After using this breath weapon, an ally must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again. Moving out of the area of the effect and then reentering it does not reset the cooldown of the breath weapon.

MOAR FIYAR BLASTING! Again, see final comment.

Also, make a cube of outward-facing commoners around you. Become 4th level. Use this. Watch the world burn.



Song of the Red Dragon (Ex): While a 4th level or higher fiery musician performs, her soul and the souls of her allies burn with a fiery passion that extinguishes any other fire. Literally. While the fiery musician is using her Dragonfire Inspiration feat or her With Burning Breath ability, she and all allies affected also gain immunity to fire.

Good, prevent friendy...... fire. :smallcool:


Disco Inferno (Su): A master fiery musician can make the air spark and ignite flames at her fingertips. She controls fire, and now she can even create it. Starting at 5th level, a fiery musician with at least 16 ranks in the Perform skill may consume a daily use of bardic music to surround an enclosed area with fire, trapping all creatures inside. This ability works like the wall of fire spell, except that, for as long as the fiery musician continues to perform and for 5 rounds after, the flames are almost impenetrable. Only creatures of the [fire] subtype may freely move through the wall of fire the fiery musician created. All other creatures must deal damage to the wall to break it, as if it were made of solid stone. The wall of fire has a hardness of 10 that is not ignored by adamantine, and each 5' square section of the wall has 20 hit points. A creature who attacks the wall with a non-reach manufactured melee weapon or a natural weapon takes 2d6 points of fire damage, plus an additional 1 point of fire damage per character level of the fiery musician. As long as the fiery musician continues to perform, her wall has fast healing 5. The wall remains for as long as the fiery musician continues to perform, and for 1 minute afterward.

Nitpick: They've been able to create fire for like four levels now. Fiery Spells? Yeah.

Also, yay for bards doing some better BFC!


Ok, the Final Comment...

It's generally accepted that fire is the weakest element to use. You did a hell of a job making it better, but the underlying problem remains. Namely, lots of things still resist/ignore it. I seriously dig this class, but until you make a way for things that resist fire to not laugh at your cute little riffs and eat your face while humming your song, this class has Rogue Syndrome It's pretty cool and can have some decent tricks, but it can easily be rendered useless by creature type or minor optimization.

MesiDoomstalker
2012-03-03, 06:09 PM
No, that's not it. The impenetrable flames effect lasts for perform+5 rounds. The wall itself lasts for perform+1 minute. For those last five rounds, the wall is just like a normal wall of fire with no special rules for walking through it.

Ah. I would make it more clear on that distinction but since I'm the only one who was confused about it, I might just suck at reading. Continue on.

Veklim
2012-03-03, 07:04 PM
...I seriously dig this class, but until you make a way for things that resist fire to not laugh at your cute little riffs and eat your face while humming your song, this class has Rogue Syndrome It's pretty cool and can have some decent tricks, but it can easily be rendered useless by creature type or minor optimization...
This is a good point in an otherwise pretty spot on class. Would you consider making it all half fire and half sonic damage perhaps? Like a bardic version of Flame Strike for any/all [fire] spells. Would probably help matters and allow the bard to upset fire elementals too...:smallconfused:....that thought amuses me, please excuse my complete side issue below.

Anyhow, fire/sonic split would make thematic, mechanical and fluff sense so maybe you'll consider it?


Ah. I would make it more clear on that distinction but since I'm the only one who was confused about it...
I was similarly confused until I read it a second time, the clarification would be useful but not essential imo.

Complete side issue: My burning question...
Would acid burn a fire elemental..? I wanna make a fire elemental scream 'Stop! It burns!', the irony is too great to resist now...

NeoSeraphi
2012-03-03, 11:50 PM
It's generally accepted that fire is the weakest element to use. You did a hell of a job making it better, but the underlying problem remains. Namely, lots of things still resist/ignore it. I seriously dig this class, but until you make a way for things that resist fire to not laugh at your cute little riffs and eat your face while humming your song, this class has Rogue Syndrome It's pretty cool and can have some decent tricks, but it can easily be rendered useless by creature type or minor optimization.

The ability to overcome resistance and immunity isn't as necessary for the fiery musician as it would be for, say, an elemental savant.

Yes, your prestige class has a major focus on fire. That doesn't change the fact that you are a bard. You have 8th level spellcasting in a class that is all about illusions, enchantments, and summoning.

The bard is a tier 3 character because the bard can never be "rendered useless". He has way too many different awesome tricks up his sleeve. Even a silent image spell can be useful at higher levels, in the hands of a creative player.

Yes, the five level prestige class is very thematically focused. But that doesn't make you any less jack-of-all-trades than you were as a bard.

Fire is commonly resisted, but immunity isn't as common as you think. Resistance is annoying, but 10 damage off of an attack that deals an extra 7d6 fire damage (in addition to the normal melee damage) from all of your party members isn't that bad.

Yes, fire is the "weakest" element. That's like saying it's Sneak Attack. Just because a lot of things are immune to it, it doesn't change how much you will pwn when you're fighting things that aren't. And when you come up against things that are, well, you're a bard. You have plenty of other ways to get out of it.

To sum it up, a 5 level prestige class does not represent enough investment of one's character to merit overcoming immunity and resistance. The incredible damage increase of Dragonfire Inspiration is so high specifically because I gave no way to deal with resistance. So I already took that into account when I made the class, and I balanced it around the fact that I gave it no way to deal with immunity.

Does that make sense?

userpay
2012-03-04, 01:57 AM
Take leadership.
Use With Burning Breath.
???
Profit


Focus it all on one spot and you could technically melt just about anything instantly I bet.

NeoSeraphi
2012-03-04, 09:38 AM
Take leadership.
Use With Burning Breath.
???
Profit


Focus it all on one spot and you could technically melt just about anything instantly I bet.

To be fair, you could easily replace Use With Burning Breath with "Play a Bard" and the same would apply. Leadership is just a completely broken feat.

Madara
2012-03-04, 10:12 AM
I like how you put a perform ranks requirement on certain abilities, prevents use of early entry.

Have to use Bardic Music Uses, makes non-bard builds or bard-dip builds less optimal.

Overall, its good to have some love for the bard. Kinda comes in late as a prestige class...7th level. I guess that's fine.

7.5/10

NeoSeraphi
2012-03-04, 10:17 AM
I like how you put a perform ranks requirement on certain abilities, prevents use of early entry.

Have to use Bardic Music Uses, makes non-bard builds or bard-dip builds less optimal.

Overall, its good to have some love for the bard. Kinda comes in late as a prestige class...7th level. I guess that's fine.

7.5/10

It's not 7th, it's 9th level. The Perform ranks can only be achieved by 8th level, and bards don't get Inspire Courage +2 until 8th level. So your first level in the prestige class is 9th rather than 6th. But that's okay, since delaying it until 9th nets you 3rd level bard spells and the suggestion class feature, which are both really nice.

brujon
2012-03-04, 10:25 AM
Seems pretty good. However, the Inspire x seems a bit of awkward wording to me, so I suggest changing:

Inspire Fire -> Burn Baby Burn
Inspire Breath Weapon -> With Burning Breath
Inspire Inferno -> Disco Inferno

Then again, just suggestions. Overall, this is a pretty good class.


I'd change them to music oriented names...

Disco Inferno -> Bolero of Fire
With Burning Breath -> Choir of Flames
Burn Baby Burn -> Crimson Sonata

Madara
2012-03-04, 10:25 AM
Ouch, that is late. Normally, staying in the other class should be by choice. In this case, that you can either stay for a few levels in bard to gain suggestion and 3rd level spells, or go into the PrC to gain those abilities. Also, the class doesn't gain more spells per day, so


Fiery Spells: Upon gaining her first level in the fiery musician prestige class, the fiery musician adds all spells with the [fire] descriptor of 6th level and lower from the sorcerer/wizard spell list to her bard spell list (if she is capable of casting bard spells) and treats them as if they were bard spells of the same level. At each class level, the fiery musician gains an additional bard spell known. This spell must have the [fire] descriptor and be of a level no higher than the highest spell level she is able to cast. If the fiery musician is a divine bard, she also adds the flame strike spell to her bard spell list, as a 5th level divine bard spell.


going up to 6th level spells won't help too much.

NeoSeraphi
2012-03-04, 10:42 AM
Ouch, that is late. Normally, staying in the other class should be by choice. In this case, that you can either stay for a few levels in bard to gain suggestion and 3rd level spells, or go into the PrC to gain those abilities.

It's a 5 level PrC though. Generally, those come later, as their capstones come online earlier (and they still feel like 10th level PrC capstones).

As for the 6ths, well, if you dip into this class, you get all fire spells added. Then you can go back to bard or into a bard-advancing PrC and get 6ths that way. So it's an option for someone who just wants to burn people with fire spells as a bard, and doesn't really care about DFI optimization.



I'd change them to music oriented names...

Disco Inferno -> Bolero of Fire
With Burning Breath -> Choir of Flames
Burn Baby Burn -> Crimson Sonata

That's a nice suggestion, but in the true bardic spirit, I'd rather go with the silly reference names than genuine musical ones.

thegurullamen
2012-03-04, 02:02 PM
Does this PrC advance spellcasting as well? Seems odd that it grants bonus spells, but no spellcaster progression.

Veklim
2012-03-04, 02:36 PM
You could get away with giving them spellcasting at 2nd and 4th without any real trouble, that way they'd be able to access those 6th level spells at 19th if they were straight bard/fiery musician...

Shyftir
2012-03-04, 02:43 PM
I have to suggest you work "Through Fire and Flames" into your references...

NeoSeraphi
2012-03-04, 10:16 PM
Does this PrC advance spellcasting as well? Seems odd that it grants bonus spells, but no spellcaster progression.

No it doesn't advance spellcasting. And yes, it is odd, but WotC set the precedent. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/dragonDisciple.htm)


You could get away with giving them spellcasting at 2nd and 4th without any real trouble, that way they'd be able to access those 6th level spells at 19th if they were straight bard/fiery musician...

But that's intentional. If they're getting the whole class, they shouldn't be able to get 6th level spells along with it. You're getting more damage and better buffing for your allies, and in exchange (if you take the whole class) you lose the ability to touch people and make them dance uncontrollably with no saving throw.