3.5: a chanting Priestess?

[Firechanter]

Hey Playground,

this is for an NPC in my game: my mental image is that of a human priestess, very kind and benevolent (NG), beautiful and charming, having a knack with people that causes folks to fall for her -- without magically influencing them, mind you. Also, I think she should sing, equally beautifully.

She'd be kind of a pacifist, so she doesn't need to kick ass herself in melee combat as Clericzilla, but rather focus on buffing others -- here I was particularly thinking of (Reached) Chained Spells.
My first concept was a Cloistered Cleric / Divine Disciple / Contemplative / Hierophant [for Divine Reach], but that has nothing to do with singing.
Then I toyed with the idea of a Divine Bard and Sublime Chord, but the two don't mix (SubChord specifically requires Arcane spells), and a regular Bard is a bit short in the restorative/curative department. A regular Bard doesn't have the Divine touch that I have in mind for this character, but maybe I could fiddle something there with Arcane Disciple.

Anyway, I wanted to ask for your ideas -- what other ways do I have to make a divine buffer/healer who sings so beautifully that even the stones cry?

[gorilla-turtle]

It's a bit homebrewy, but what about adapting the Prestige Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/prestigiousCharacterClasses.htm#prestigeBard) with the Divine Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantDivineBard) , and enter this new class through Cloistered Cleric? The end result looking a bit like Cloistered Cleric / Prestige Divine Bard / Contemplative / Hierophant?

One other note is the Dragon feat "Divine Inspiration" or the Faerun Feat "Initiate of Mili", which should give your Cleric a bit more of a voice. I've also heard a lot about a pair of feats, 1 3.0 and 1 Dragonlance, that can change one's casting stat (the former to any stat and entirely, but is less 3.5, and the later only for spells per day), which you can use to set your Cleric casting to Charisma.

[Firechanter]

Hmh, I was hoping to get by without homebrew/houseruling. However, permitting the adaptation of Bard PrCs and/or PrBard analogous to Divine Bard might be reasonable. Still, not really a favourite because the spell list is so un-clericy.

Casting stats aren't so relevant here btw, since I use a houserule anyway that keys all Arcane casting off Int, all Divine casting off Wis, and all Save DCs off Cha. This also applies to bards, btw.

Thanks in particular for the pointer to the Initiate of Milil feat, that one could be useful, though it seems to suffer from extensive PrC use.

I'm not even dead set on wanting _Bardic_ music, anyway. Just about _any_ application of Perform would suffice, I'd say - even if it's mainly directed at influencing lowlevel NPCs rather than party buffing.

[Kuulvheysoon]

If that's the case have you considered Evangelist?

[Firechanter]

That's not really a Cleric PrC, it seems to be aimed at Bards who think their spellcasting is too good. (The skill requirements are really steep for Clerics.) I do want to maintain a high CL, if possible.

[The Insanity]

Give her Perform ranks and fluff her somatic components to be chanting/singing?

[Telonius]

So, sort of an almost-Luthien build... Divine Bard with Words of Creation, maybe?

Seems like there might be something for it in Magic of Incarnum, but I'm not very well-versed in the book.

EDIT: Troubadour of Stars from Book of Exalted Deeds gives a bit of divine spellcasting, though at half Bard progression. Not very optimized at all, but it seems in keeping with the theme.