Looking to make a siren-like Character

[Drackstin]

So im looking to make a changeling character that sings and it lures people to her with her singing. bard sounds like it would work some how but i couldn't find any abilities that functioned like that.

My plan is for have a changeling stage performing at a tavern, she just turned 18 and she is starting to feel the call of her mother. She doesn't know what she is or know she has abilities of a changeling, but when she sings it brings people to her. she just thinks people really like her performances.

Is there any features or maybe feats that would work this way. I know there is a Object of Desire racial trait for the green hag bloodline. but this would only help the effect work, not give her the effect itself.

[Asmotherion]

So im looking to make a changeling character that sings and it lures people to her with her singing. bard sounds like it would work some how but i couldn't find any abilities that functioned like that.

My plan is for have a changeling stage performing at a tavern, she just turned 18 and she is starting to feel the call of her mother. She doesn't know what she is or know she has abilities of a changeling, but when she sings it brings people to her. she just thinks people really like her performances.

Is there any features or maybe feats that would work this way. I know there is a Object of Desire racial trait for the green hag bloodline. but this would only help the effect work, not give her the effect itself.

There's the siren's Call spell but it doesn't appear to do what you want.

Mass Charm Monster and Mass Suggestion seem to fit the trope but are high level spells.

Hypnotic Pattern though it leaves Visual Cues.

if it's for an NPC you can give them an SLA that functions as one of those spells. Or similar to the Vampire ability (perhaps apply the Half-Vampire template for +2 LA? And refluff it as you see apropriate).

There's propably more spells/slas/templates that should fit your trope better... Enchantment is not my speciality...

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A Sirine (MM2) can't even do what you've described, they just get Charm Person. It looks like you're wanting to use the Captivating Song ability of a Harpy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/harpy.htm).

Sirines are fey, so take one level of the Half-Fey template class (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a). You'll never need to take the second level of that (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030824a) if you don't want it (the wings wouldn't be fitting for a half-Sirine). That gets you Charm Person at will as a spell-like ability at 1st level, so just say you use it on whoever you're singing at.

[Saintheart]

Maybe the Spectral Lyrist from Heroes of Horror, except not undead?

[Drackstin]

A Sirine (MM2) can't even do what you've described, they just get Charm Person. It looks like you're wanting to use the Captivating Song ability of a Harpy (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/harpy.htm).


The Captivating Song look like what i am after just something weaker. i wonder if i can find a variant for fascinate that works a little better or more into for what I'm looking for. if her green hag bloodline makes will saves harder on charm and mind effecting abilities, I'm guessing fascinate counts too. basically i want the PC to get drawn to her. and its the start of a deep involved conspiracy of the town. i just want it to feel like more then something a normal bard can do.

[Malphegor]

how about for race, an Aventi? They’re basically D&D Atlanteans, look like pale humans until in the water at which point their fins unfurl and they are amphibious. Very much like the movie Splash!

Class-wise, PC levels in Beguiler’s decent for a Siren. Combine with a dip Mindbender asap for spooky singing you hear in your mind and you’ll be Arielling in no time

[Blue Jay]

There's a second-level bard spell called beckoning call from the first Fiendish Codex, which is also granted by the Temptation domain. I used it for a half-nymph character, but I only got to use it once in the whole campaign.

The rusalka from Frostburn has a similar ability.

[Drackstin]

There's a second-level bard spell called beckoning call from the first Fiendish Codex, which is also granted by the Temptation domain. I used it for a half-nymph character, but I only got to use it once in the whole campaign.

The rusalka from Frostburn has a similar ability.

This is a nice way to go about it.

I think a changeling/half-elf would be good so i can take the alternate class feature soothing voice for bard to use with fascinate.

i need to get the temptation domain and level 2 spells to get beckoning call. is there a PrC i can take to gain a domain and its spells with out losing my arcane spells.

and ill need to have arcane spells to get the feet lyric spell.

i would like her to get into sublime chord but the will probably be level 5 or so when the PC meet her.

[Thurbane]

There is a Siren prestige class (Savage Species p.84), but the reqs make it hard to enter:


Special: Must possess an innate sonic, mind-affecting ability.

Some suggestions on how to enter can be found here http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?179500-Low-LA-races-that-make-me-wanna-shout and here http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?291328-Kai-Shout-The-Siren

[Drackstin]

There is a Siren prestige class (Savage Species p.84), but the reqs make it hard to enter:



Some suggestions on how to enter can be found here http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?179500-Low-LA-races-that-make-me-wanna-shout and here http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?291328-Kai-Shout-The-Siren

I was just looking at that, but it really doesn't fit my vision. I'm looking for more of a luring type build or something to the effect of Shara Jessica Parker in hocus pocus. she sings and all the kids get drawn to her.

I like using the bards fascinate as a base, and the half-elf alternate class feature and the green hag bloodline all add bonus to charm. if i can get the temptation domain somehow and use the lyric spell feat. she can basically be casting spells as she sings, and how i would play it off is she doesn't know she is doing it.

I just need to find a way to mesh in a domain.

[Zecrin]

I, personally, would use spellsinger from Kingdoms of Kalmar as the base class and then take levels in prestige bard.

[Blue Jay]

i need to get the temptation domain and level 2 spells to get beckoning call. is there a PrC i can take to gain a domain and its spells with out losing my arcane spells.

Beckoning call is already a Bard spell, so you won't need the domain: just choose beckoning call when you gain access to 2nd-level spells.

[Rijan_Sai]

I just need to find a way to mesh in a domain.
Don't need the domain, it's a Bard 2 spell.

[Drackstin]

That's great.
So I can take level 1 bard, I can dip 1 level into spellsinger to get a familiar and spellsinging and then move back to bard and probably sublime chord. I can pick some variant to supplement it.
Having a Green hag changeling half-elf will get me +4 to charm and mind effects.
The temptation domain would get me +2 more but it's not needed.

Would any other feats or class feature from other classes help before I take sublime chord?

[Blue Jay]

That's great.
So I can take level 1 bard, I can dip 1 level into spellsinger to get a familiar and spellsinging and then move back to bard and probably sublime chord. I can pick some variant to supplement it.
Having a Green hag changeling half-elf will get me +4 to charm and mind effects.
The temptation domain would get me +2 more but it's not needed.

Would any other feats or class feature from other classes help before I take sublime chord?

If your DM allows Dragon magazine content and you have a free spell slot, consider taking the Obtain Familiar feat at 3rd level instead of dipping Spellsinger. A 1-level dip will mean your familiar won't advance many of its abilities as you level up; but the Obtain Familiar feat uses all your spellcasting levels combined to determine your familiar benefits.

[Drackstin]

If your DM allows Dragon magazine content and you have a free spell slot, consider taking the Obtain Familiar feat at 3rd level instead of dipping Spellsinger. A 1-level dip will mean your familiar won't advance many of its abilities as you level up; but the Obtain Familiar feat uses all your spellcasting levels combined to determine your familiar benefits.

I'm not too worried about the familiar as I am about spellsinging. Getting that at level 2 instead of level 7 is a lot better. I might look I to making the familiar better though. But I'm not sure if its needed.

[ShurikVch]

Celadrin from Dragon #350 got Melodious Voice racial feature; slap on Changeling template from Urban Arcana; take Voice of the Wind feat (Dragon #311); fluff it as a descendant of air fey or something...

[Drackstin]

Celadrin from Dragon #350 got Melodious Voice racial feature; slap on Changeling template from Urban Arcana; take Voice of the Wind feat (Dragon #311); fluff it as a descendant of air fey or something...

Ill diffidently look into these, Dragon mag have so many cool things in them.

[ShurikVch]

Also, how about the simple Hypnotism (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/hypnotism.htm) spell?

And Virtuoso PrC (Complete Adventurer) have Persuasive Song performance...

[Drackstin]

Also, how about the simple Hypnotism (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/hypnotism.htm) spell?

And Virtuoso PrC (Complete Adventurer) have Persuasive Song performance...

That looks very cool, does fascinate just do the same thing though?

[ShurikVch]

That looks very cool, does fascinate just do the same thing though?At the first glance - yes, and even have range advantage (and doesn't care about SR)

But Hypnotism have on its side two advantages:
Until the at least 4th level, Bard wouldn't be able to fascinate more than one creature; hypnotism affects 2d4 creatures (as long as none of them more than 30' apart)
This part:
While the subject is fascinated by this spell, it reacts as though it were two steps more friendly in attitude. This allows you to make a single request of the affected creature (provided you can communicate with it). The request must be brief and reasonable. Even after the spell ends, the creature retains its new attitude toward you, but only with respect to that particular request.

A creature that fails its saving throw does not remember that you enspelled it.

[PraxisVetli]

I don't know if it's quite what you want, but DreamScarred Press has Path of War, which is the pathfinder edition of ToB.
In the second book, PoW:Expanded, is the Zealot, who has the Void Prophet Archetype.
A Zealot has a Collective of allies they protect/buff, the Void Prophet forces Enemies into their Collective, and debuffs/damages them.

Just throwing it out there.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

There's also the lullaby (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/lullaby.htm) bard cantrip. Not especially powerful, but probably worth one of your 0th level spell slots.

[Silvercrys]

That's great.
So I can take level 1 bard, I can dip 1 level into spellsinger to get a familiar and spellsinging and then move back to bard and probably sublime chord. I can pick some variant to supplement it.
Having a Green hag changeling half-elf will get me +4 to charm and mind effects.
The temptation domain would get me +2 more but it's not needed.

Would any other feats or class feature from other classes help before I take sublime chord?


I'm not too worried about the familiar as I am about spellsinging. Getting that at level 2 instead of level 7 is a lot better. I might look I to making the familiar better though. But I'm not sure if its needed.Well, there's a Forgotten Realms prestige class called Spellsinger, too. It replaces your verbal/somatic/material components for enchantment spells with singing and playing an instrument, and stacks for Bardic Music, increases your save DCs, allows you to cast Enchantment spells you don't know spontaneously from your spell list, and increases the DC on the Fascinate and Suggestion Bardic Music abilities by your class level. Needs two pretty bad feats, though one is thematic at least (Skill Focus Perform and Improved Counterspelling). It's from Races of Faerun.

If you use it to advance Sublime Chord you can get a pretty beefy DC on those music abilities by level 20 and still get 9th level spells, especially since it seems to imply you advance those DCs as a Bard normally on top of the class bonus.

Kalamar Spellsinger 1/Bard 4/Faerun Spellsinger 5/Sublime Chord 1/Faerun Spellsinger +5/Sublime Chord +4 seemingly has a Bard level of 16 for Bardic Music (Bard 4 + half Sublime Chord 2 + Spellsinger 10), so your DC for Fascinate and Suggestion is 10 base + 8 for half class level + 10 for Spellsinger special + Cha mod, which should be well over 30 total before adding anything else.

[Blue Jay]

I'm not too worried about the familiar as I am about spellsinging. Getting that at level 2 instead of level 7 is a lot better. I might look I to making the familiar better though. But I'm not sure if its needed.

I'm sure you've thought of this already, but just in case: you'd better make sure your DM will allow the Spellsing ability to apply to your Bard spellcasting. In first-party sources, class abilities like that usually only apply to in-class spellcasting (e.g. the Healer's Healing Hands or the Warmage's Armored Mage and Warmage Edge, etc).

The KoK Spellsinger doesn't say that Spellsing only applies to her Spellsinger spells, so by RAW it will apply to your Bard spells. But you'd better make sure your DM is okay with that, because one thing you don't want to do is set a precedent for taking advantage of the poor editing of third-party sourcebooks.

[Bphill561]

The Inner Beauty spell from the Fiendish Codex might be a useful Bard spell. If you have a good alignment, it grants you Cha and Dex sacred bonuses and stuns all that see the transformation. A pretty good buff for a bard and/or sublime chord anyway. Lets you lore in some creatures with your beauty like a siren, although you don't have to drowned them :smallsmile:

[ShurikVch]

[Epic] Perform (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm#perform) usage allow to change NPC attitude with performance; by minmaxing a bit, it's possible to get Perform check 42 at the very 1st level; and taking Divine Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantDivineBard) and Hymnist feat (Dragon #325) allow you to add your Wis bonus to your Perform check on top of your Cha bonus, so it may be possible to turn Indifferent NPC into Helpful (and Helpful - into Fanatic)

[Drackstin]

I need to look into all of these, thanks. i should be able to come up with something really good.