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The Demented One
2008-01-28, 07:26 AM
Occult Muse

Life is difficult for warlocks. It is not just that they are, as a rule, persecuted for their unnatural, eldritch powers. Their birthright, the dark and often unfathomable powers that are a part of their very essence are like a weight on their souls, calling even the most pure-hearted warlocks to evil and madness. Most warlocks find a way to come to terms with this inner darkness–some turn to religion; others use their own willpower as a bulwark against it, and nothing else; and some give in to it, falling to madness and depravity. For Occult Muses, music is their weapon in the fight against this inner darkness. By using music together with their eldritch powers, they can both unleash greater power, and restrain their inner darkness. For them, the release of creative energy is enough to sap their dark birthright of its power, an ecstasy so pure no madness can ever touch it. By using eldritch power and bardic music in unison, they can unleash blasts of sonic energy, spread fear to their enemies, and bolster their allies with invocations.

Hit Dice
d6

Requirements
To qualify to become an Occult Muse, you must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any Chaotic
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 8 ranks, Perform 4 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks
Invocations: Must be capable of using least invocations.
Special: Bardic Music class feature.

Class Skills
The Occult Muse’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (The Planes), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Tumble (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points per Level
4 + Int modifier.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack[br]Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Invocations

1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Bardic Music, Occult Chord|+1 level of invocation-using class

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Eldritch Blast +1d6, Hellscream Blast|+1 level of invocation-using class

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Damage Reduction 1/Cold Iron, Eldritch Melody (Least)|+1 level of invocation-using class

4th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Dirge of Fear, Eldritch Blast +2d6|+1 level of invocation-using class

5th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Muse’s Whim|+1 level of invocation-using class

6th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+5|Eldritch Blast +3d6, Eldritch Melody (Lesser)|+1 level of invocation-using class

7th|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+5|Damage Reduction 2/Cold Iron, Eldritch Symphony|+1 level of invocation-using class

8th|
+6|
+2|
+2|
+6|Eldritch Blast +4d6|+1 level of invocation-using class

9th|
+6|
+3|
+3|
+6|Eldritch Melody (Greater)|+1 level of invocation-using class

10th|
+7|
+3|
+3|
+7|Dire Hellscream Blast, Eldritch Blast +5d6|+1 level of invocation-using class [/table]

Class Features
All the following are class features of the Occult Muse prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
You gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Invocations
Whenever you gain a new Occult Muse level, you gain new invocations known, and an increase in caster level as if you had also gained a level in an invocation-using class to which you belonged before you added the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained.

Bardic Music
Your Occult Muse levels stack with any Bard levels you may have for determining how many daily uses of bardic music you receive. They do not, however, stack for determining which bardic music abilities you gain.

Occult Chord (Su)
At 1st level, you can use bardic music to enhance your invocations. Whenever you use an invocation (including your eldritch blast), you may expend a number of uses of bardic music to apply the effects of a single metamagic feat to that invocation. You must expend two uses to enlarge, extend or still an invocation, three uses to empower an invocation, four uses to maximize or widen an invocation, and five uses to quicken an invocation. In addition, you may heighten an invocation by spending a number of uses equal to 1 + the number of levels you wish to heighten it by. All invocations modified by this ability gain a vocal component.

Eldritch Blast (Su)
At 2nd level, and each subsequent even level, the damage dealt by your eldritch blast increases by 1d6.

Hellscream Blast (Su)
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to change your eldritch blast into a hellscream blast. This ability works like an eldritch essence invocation, and you cannot apply both it and another eldritch essence invocation to a single eldritch blast. A hellscream blast deals sonic damage, and a creature hit by one must make a Fortitude save, DC 10 + your class level + your Charisma modifier, or be deafened for a number of rounds equal to your class level. Unlike a normal eldritch blast, a hellscream blast has a vocal component.

Damage Reduction (Ex)
At 3rd level, you gain damage reduction 1/cold iron. It increases to DR 2/cold iron at 7th level. This damage reduction stacks with any you may have from the Warlock class.

Eldritch Melody (Su)
Though most Warlock invocations benefit only their caster, you can use your bardic music to bolster your allies with eldritch power. At 3rd level, by expending a single use of bardic music, you may cast any least invocation with a range of personal as a touch spell, targeting any one willing creature. However, besides from you, only a single creature may be under the effect of any specific one of your invocations using this ability. For example, you could cast an invocation on all of your allies using this ability, but you could not cast the same invocation on more than one ally. All invocations cast with this ability gain a vocal component. At 6th level, you may use this ability with lesser invocations, and at 9th level, you may use it with greater invocations.

Dirge of Fear (Su)
At 4th level, you learn the dirge of fear, a piece of music that inspires fear in all who hear it. By expending a use of bardic music, you may begin playing the dirge. All enemies within 30 ft. of you that can hear you play must make a Will save, DC 10 + your class level + your Charisma modifier, or become frightened for as long as they remain within 30 ft. of you. Even those that successfully save are shaken for 1 round. If a frightened creature moves outside of 30 ft. from you, it ceases to be frightened, but if it re-enters the range, it is again frightened, with no save. If a creature that was not within range when you first used this ability comes in range, it must make a save. Once a creature has saved against your dirge of fear, it is immune to its effects for 24 hours. This ability lasts for as long as you maintain it, and for five rounds thereafter.

Muse’s Whim (Su)
At 5th level, your invocations create an eldritch bond between you and your allies, allowing you to channel your power through them. Whenever you use your eldritch blast, as long as there is an ally under the effects of one of your invocations (through the eldritch melody ability) that you have line of sight and effect to, you may choose to have the blast originate from that ally, instead of yourself, by spending a single use of bardic music. You still make the attack rolls for the blast. An eldritch blast cast in this way gains a vocal component.

Eldritch Symphony (Su)
At 7th level, you are no longer limited to being able to cast each invocation on only a single ally with the eldritch melody ability. In addition, by spending 3 uses of bardic music, you may cast an invocation with the eldritch melody ability as a spell with a range of close, targeting yourself and a number of additional creatures equal to your Charisma modifier, minimum one.

Dire Hellscream Blast (Su)
At 10th level, you learn a more powerful version of the hellscream blast, the dire hellscream blast. It functions in the same way as the hellscream blast, except that instead of being just deafened, a creature hit by it is stunned for 1 round and deafened for a number of rounds equal to your class level if they fail their save. In addition, a dire hellscream blast deals double damage against objects and crystalline creatures. A creature holding an object targeted by a dire hellscream blast may attempt a Reflex save to negate the damage dealt to it.

SilentNight
2008-01-28, 11:13 PM
Very, very nice. I place you next to Kellus as one of the homebrew gods(not just for this class). I had been bouncing the idea of a bard who kept a flame thrower in his bass but that is not needed now. I will definitely be using this. Keep in mind that I am not the best judge of balance but everything seems in order to me.

Kai-Palin
2008-01-30, 01:32 PM
This is really great, I really like the idea and execution. I'm a fan of magic combo classes.

The fluff doesn't seem to match the actual abilities of the class though. There doesn't seem to be much about containing one's inner demon, but then again the warlock class doesn't have any real rules for those types of things anyway.

I especially like Muse's Whim. One of the big weaknesses of the warlock is that in order to get any decent sort of range, one must burn an invocation known to get Eldritch Spear.

I don't know about others, but I've always found Bardic Spellcasting to not be very powerful, much less overpowered. I would consider adding continuous progression in bard spellcasting as well as invocations.