[PRC] The Performance Artist

[SowZ]

THE PERFORMANCE ARTIST

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"I can't make you understand me. But I can make you feel something!"

Religion: Many Performance Artists worship Lirr, Olidammara, or Corellon Larethian. Though just as many worship no diety, or else have some goddess that would take a DC 30 Knowledge (Religion) check to know of.

Races: Most Performance Artists are humans, but halflings and elves are also common. Half-orcs, surprisingly, regularly become Performance Artists and have no trouble with the broody nature or frequent existential crisis' that this class is known for.

Base Classes: Bards are the most common Performance Artists, though Sorcerers are also decent. (They may have to multi-class for the skill pre-reqs, though.)

Game Rule Information

Prerequisites: Humanoid, Performance (Dance:) 5 ranks, Disguise: 2 ranks, Knowledge (Local:) 2 ranks, Arcane Caster Level 1st
Alignment: Any
HD: d8

Class Skills (8+Int)
Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex).

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Performance Artists gains no weapon or armor proficiency, but is able to at least appear proficient with any weapon she holds.

Feel the Audience: Get a bonus to Disguise and Bluff checks equal to your class level.

I Have an Associates Degree. Thank You Very Much: Choose from one of the following bonus feats. Choose another feat at third and fifth level. You must meet the prerequisites.

Skill Focus: Perform
Deceitful
Extra Music
Disguise Spell
Silent Spell
Master Manipulator
Improved Diversion
False Pretenses (Does not need to be taken at first level)

Only Artistic Nudes: If you aren't wearing anything in the Torso and Waist magic item slots, gain a +10 Movement Speed boost, add your class level to all Charisma based skills as well as Move Silently and Hide, and get a +1 Dodge bonus to your Armor Class. This dodge bonus increases to +2 at third level and +3 at fifth level.

You've Probably Never Heard of It: This ability functions exactly like Bardic Knowledge, except uses your Performance Artist class level and can only be used to know about local artists, art pieces, artsy hang outs, musicians, etc. etc. Also, gain a +10 Insight bonus for 'Obscure' information and a +20 bonus for 'Extremely Obscure.' If you already have Bardic Knowledge, you can make both checks when you enter a town. If you choose not to make a You've Probably Never Heard of It check, you can gain a bonus to your Bardic Knowledge roll equal to your class level.

Live for the Applause-plause: If you have successfully performed for an audience of thirty or more sapient creatures, it is enough to sustain you. You need neither food or water that day. In addition, if the audience was in excess of 100 people, you get a +1 Morale bonus to all rolls made for the rest of the day. This bonus and duration of days increases by +1 per 100 people in the audience, up to a maximum of your class level. If your bonus is greater than one, the bonus decreases by one per day. (So if you were a level four Performance Artist and had an audience of 400 people, you would get a +4 bonus the first day. +3 the second. +2 the third. +1 the fourth. And no bonus the fifth.)

Are We Human or are We Dancer?: You may use Performance checks in place of Use Magic Device checks for the purpose of emulating a creature type or sub-type. Gain a bonus to this check equal to your class level. You can also make a Perform check in place of a Save whenever you are the target of a spell that only works on humanoids.

The Chekonstinestanislavemeyerholdski Method: As a trained method actor, you are able to fully embrace any character. After three hours of meditating on your new role, you can change your alignment to whatever you choose. You are in no way obligated to act in accordance with this alignment and your new alignment will not prevent you from changing it again. (Example: Being Chaotic Evil will not make the prospect of changing into Lawful Good an unpleasant one.) Any class abilities or feats that are incompatible with this new alignment are lost only temporarily. Once The Chekonstinestanislavemeyerholdski Method is used again, if the new alignment is compatible, you regain the use of the class features and feats even if you otherwise lose them permanently. Gods may be able to see through this alignment change, however, and know what your alignment should be, but that should has no mechanical effect. At 5th level, the required meditation time is reduced to one hour.

Improv Theatre: Gain Jack of All Trades as a bonus feat, even if you don't meet the pre-requisites for it. At 5th level, the half rank from Jack of All Trades is treated as a full rank.

Audience Participation: Once per day per class level, you may use the Bardic Music Fascinate ability.

The Universal Language: You may communicate with creatures non verbally. Any sapient creature whom you've identified with an appropriate Knowledge check watches you do an interpretive dance. You communicate a number of words equal to your Performance check per minute to that creature and any creature of the same species.

If You Can Make a Girl Laugh You Can Make Her Do Anything: When making a Diplomacy check with someone who just enjoyed one of your performances, gain a +4 bonus and an additional +1 bonus per 10 points of your Perform check.

Freeeeedddooooom: If anything would reduce you from positive hit points to -10, you insist on a dramatic death and are instead brought to one hit point and are allowed one more turn. At the conclusion of that turn, take all damage that was prevented by this ability. In no way can this damage be prevented again.

[The Oni]

Ha. I love the idea of hipsters worshipping local deities "before they were cool."

[SowZ]

Ha. I love the idea of hipsters worshipping local deities "before they were cool."

Danke, mate. (:

[Hanuman]

Mm, I feel this class ridicules the actual struggle performance artists face, unless you are specifically talking about hipsters in which case they don't have enough focus on their art to justify being bereft, where as taking class levels implies focus. Here's a good vid about performance artists (Dresden Dolls): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMj_P_6H69g

@The class in general
I think it should have a few aspects:
Music
Dance
Costuming
Makeup Artistry
Physical Ability
Diplomancer (as per your flavor)

@Only Artistic
I feel costuming would play a better part here, I think what would be a nice thing to do is allow the player to craft a mundane costume and then copy the attributes of another item onto the costume with a flat bonus (probably +cha) with a gold cost capacity depending on effective character level.

Let's say you have loot from the last 4 sessions, you have some bracers of dawn, a +1 deflection AC livingmetal armor and some truesight goggles. You would check the table making sure all the items were worth less than your total gold per character wealthy chart (printed on the class and modified a bit) then you'd use your class ability to drain the essence from your items and put it in your costume gaining a +1 deflection AC livingsilk truesight costume of dawn that fills your hand, torso and eye magic slots and your original items would lose the transferred benefits.

Thoughts?

@Human or Dancer
I like this actually, but I feel wisdom should play a bigger part in the class, dancing is about being present with your body so this really fits, but I think you should add Wisdom as the key attribute instead of Cha for dance in terms of how it applies to technical things like UMD.

If you want any more PEACH or want to trade PEACH let me know.

[SowZ]

Mm, I feel this class ridicules the actual struggle performance artists face, unless you are specifically talking about hipsters in which case they don't have enough focus on their art to justify being bereft, where as taking class levels implies focus. Here's a good vid about performance artists (Dresden Dolls): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMj_P_6H69g

@The class in general
I think it should have a few aspects:
Music
Dance
Costuming
Makeup Artistry
Physical Ability
Diplomancer (as per your flavor)

@Only Artistic
I feel costuming would play a better part here, I think what would be a nice thing to do is allow the player to craft a mundane costume and then copy the attributes of another item onto the costume with a flat bonus (probably +cha) with a gold cost capacity depending on effective character level.

Let's say you have loot from the last 4 sessions, you have some bracers of dawn, a +1 deflection AC livingmetal armor and some truesight goggles. You would check the table making sure all the items were worth less than your total gold per character wealthy chart (printed on the class and modified a bit) then you'd use your class ability to drain the essence from your items and put it in your costume gaining a +1 deflection AC livingsilk truesight costume of dawn that fills your hand, torso and eye magic slots and your original items would lose the transferred benefits.

Thoughts?

@Human or Dancer
I like this actually, but I feel wisdom should play a bigger part in the class, dancing is about being present with your body so this really fits, but I think you should add Wisdom as the key attribute instead of Cha for dance in terms of how it applies to technical things like UMD.

If you want any more PEACH or want to trade PEACH let me know.

I like these suggestions, actually. I think I'll work on incorporating them. Maybe the bonus to the perform check should be the Wisdom modifier, not the class level, since all charisma skills already get a bonus equal to your class level. Yeah, that works. Hmm. I especially like the costume idea. Since this is only a 5 level PrC, the gold cap should probably be based on Character level, not class level. Or incorporate both like the Thrallherd, and the class level counts twice.

As for the ridicule, yeah, a bit, though it is also self deprecating. Theatre and interpretation of literature, (similar to slam poetry or monologue acting,) were a lot of what I did back in school, and I still act semi-professionally though I prefer BTS work. So I'll say here that I do understand the plight of performance art even though I'm poking fun with this class.