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I'd be delighted to get some feedback and suggestions on this relatively straightforward class-in-progress. It's perhaps a few Deeds scarce of completion.

Knight of Badassdom

The Knights of Badassdom are warriors from across the realms who perished before their time, but not before their spirit and prowess earned recognition from the Gods of Metal. Thus they have been resurrected to do battle again; this time, with the Metal Gods’ power flowing through their veins. The ultimate aspiration for a Knight of Badassdom is to earn not merely a death worthy of song, but a death worthy… of Metal.

Role: In order to reach his full potential, a Knight of Badassdom must regularly engage in acts of intrepid recklessness with no shits given. Such a daring warrior can only be at home in the frontlines, shaking off blows and plunging balls-deep into the womb of danger. The more who engage him in battle, the better: a true Knight of Badassdom accepts all challengers.

Base Attack Bonus: As Fighter
Saving Throws: As Paladin

Class Features
1 At the Gates, Badass Deeds
2 Feats of Prowess (2 abilities)
3 Feats of Prowess (3 abilities), Dauntless +2
4 Feats of Prowess (4 abilities), Dauntless +4
5 Feats of Prowess (5 abilities), Dauntless +6

At the Gates (Ex): As soon as the Knight of Badassdom reaches Death's Door, the Gods of Metal begin a cosmic fanfare to welcome a worthy soul among their ranks. The Knight of Badassdom soars with resolve and Metal power such that he may attain the most spectacular end to his adventuring career. When Death finally knocks, the Knight's essence is drawn into the Planes of Mayhem, Beyond the realms of Death, where it is forever outside of mortalkind’s reach.

This results in the following benefits for the Knight of Badassdom:
* The Knight of Badassdom does not become staggered as a result of being reduced to 0 HP or less, and may act normally even at the brink of annihilation.
* The Knight of Badassdom adds his Hit Dice to his Constitution score for the purpose of determining how much of a negative HP total he can obtain before dying. (For example, a 10 Hit Die Knight dies when his hit points are reduced to a negative amount equal to his Constitution score +10).
* Once per day, when the Knight of Badassdom would be reduced from 0 HP or greater to -1 HP or less, his HP total becomes 0 instead and he gains 2 temporary Hero Points. These Hero Points are spent before any others the Knight may possess, and they are lost after 1 minute.
* Whenever a spell or effect would cause instant death or destruction to the Knight of Badassdom (including Disintegrate and other such effects that trigger upon reducing a target to 0 HP), the Knight of Badassdom ignores that effect and merely suffers the damage and other spell effects normally.
* As long as the Knight of Badassdom has a Constitution score, it may not be reduced below 1.

When the Knight of Badassdom is killed, no mortal magic - not even a Wish or Miracle spell - may restore his soul to its body.

The Gods of Metal generally frown upon use of the "Cheat Death" Hero Point option; at the GM's discretion, they may even outright forbid such usage among Knights of Badassdom except to avoid a death which would be particularly anti-climactic or non-Metal.

Badass Deeds: The Knight of Badassdom is defined by his capacity to perform deeds of particular valor and madness… and either live to speak of them, or perish in a blaze of glory. These deeds are so dubbed as Badass because they require accepting a challenge or setback that more practical (read: unworthy) foes would shy away from. By performing these Deeds, the Knight of Badassdom gains the Metal Gods’ favor and furthers his ability to kick ass and take names immediately thereafter.

At 1st level, the Knight of Badassdom gains access to the Badass Deeds below. Each Badass Deed has a cost or requirement that must be fulfilled for the Deed to function, and a benefit for performing it.

Deed of Inexorability (Ex): The Knight of Badassdom stands strong after withstanding the mightiest of assaults. Whenever the Knight receives a critical hit, the critical damage multiplier is treated as one step lower (x4 is reduced to x3, x3 to x2, and x2 is reduced to regular, non-multiplied damage). Once per combat, the Knight gains a temporary Hero Point whenever he sustains damage equal to half his maximum HP or greater in a single round.

Deed of Titan Wrestling (Ex): The Knight of Badassdom gains power and resolve from willingly placing himself within the terrible vice of titans, krakens and other massive monsters. Once per combat, when a creature of Huge or greater size rolls a Combat Maneuver check to grapple the Knight of Badassdom, he may choose to allow the creature’s check to automatically succeed; if he does, he gains a temporary Hero Point.

Furthermore, the Knight of Badassdom gains a +4 morale bonus to CMB checks made to grapple Huge creatures; the bonus increases to +6 against Gargantuan creatures and +10 against Colossal creatures.

Deed of Worthy Challenge (Su): The Knight of Badassdom draws strength from facing worthy opponents in single combat. Once per combat as a swift action, the Knight of Badassdom can challenge one target within sight to single combat. If the target has less Hit Dice than half of the Knight’s character levels, this ability fails because a worthy foe has not been found - and the Knight regains use of this ability for the combat. Otherwise, this ability functions similarly to the Cavalier’s Challenge ability; the Knight’s melee attacks deal extra damage equal to his character level to the target, and the Knight suffers a -2 penalty to Armor Class except against attacks made by the target of his challenge.

Unless the target is mindless, they instinctively become aware of the Knight’s challenge and may be under compulsion to answer it; they must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + ½ the Knight’s Hit Dice + the Knight’s Charisma modifier) or be compelled to face the Knight in combat until a clear victor emerges, ignoring other characters and focusing its attacks solely on the Knight. Allies of the target are not similarly affected and may still interfere in the duel to the displeasure of both parties.

Maintaining this ability requires that the Knight actually faces a worthy foe without assistance. The Knight’s Deed of Worthy Challenge ends when the combat ends, or if any of the following takes place:
An ally attacks or deals damage to the Knight’s target.
An ally heals damage to the Knight while he is fighting his target.
An ally takes the Aid Another action to assist the Knight against his target.
Other similar situations to the above which result in a direct aid to the Knight, at the GM’s discretion. Under no circumstance should a spell cast prior to the Knight declaring his challenge count as breaking the challenge.
Either the Knight or the target are knocked unconscious. or otherwise rendered unable to fight.

If the Deed of Worthy Challenge remains in effect for at least two full rounds, or if the Deed ends early because of the target retreating or being knocked unconscious by the Knight, the Knight of Badassdom gains one temporary Hero Point - even if the Deed ends shortly after.

Feats of Prowess (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, the Knight of Badassdom learns two combat abilities from the list below, and one additional ability every level thereafter. These abilities require Hero Points to use or otherwise interact with Hero Points; thus, it is said that they are fueled by a healthy amalgam of Metal Gods’ favor, the Knight’s own blazing spirit, and the tears of his enemies.

Each of these abilities may only be used once per combat; a Knight of Badassdom may, however, use multiple different abilities in the same combat.

Finishing Blow: Whenever the Knight of Badassdom damages a creature with a melee attack, he may spend a Hero Point to perform a Finishing Blow; if he does, the Knight’s attack deals additional damage equal to his character level. Furthermore, the Knight rolls 1d6 per point of Base Attack Bonus that he has. If the total roll is equal to or greater than the target’s remaining Hit Points (after subtracting damage from the attack), the target is immediately reduced to 0 hit points.

Improbable Maneuver: Whenever the Knight of Badassdom spends a Hero Point to grant himself a luck bonus to a combat maneuver check or reroll a combat maneuver check, he furthermore gains the Greater feat associated with that maneuver (Greater Trip, Greater Sunder, etc) until the start of his next turn, even if he does not meet the prerequisites for the feat in question. This benefit does not grant the Knight of Badassdom other related feats (such as Improved Trip or Sundering Strike).

Martial Virtuosity: As a free action during combat, the Knight of Badassdom may spend a Hero Point to gain a single Combat feat of his choice. He must choose a feat for which he meets the prerequisites, and he learns the feat only for the duration of the combat.

No Limits: The Knight of Badassdom may spend a Hero Point to gain his choice of two of the following. These effects last until the start of his next turn.
Climb speed equal to his base land speed.
Affected by Freedom of Movement (as the spell)
A +30 enhancement bonus to Acrobatics checks made to attempt high jumps or long jumps.
The ability to make a single high jump or long jump as a swift action (separate and in addition to any movement he makes during the round).

Reach for Blood: As a standard action, the Knight of Badassdom may spend a Hero Point and make a single melee attack against each opponent within reach; if the Knight possesses the Whirlwind Attack feat, he increases his reach by ten feet for the purpose of this attack.

Relentless Assault: Whenever the Knight of Badassdom makes a charge, he may spend a Hero Point to gain the Pounce special ability until end of turn.

Second Wind: As an immediate action, the Knight of Badassdom may spend a Hero Point to regain hit points equal to twice his character level.

Weather the Storm: Whenever the Knight of Badassdom spends a Hero Point to grant himself a luck bonus to a saving throw or to reroll a saving throw, he furthermore gains the Evasion and Stalwart abilities until the start of his next turn.

Dauntless (Ex): When he reaches 3rd level, the Knight of Badassdom gains a +2 bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting spells and abilities. This bonus increases by an additional 2 at levels 4 and 5.

I ran an adventure recently that revolved around the search for the Sacred Heart (from the Dio song of the same name). The heart was an integral party of a larger artifact that kept a peaceful valley hidden from outsiders. My group loved it.

And there's also "Black Blade" by Blue Oyster Cult, based off the sword Stormbringer from the Elric novels.

That's awesome.

I've only been a player in one game where the GM made an explicit real-world music parallel. It was a tongue-in-cheek game in which the final dungeon was reigned over by one emerald dragon known as Michael Draxson. At the end of the dungeon we faced of course the Dragon himself, who wore sunglasses, danced across the battlefield, shouted at us with his Sonic breath, all while the GM had Jackson's "Beat It" playing.

It was actually rather apt and dramatic. We were out of our element and we knew it, but we had gone through hell and arduous trials just to get to that fight, so there's no way we were going to turn back at that final junction. To add to the ridiculousness, at the time I was playing a lizardfolk Bard called Sam Snakeo, who also wore sunglasses, played a saxophone, invoked "Yakkity Sax" whenever he played Bardic Inspiration, and so forth.

Blue Oyster Cult is a surprising powerful font of fantastic themes here. Isn't Veteran of the Psychic Wars also based off of Elric or M. Moorcock's work?

Yes, Manowar is basically a Gold mine. Their material is used more extensively with the Disciple.

Cute stuff. I once made up some 'silly spells' for a Bard, based off of musical genres, such as 'Heavy Metal' which caused all of the target's metal gear to increase in weight (encumbering them, possibly even dragging them to the ground, and giving them penalties to attack with now-super-heavy metal weapons) or 'Soft Rock' (which lowered the hardness of stone to zero for ease of tunneling, or hacking up a stone golem) or 'Hip Hop' (which allowed allies to make 10 ft. 'hops' instead of 5 ft. steps, and avoid AoOs, difficult terrain, etc.) or 'Easy Listening' (which gave allies bonuses to Listen checks and blindsight/sonar).

Random heavy metal item ideas;

KISS - Heaven's on Fire (this spiky flaming/flame burst bow or crossbow surrounds it's missiles with a dark flame that causes celestial / good-subtype creatures struck to save or catch on fire. This fire is unholy and ignores fire resistance and immunity. Holy water or positive energy extinguishes it.)

AC/DC - Hell's Bells (these iron bells cause good subtype outsiders, chaotic subtype outsiders and fey creatures to suffer sickening pains, a small amount of damage and deafness while rung. It requires a standard action to keep ringing them, but there is no save against the effect.)

Anthrax - Black Lodge (this black cube acts like Instant Fortress, but creates an extradimensional space has the evil planar trait, the caster can set the flow of time to twice normal or half normal compared to the outside world (resting for eight hours and returning to the mortal world only four hours later, for instance), and can never be above dim lighting)

Black Sabbath - Iron Man (this tiny iron figurine of wondrous power turns into a medium sized iron golem!)

Def Leppard - Rock of Ages (this stone can be used to cause foes touched by it to suffer penalties as if they had increased one age category, and to be fatigued, if they fail a Fort save. Those already venerable must save or die of old age, and crumble to dust! As long as you 'feed the stone' by...

Thanks, these are some great ideas. I never would have come up with something like Black Lodge on my own.

If you folks dig this sort of thing, you may want to also check out this:
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2tqp8?The-Disciple-of-Metal-Complete

Next installment is a Heavy Metal Arcanist.
The Brutalmancer.

The Brutalmancer is a continuation of the Dungeons & Metal Project, which aims to bring a plethora of Heavy Metal themed content to Pathfinder, and which began with the Disciple of Metal.

Here is the featured class on Google Docs:
The Brutalmancer

Thanks for your time and rock on.

The Sentinel PRc is the second part in a series of content aimed at bringing the world of Heavy Metal into the Pathfinder RPG. This series begins with the Disciple of Metal, featured here:
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2tqp8?The-Disciple-of-Metal-Complete#12

It is explicitly based on the Judas Priest song of the same name.

*************

Upon this sign the challengers / With shrieks and cries rush forth
The knives fly out like bullets / Upon their deadly course
Screams of pain and agony / Rent the silent air
Amidst the dying bodies / Blood runs everywhere
The figure stands expressionless / Impassive and alone
Unmoved by this victory / And the seeds of death he’s sown

The Sentinels were an ancient order of weapon-masters who practiced the esoteric arts of knife-throwing and kept guardianship over the people of their remote territories. Under circumstances lost to the shuffle of history, their lands were cast into ruin and the organization was destroyed. Only a handful of Sentinels remain; they wander seemingly without purpose save to avenge their fallen and to pass on the teachings of their deadly art.

The Sentinel

Role: Sentinels blend the roles of skirmisher and ranged assault, weaving across the fray while perforating their enemies with throwing knives. As many foes learn much too late, Sentinels are also versed in crowd-control due to their ability to saturate an area with deadly blades.

Alignment: Sentinels can be of any alignment. Those who harbor a connection to the lost traditions of the original Sentinels may harbor a Lawful bent. Many Sentinels lean toward Neutrality or Chaos because of the perspective and self-sufficiency that a wanderer’s isolation brews.

Hit Die: d8.

Requirements
To prepare themselves for the arduous rites of the Sentinel, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +4

Feats: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Quick Draw, Weapon Focus (dagger, or some similar throwable light weapon)

Class Skills

The Sentinel’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

1 Enhance Knives +1, Bonus Feat
2 Sentinel Technique (first ability, 1/encounter)
3 Superior Conditioning
4 Enhance Knives +2, Sentinel Technique (new ability)
5 Bonus Feat, Sentinel Technique (2/encounter)
6 Sentinel Technique (new ability)
7 Enhance Knives +3, Superior Conditioning
8 Sentinel Technique (new ability)
9 Bonus Feat, Sentinel Technique (3/encounter)
10 Enhance Knives +4, Sentinel Technique (new ability)

A Note on “Throwing Knives”
Multiple abilities below only function when the Sentinel uses “throwing knives.” This term is purposefully loosely defined so as to allow the GM and the players to use their common judgment when deciding which weapons count as “throwing knives.” Obviously, thrown Daggers count. Weapons which are not light or throwable, like a dagger, need not apply. What other light, throwable weapons count? You decide.

Bonus Feat: At 1st, 5th and 9th level, the Sentinel gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained by normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from the following list: Close-Quarters Thrower, Deadly Aim, False Opening, Distance Thrower, Far Shot, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Precise Shot, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Manyshot, Pinpoint Targeting, Precise Shot, Two-Weapon Fighting. The Sentinel must meet the prerequisites for any feat he chooses.

Enhance Knives (Su): The Sentinel’s knives cut deeper and soar farther than thought possible by mundane throwers. Starting at 1st level, every throwing knife the Sentinel lets fly becomes magical and gains a +1 enhancement bonus. This stacks with any existing weapon enhancement allowing for a maximum of a +5 bonus. Furthermore, any throwing knife the Sentinel wields is considered to have the Distance magical property in addition to any others. These new properties only exist for the Sentinel himself, and the knives may well register as nonmagic otherwise.

At levels 4, 7, and 10, this ability improves so that the Sentinel’s throwing knives grant greater enhancement bonuses. Alternatively, the Sentinel can choose special weapon properties in place of enhancement bonuses (such as flaming in exchange for a +1 bonus); these properties are likewise in addition to existing weapon properties, but duplicates do not stack.

After completing an 8 hour rest or by merely spending 1 hour in quiet meditation, the Sentinel can change or repick the distribution of these bonuses (which magical properties to impart, and so forth). All of his throwing knives gain the selected bonuses until he chooses to change them.

Sentinel Technique: The Sentinel’s signature maneuver is the ability to throw a boundless quantity of knives with which to lacerate and perforate his manifold foes. At levels 2, 4,6, 8 and 10, the Sentinel gains one ability from the list below. Instead of choosing a different option at a later level, the same choice may be selected twice for improved effectiveness.

Once per encounter, the Sentinel may use a single Sentinel Technique that he knows. At 5th level, he may use a Sentinel Technique twice per encounter; at 9th level, he may use a Sentinel Technique three times in an encounter. All Sentinel Techniques share the same per-encounter recharge period (so a 4th level Sentinel who knows two techniques must still choose which one he wishes to use in an encounter, instead of being able to use both of them once).

All of the below abilities can be used as a standard action and the saving throw DC is equal to 10 + ½ the Sentinel’s Hit Dice + the Sentinel’s Strength or Dexterity modifier (whichever is higher).
If the Sentinel possesses the Shot on the Run feat, he gains increased versatility with Sentinel Techniques; this allows him to spend a full-round action to move up to his speed and use a Sentinel Technique he knows at any point during his movement.

Deadly Barrage (Ex): The Sentinel chooses a single 20’ radius spread within range and deals piercing damage to each creature in that area; the damage is 1d6 per character level of the Sentinel (max 10d6) with a successful Reflex save for half. This ability has a range of 25’ + 5’ per two Hit Dice of the Sentinel.
If this ability is taken twice, the Sentinel can choose to alter the radius spread, decreasing it to as little as 10’ or increasing it to as large as 30’, selected each time he uses this ability; the damage cap also increases to 15d6 and the range increases to 50’ + 5’ per Hit Die of the Sentinel.

Death Blossom (Ex): When the Sentinel wishes to kill everything in the immediate vicinity, he can throw knives at all creatures within 20’, dealing 1d8 piercing damage per character level of the Sentinel (max 10d8) with a successful Reflex save for half. If this ability is taken twice, the Sentinel can choose to increase the area-of-effect from 20’ to 25’ or 30’, selected each time he uses this ability; the damage cap also increases to 15d8 and the saving throw DC increases by 2.

Fan of Knives (Ex): The Sentinel can throw knives in a 30’ cone originating from him; each creature in the area suffers 1d6 piercing damage per character level of the Sentinel (max 10d6) and a successful Reflex save halves this damage.
If this ability is taken twice, the Sentinel can choose the size of the cone to be anywhere from 30’ to a maximum distance of 60’, selected each time he uses this ability; the damage cap also increases to 15d6 and the saving throw DC increases by 2.

Perforating Tunnel (Ex): The Sentinel can unleash knives that damage all creatures in a 60’ line originating from him; each creature in the area suffers 1d8 piercing damage per character level of the Sentinel (max 10d8) and a successful Reflex save halves this damage. If this ability is taken twice, the Sentinel can choose the length of the line to be anywhere from 60’ to a maximum length of 120’, selected each time he uses this ability; the damage cap also increases to 15d8.

Superior Conditioning: At levels 3 and 7, the Sentinel’s physical conditioning allows him one choice from the boons below. Instead of choosing a different option at level 7, the same choice may be selected twice for an improved benefit.

Defensive Training (Ex): The Sentinel gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC and a +1 competence bonus to all saving throws. If taken twice, these bonuses increase to +2.

Evasion (Ex): The Sentinel gains Evasion, which functions identically to the 2nd level Rogue ability of the same name. If the Sentinel takes this ability a second time, or if he already has Evasion from another class when he chooses this ability, he instead gains Improved Evasion (as per the Rogue Advanced Talent).

Skirmisher (Ex): The Sentinel gains a +5-foot bonus to his land speed and the Mobility feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites for it. If taken twice, this bonus increases to +10 feet and he furthermore gains the Shot on the Run feat.

The Disciple of Metal began years ago as a project for D&D 3.5 to make the most comprehensive and brutal Heavy Metal Bard PrC to date. This is the Pathfinder version, more-or-less finished. I'm posting this as part of a series of similarly themed content such that there will be other classes and content strictly Heavy-Metal themed, too. Happy to accept feedback nonetheless. Rock on and I hope you find it to your liking.

***
...And the music played on, each pull of the string fostering harmonies that drove the warriors to murderous frenzy. Those who dared stand against them fell to a man; their their blood seeped into the hillside and fed the hungry earth.

…And the music played on, each chord the sanguine finality of Kings and infidels alike. Atop the mountain’s peak, penetrating the thundering nimbus of the heavens and towering over lesser mortals stood one man, an Axe cradled in his arms, his fingers shredding its surface with inhuman celerity. From his lips escaped but one word – one word that spoke for the pillars of corpses at his feet, the ruins of palaces and the seeds of brutality, at once and forever:

“Metal.”

Disciple of Metal
Aliases: Badass Bard, Battle Bard, Heavy Metal Bard, Iron Man (Maiden), Brother (Sister) of Metal

Role: Disciples are not like other pansy mewling bards. A Disciple of Metal finds his home on the frontline, where fresh blood is spilt and heads are split atwine. His music and his weapon are one and the same.

Alignment: Disciples inherently represent the annihilation of axioms and boundaries. Though oft worshippers of Metal gods, Disciples forge their own path, write their own rules, and don't take shit from anyone. Thus, it is especially common for Disciples of Metal to be Chaotic aligned - especially Chaotic Badass.

Hit Die: d8.

Requirements
To prove themselves worthy of bloody baptism into the ranks of Metal, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Alignment: Any chaotic, unless the non-chaotic character is sufficiently brutal and awesome (this is between you and the GM).

Feats: Power Attack, Toughness.

Skills: Perform (anything that can be called Metal) 5 ranks.

Spells: Ability to cast 2nd level arcane spells.

Special: Bardic performance or equivalent class feature (such as Raging Song).

Class Skills

The Disciple of Metal's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Base Attack Bonus: As Fighter
Saving Throws: Good Fort
Class Ability Progression

1 The Gods Made Heavy Metal, Euphony
2 Instrument of Destruction, Cacophony
3 Disciple, +1 spell caster level
4 Euphony
5 Cacophony, +1 spell caster level
6 Disciple
7 Euphony, +1 spell caster level
8 Cacophony
9 Disciple, +1 spell caster level
10 Cacophony
11 Brutal Legend, +1 spell caster level

The Gods Made Heavy Metal (Ex): …and they saw that it was good. Henceforth, all of the Disciple’s bardic magic is considered, for all intents and purposes, divine magic. He gains proficiency in medium and heavy armor. Since his magic is divine now, even the heaviest of metal apparel won't interfere with his spell casting or abilities. The Disciple becomes so inured to the impossibly loud noises demanded by his vocation that he gains sonic resistance equal to his Hit Die and automatically succeeds on Fortitude saves against deafness.

The Disciple adds his class levels in Disciple of Metal to his Bard levels for the purpose of determining daily uses of Bardic Performance, their effectiveness and action type, and what performances are available to him. He does not gain or improve other Bard abilities, such as Bardic Knowledge, Jack of All Trades or Versatile Performance.

Becoming a Heavy Metal Skald: Vikings are well-received by the Metal Gods, as are other performers who aspire toward their traditions of storytelling and facemauling. A Skald who gains levels in Disciple of Metal improves his Raging Song abilities and learns new songs in the same manner that a Bard would progress Bardic Performance. He even improves upon and gains new Rage Powers as though advancing in Skald, but he does not progress other Skald class features such as Uncanny Dodge or Spell Kenning. Note that, in exchange for being able to advance their Rage Powers, a Skald / Disciple of Metal does not have the option of accessing the Euphony boons imparted with Inspire Greatness or Inspire Heroics, as the Skald does not learn those songs. This prestige class functions otherwise identically, so that you can replace all references of Inspire Courage with Inspired Rage and Bardic Performance with Raging Song in order to play a Skald / Disciple of Metal.

Spellcasting: A 3rd level and every odd-numbered level in Disciple of Metal afterwards, that savage champion of steel, adds one to his Bard (or Skald) level for spell casting purposes, granting him more spells per day, spells known, and increasing his caster level with such spells.

Euphony (Su): At levels 1, 4, and 7, the Disciple selects one Euphony. Euphonies further enhance the empowering effects of bardic music and are magnificent for mortal ears to behold. Whenever the Disciple of Metal uses Inspire Courage, Inspire Greatness or Inspire Heroics, his otherwise inferior bardic music becomes Metal by taking on the aspect of a chosen Euphony. He can invoke a known Euphony at will as part of the same action used to create bardic music, and the effects end when the bardic music ends. Only one Euphony may be in effect at any given time (unless multiple Disciples are present, in which case the universe collapses under the sheer weight of the epic splendor to follow). These Euphonies have additional effects when used in conjunction with more potent performances, as listed.

Bulletproof: Those affected gain DR 5/magic against attacks from firearms. The far-reaching potency of Metal means that even worlds that have yet to invent gunpowder have heard of this euphony; it just doesn't do anything useful there.
Inspire Greatness: They also gain a +5 deflection bonus to Armor Class against firearms.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and they also gain DR 5/- against firearms.

Fight Until We Die: Those affected gain the ability to fight until victory or death, doubling their morale bonus to Will saving throws against fear and acting as though they had the Diehard feat.
Inspire Greatness: They also gain a +2 bonus to their Constitution score.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, plus: death only comes to the affected ally when he reaches a negative HP value equal to twice his (new) Constitution score. Because this tenacity is brought about only by the power of Metal, a character who is into the negatives for their Constitution score or below when this Euphony ceases affecting them will immediately die.

Guardians of Fate: Those affected gain the protection of cosmic forces, resulting in a +1 luck bonus to Armor Class.
Inspire Greatness: They also gain a +1 luck bonus to saving throws.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and they gain 1 temporary hero point, as per the Heroic Fortune spell; this effect can't trigger more than once per character per day, even if the Disciple ends his song and starts anew.

Heaven Can Wait: Those affected gain the ability to defy the grave, resulting in a +3 bonus to Will saving throws against channeled negative energy, Fortitude saving throws against Necromancy spells, and the supernatural abilities of the undead (such as energy drain).
Inspire Greatness: They also gain the benefits of Death Ward, making them immune to many such effects.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness and their saving throw bonuses granted by this Euphony are +5 instead.

Into the Storm: Those affected gain a +10' enhancement bonus to their speed for all movement types, and a +4 bonus to initiative rolls. If an affected ally has already rolled initiative for the encounter, this bonus results in a new total for them which takes effect on the following round.
Inspire Greatness: The bonus to speed is tripled (+30’ enhancement bonus).
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and their movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity; they can even move through the spaces of creatures larger than they are, provided that they do not end their turn in such spaces.

One Shot At Glory: Those affected gain a +4 morale bonus to attack rolls made to confirm critical hits, allowing them to reap bloodshed and fame on the battlefield. On a successful critical hit, their attack deals an additional 1d6 damage per critical multiplier (2d6 for a x2 multiplier, 3d6 for a x3 multiplier, etc).
Inspire Greatness: They also gain the ability to make a final strike if brought to the brink of oblivion. If an affected ally is dropped to 0 HP, they may make a melee attack against a foe they threaten as an immediate action.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and they also gain the benefits of Improved Critical with any weapon they wield.

Refuse, Resist: Those affected become resistant to magical influences upon the mind, gaining a +3 bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting spells or abilities.
Inspire Greatness: When you start playing this Euphony, affected allies may also make an immediate saving throw against any such influences currently upon them.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness and their saving throw bonuses granted by this Euphony are +5 instead.

Sacrament of Wilderness: Those affected resist binding ties and constricting chains,
gaining a +3 bonus to saving throws and CMB checks against effects that impede movement, such as web, paralysis and slow. They also gain a +3 bonus to Combat Maneuver Defense against grappling attempts.
Inspire Greatness: The above bonuses are increased to +5.
Inspire Heroics: They move and act as though under the influence of a Freedom with Movement spell, effectively telling many such impediments to piss off.

Strength Beyond Strength: Those affected gain a +2 bonus to Combat Maneuver checks, Combat Maneuver Defense, Strength checks and Strength-based skill checks.
Inspire Greatness: They also gain a +2 morale bonus to their actual Strength score.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, except that they gain a +4 morale bonus to their Strength score instead of +2.

Tattered Flags and Bloody Banners: Those affected gain increased fervor as death approaches, granting them a +2 morale bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls and saving throws while reduced to half HP or less.
Inspire Greatness: A character whose hit points are 0 or less while this Euphony affects them gains 1 temporary hero point, as per the Heroic Fortune spell; this effect can't trigger more than once per character per day, even if the Disciple ends his song and starts anew.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and they actually gain a +4 morale bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls and saving throws while reduced to half HP or less.

The Grand Conjuration: Those affected gain a +2 profane bonus to Concentration checks and add 1 to the saving throw DCs of their spells.
Inspire Greatness: They also gain a +2 profane bonus to checks made to defeat spell resistance.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and they receive +1 caster level, improving the potency of their spells and allowing them to further demolish the fabric of the cosmos.

Through the Fire and Flames: Those affected gain resistance 10 against a single energy type (specified upon activation between acid, cold, fire, electricity or sonic), allowing them to carry on. The Disciple grants 15 points of resistance at 10th level and 20 points at 20th level.
Inspire Greatness: They gain double the listed amounts of resistance, up to 40 points at 20th level.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and the resistance applies against all available energy types instead of one. Waaaaaaah!

Instruments of Destruction (Ex): At 2nd level, the Disciple’s weapon… becomes his instrument! By making a sacrifice of 2500 gp to the Metal Gods and ritualistically headbanging for eight hours, he may turn any magical melee weapon into a masterwork instrument; it’s still a goddamn weapon. An axe, for example, may double up as a guitar. As a result of his Metal training, he has no difficulty jamming out in the thick of battle whilst surrounded by ravenous foes (although the restrictions for what actions can be taken while maintaining bardic performance still apply). This instrument grants the Disciple (and only the Disciple) a competence bonus to Perform checks equal to 1/2 his Hit Dice, in addition to the +2 circumstance bonus for being masterwork. A Disciple can only have one such weapon glorified at a time.

Cacophony (Sp): At levels 2, 5, 8 and 10, the Disciple masters a Cacophony from the list below. Cacophonies wreak destructive havoc upon the battlefield and are generally unpleasant for non-Disciples to listen to. In order to successfully invoke the Metal Gods' power thusly, the Disciple must expend the specified number of daily rounds for bardic performance and make a successful Perform check; if he fails his check, he will have wasted his daily music and his enemies will mock him ‘til death (their death, not his).

Most Cacophonies duplicate existing spells. As the Disciple grows in level, he usually gains the ability to invoke a wider array of spells through his Cacophonies. For example, Children of the Grave initially grants access to Animate Dead, but a 12 Hit Die Disciple may also use it for Create Undead, and so forth. When the Disciple has a choice of multiple spells to invoke in a Cacophony, he chooses which one to use each time he activates the ability and prior to rolling his Perform check. All spells duplicated through the use of a Cacophony have a save DC of 10 + the spell level + the Disciple’s Charisma modifier, and use the Disciple’s Hit Dice in place of caster level for all purposes. Some of the Cacophony options apply the effects of certain Metamagic feats - such as Empower Spell or Widen Spell - to the listed spells; the Disciple does not need to possess these feats.

1000 Eyes: The Disciple's foes find themselves in the pupil of a thousand eyes and all of their pathetic falsehoods are penetrated. This cacophony duplicates spells that reveal the unseen.
7th Level (DC 25 Performance check, 1 rd of bardic music): See Invisibility
9th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 1 rd of bardic music): Invisibility Purge
13th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 4 rds of bardic music): True Seeing

Acid Bath: The Disciple bathes his environs in seething acid.
7th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 2 rds of bardic music): Acid Pit
9th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 4 rds of bardic music): Acidic Spray
13th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 6 rds of bardic music): Caustic Eruption

Children of the Grave: The Disciple's music awakens the dead to do his bidding.
7th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 2 rds of bardic music): Animate Dead
11th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Create Undead
15th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 5 rds of bardic music): Create Greater Undead

Creeping Death: The Disciple draws upon the music of the chosen one, summoning insects as per the spell below.
7th Level (DC 20 Performance check, 1 rds of bardic music): Summon Swarm
11th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Insect Plague
13th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 5 rds of bardic music): Creeping Doom

Death in Fire: The Disciple summons a storm of lethal flames. Only death remains.
7th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 2 rds of bardic music): Volcanic Storm
11th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Fire Snake
15th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 6 rds of bardic music): Fire Storm

Fatal Energy: The Disciple rends the life force of one who dares to oppose him.
7th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Enervation
9th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 2 rds of bardic music): Slay Living
13th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 6 rds of bardic music): Finger of Death

Holy Thunderforce (DC 35 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): The Disciple imbues his instrument of destruction with holy thunderforce: on the weapon's next successful melee attack, it invokes a vertical column of thunderforce centered the target that functions as a Flame Strike spell except that half of the damage is electric (instead of fire), and the other half of it is divine awesomeness. The Disciple is immune to his own damage from this Cacophony, and the damage it deals is in addition to the regular effects of the attack. The imbue lasts for 1 minute per caster level or until discharged.

Master of Puppets: The Disciple twists the mind and pulls the strings of a single poor bastard, as per the potent enchantment below. There are two important differences between this cacophony and casting the spell. First, the duration is reduced to eighty-six rounds (8 minutes, 36 seconds). Second, once under the effect, victims suffer a -2 penalty on saving throws triggered by being commanded to act against their nature.
7th Level (DC 25 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Dominate Person
15th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 6 rds of bardic music): Dominate Monster

Operation Ground & Pound: The Disciple forces the environs to rock with a galvanizing solo.
7th Level (DC 25 Performance check, 1 rd of bardic music): Enlarged Raging Rubble
11th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Animate Objects
15th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 6 rds of bardic music): Earthquake

Primordial Breath: Drawing from the magic of forces ancient and terrifying, the Disciple emulates one of the spells below to produce a battle-changing mist of the ages.
7th Level (DC 25 Performance check, 2 rds of bardic music): Stinking Cloud
9th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Cloudkill
15th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 5 rds of bardic music): Incendiary Cloud

Prince of Darkness: The Disciple summons forth darkness that is more deadly than man.
7th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 1 rd of bardic music): Deeper Darkness
9th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Black Tentacles
13th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 5 rds of bardic music): Hungry Darkness

Rage of the Winter: The Disciple channels winter's vengeance.
7th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 2 rds of bardic music): Ice Storm
11th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 4 rds of bardic music): Maximized Ice Spears
15th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 6 rds of bardic music): Empowered Cone of Cold

Ride the Lightning: Death is in the air when the Disciple invokes this Cacophony, electrocuting foes with a spell below.
7th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 2 rds of bardic music): Lightning Bolt
11th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Chain Lightning
15th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 6 rds of bardic music): Storm Bolts

Sea of Madness: The Disciple conjures a bewildering song that ravages the mind.
7th Level (DC 25 Performance check, 1 rd of bardic music): Confusion
13th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Insanity
15th Level (DC 40 Performance check, 5 rds of bardic music): Widened Song of Discord

Shout at the Devil: The Disciple casts out unnatural and unwanted powers.
7th Level (DC 25 Performance check, 2 rds of bardic music): Dismissal
11th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Undeath to Death
15th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Banishment (Heightened to 8th level)

Some Kind of Monster (DC 25 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): The sheer brutality of the Disciple of Metal’s playing becomes so monstrous that he attracts the attention of extraplanar entities bent on total destruction. This cacophony invokes Summon Monster of the highest level that a Sorcerer of the Disciple's caster level could cast, e.g Summon Monster VII for a 14th level Disciple. The Disciple of Metal can only summon “monsters” of non-good alignment; once summoned, such creatures proceed to attack anything in sight that’s nearby or possibly perceived as threatening. They will not attack Disciples of Metal, but he cannot control them and they will probably devour the Disciple’s allies at some point.

Superbeast (DC 35 Performance check, 3 rds of bardic music): Truly the one who the enemy wants, the Disciple transforms as per the aptly named Transformation spell. While changed into the Superbeast, the Disciple retains his ability to activate bardic class abilities, Euphonies and Cacophonies even though he can no longer cast spells. To even select this song, the Disciple of Metal must first prove himself to the Metal Gods by possessing seven levels in this class.

Symphony of Destruction: The Disciple renders destruction through the force of punishing sound.
7th Level (DC 25 Performance check, 1 rd of bardic music): Enlarged Shatter (Heightened to 4th level)
13th Level (DC 30 Performance check, 2 rds of bardic music): Sympathetic Vibration
15th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 4 rds of bardic music): Greater Shout
17th Level (DC 35 Performance check, 5 rds of bardic music): Pied Piping

Disciple: At levels 3, 6, and 9, the Disciple grows closer to becoming the epitome of all things Metal. He chooses an aspect of Metal from the list below:

Angel of Death (Su): The Disciple is a monarch to the kingdom of the dead, wielding true necromancy in the name of Metal. When using a Cacophony to invoke Animate Dead, the Disciple is considered to be four levels higher when determining the number of Hit Dice he animates. By making a Perform check (DC 25), the Disciple can invoke Command Undead as a spell-like ability; there is no limit to how often he may do this. The Disciple must possess the Children of the Grave Cacophony before he may select this ability.

Deathbringer from the Sky (Ex): The Disciple becomes no mere man. Monstrous and wicked is he, such that he gains a +5 circumstance bonus to Intimidate checks but suffers a -5 circumstance penalty to Diplomacy checks. He gains a climb speed of 30' and a +10 competence bonus to Jump checks. At 10 Hit Dice, the Disciple gains a Fly speed equal to his base speed. These changes cannot be reversed by any means short of mutilating the Disciple and remaking his form anew.

Defender of the Faith (Su): The Disciple becomes a champion crusader… of Metal. He gains a +2 sacred bonus to attack rolls against the enemies of Metal, and his attacks deal an additional 2d6 damage against them. At 12 Hit Dice, this bonus to attack damage increases to 4d6.

(If your DM isn’t up to the nebulous task of determining what constitutes an enemy of Metal, have the bonuses apply to non-Metal Clerics and Bards, Lawful-aligned entities, and creatures of the Fey subtype.)

Iron Man (Su): The Disciple's own body becomes like Metal. Ordinary weapons glance off of him as though they were manufactured by Mattel. He gains DR/magic equal to 5 per Disciple ability he possesses, and a +1 natural bonus to AC per 3 Hit Die (max +5).

Louder than Hell (Su): By means of sundering the veil between worlds and turning it up to eleven, the Disciple of Metal makes his spells roar louder than the incessant screams of tortured, tormented souls. He treats his Hit Dice and caster level as 3 higher for the purpose of determining the range of Bard spells and Cacophonies. Whenever he deals energy damage with a Bard spell or Cacophony, he ignores 5 points of energy resistance per Disciple ability he has.

Radical Resistance (Ex): And so let it be written that the Disciple of Metal was a fearless, indomitable songster of gratuitous violence and mayhem. Twice per day, the Disciple of Metal may reroll a failed saving throw against any mind-affecting effect. Furthermore, he adds his Charisma modifier to Will saves instead of his Wisdom modifier.

The Triumph of Steel (Ex): The Disciple spurns the insufferable titles of 'hybrid' and 'support' and hones his martial prowess to adamantium heights. When fighting with his instrument of destruction, he gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to damage rolls. Furthermore, he qualifies for feats that require a minimum number of Fighter levels as though he himself had Fighter levels equal to 1 + his levels in the Disciple of Metal class (so a 3rd level Disciple of Metal could qualify for Weapon Specialization). If the Disciple has actual levels in Fighter, that blasphemer, then these levels stack.

Warriors of the World (Ex): The Disciple's personal magnetism reaches so far and wide that he gains the Leadership feat. If he obtains Leadership without the benefit of this class feature, he attracts a great many more warriors by adding his Disciple of Metal class level to his Leadership score for the sole purpose of determining followers gained. If your GM doesn’t use Leadership in their campaign, throw this paragraph into a fire.

Way of the Fist (Ex): The Disciple's instrument is his own body. He gains the Monk's Unarmed Strike ability, including its scaling increase to unarmed damage. His unarmed damage is based off of his Hit Dice (instead of his levels in Monk). He counts an unarmed strike as his instrument of destruction for the purpose of Disciple abilities, feats and Cacophonies. His unarmed strikes are Metal manifest, and count as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Since a Disciple may only have one instrument of destruction at a time, he who studies the Way of the Fist forfeits the ability to invest manufactured weapons with such glorious power. Finally, he gains a competence bonus to Perform checks equal to 1/2 his Hit Dice. (Ask your GM about obtaining masterwork heavy metal war paint in order to receive a circumstance bonus to Perform checks.)

Brutal Legend (Ex): At 11th level, the Disciple has reached the apex of his crusade. He becomes immune to sonic damage, and gains his choice of one ultimate ability below. Go forth and die.

Caught in a Mosh: Nothing distracts the Disciple from his music. He may take 10 on Perform checks even when caught in the thick of a raging battle atop an erupting volcano while his limbs are torn upon by a hundred world-devouring serpents, or while he is otherwise under duress.

Ram it Down: The Disciple masters the art of ramming “it” down. His bardic performances, Euphonies and Cacophonies influence even those normally immune to mind-affecting abilities. This allows him to, for example, impart morale bonuses from such abilities to his allies. If any such effects would allow a saving throw, an enemy who is immune to mind-affecting abilities gains a +5 bonus to their Will save.

The Art of Ruin: The Disciple invests his chosen weapon with the power to ruin anything. His instrument of destruction ignores 10 points of hardness with its attacks, and always counts as “F~~# you” for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. (To be clear, “F#$& you” encompasses all alignments and materials, and overcomes everything but DR/- and DR/Epic.)

I just now realized that you can't edit posts after the first hour. Oops. So much for ease-of-updates..... But, a distinct website is currently underway where I will soon be able to host the Disciple of Metal and keep it updated and current in response to feedback and observations.

Thanks for pointing out the Skald class. I had seen it before but the thought of incorporating it into the Disciple had escaped me. I definitely want a Skald / Disciple of Metal to be playable, and am adding a paragraph to the effect of:

**
Becoming a Heavy Metal Skald: Vikings are well-received by the Metal Gods, as are other performers who aspire toward their traditions of storytelling and facemauling. A Skald who gains levels in Disciple of Metal improves his Raging Song abilities and learns new songs in the same manner that a Bard would progress Bardic Performance. He does not gain new Rage Powers or progress other Skald class features through his levels in Disciple of Metal. This prestige class functions otherwise identically, so that you can replace all references of Inspired Courage with Inspired Rage and Bardic Performance with Raging Song in order to play a Skald / Disciple of Metal.
**

Also, changing the prerequisite to read:
"Special: Bardic performance or equivalent class feature (such as Raging Song)"

Because you know there's gonna be another core class or three out there, somewhere, that also offers an alternative Bard, which we don't want to necessarily exclude.

So far as the other class archetypes go... well, some of them speak for themselves. The Deadly Courtesan wouldn't qualify because they lack spells and wouldn't benefit as much from the class because they don't technically have Inspire Courage, etc. And that's OK, because the Disciple of Metal isn't really meant for them anyhow.

re: Geisha rocking out during a tea ceremony. You know, I'm gonna... stay out of that one and say that's between you and your GM :) I would personally allow it and find it suitable, because the nature of the Disciple class is already to embrace such over-the-top shenanigans, so why the hell not.

...And the music played on, each pull of the string fostering harmonies that drove the warriors to murderous frenzy. Those who dared stand against them fell to a man; their their blood seeped into the hillside and fed the hungry earth.

“Metal.”

A note on balance and design
This class is balanced for moderately advanced groups where spellcasters are busy nearly wrecking reality and people who aren't spellcasters are playing with some degree of optimization. The Disciple of Metal is quite potent, certainly strong enough to put most single-class Bards and Fighters to shame but then, that's not usually considered to be a travesty. The Disciple of Metal is designed to be a formidable but fair contender in parties that include primary spellcasters and capable fighting-casters.

Disciple of Metal
Aliases: Badass Bard, Battle Bard, Heavy Metal Bard, Iron Man (Maiden), Brother (Sister) of Metal

Role: Disciples are not like other pansy mewling bards. A Disciple of Metal finds his home on the frontline, where fresh blood is spilt and heads are split atwine. His music and his weapon are one and the same.

Alignment: Disciples inherently represent the annihilation of axioms and boundaries. Though oft worshippers of Metal gods, Disciples forge their own path, write their own rules, and don't take shit from anyone. Thus, it is especially common for Disciples of Metal to be Chaotic aligned, especially Chaotic Badass.

Hit Die: d8.

Requirements
To prove themselves worthy of bloody baptism into the ranks of Metal, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any chaotic, unless the non-chaotic character is sufficiently brutal and awesome (this is between you and the DM).

Feats: Power Attack, Toughness.

Skills: Perform (anything that can be called Metal) 5 ranks.

Spells: Ability to cast 2nd level arcane spells.

Special: Bardic performance, inspire courage +2

Class Skills

The Disciple of Metal's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: Disciple of Metal
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1 +1 +2 +0 +0 The Gods Made Heavy Metal, Instruments of Destruction, Euphony
2 +2 +3 +0 +0 Cacophony, +1 spell caster level
3 +3 +3 +1 +1 Disciple
4 +4 +4 +1 +1 Euphony, +1 spell caster level
5 +5 +4 +1 +1 Cacophony
6 +6 +5 +2 +2 Disciple, +1 spell caster level
7 +7 +5 +2 +2 Euphony
8 +8 +6 +2 +2 Cacophony, +1 spell caster level
9 +9 +6 +3 +3 Disciple
10 +10 +7 +3 +3 Cacophony, +1 spell caster level
11 +11 +7 +3 +3 Brutal Legend

The Gods Made Heavy Metal (Ex): …and they saw that it was good. Henceforth, all of the Disciple’s bardic magic is considered, for all intents and purposes, divine magic. He gains proficiency in medium and heavy armor. Since his magic is divine now, even the heaviest of metal apparel won't interfere with his spell casting or abilities. The Disciple becomes so inured to the impossibly loud noises demanded by his vocation that he gains 10 points of sonic resistance and automatically succeeds on Fortitude saves against deafness.

The Disciple adds his class levels in Disciple of Metal to his Bard levels for the purpose of determining daily uses of Bardic Performance, their effectiveness and action type, and what performances are available to him. He does not gain or improve other Bard abilities, such as Bardic Knowledge, Jack of All Trades or Versatile Performance.

Instruments of Destruction (Ex): The Disciple’s weapon… becomes his instrument! By making a sacrifice of 2500 gp to the Metal Gods and ritualistically headbanging for eight hours, he may turn any magical melee weapon into a masterwork instrument; it’s still a goddamn weapon. An axe, for example, may double up as a guitar. As a result of his Metal training, he has no difficulty jamming out in the thick of battle whilst surrounded by ravenous foes (although the restrictions for what actions can be taken while maintaining bardic performance still apply). This instrument grants the Disciple (and only the Disciple) a competence bonus to Perform checks equal to 1/2 his Hit Dice, in addition to the +2 circumstance bonus for being masterwork. A Disciple can only have one such weapon glorified at a time.

Spellcasting: At every even-numbered level in Disciple of Metal, that savage champion of steel adds one to his Bard level for spell casting purposes, granting him more spells per day, spells known, and increasing his caster level with such spells.

Euphony (Su): At levels 1, 4, and 7, the Disciple selects one Euphony. Euphonies further enhance the empowering effects of bardic music and are magnificent for mortal ears to behold. Whenever the Disciple of Metal uses Inspire Courage, Inspire Greatness or Inspire Heroics, his otherwise inferior bardic music becomes Metal by taking on the aspect of a chosen Euphony. He can invoke a known Euphony at will as part of the same action used to create bardic music, and the effects end when the bardic music ends. Only one Euphony may be in effect at any given time (unless multiple Disciples are present, in which case the universe collapses under the sheer weight of the epic splendor to follow). These Euphonies have additional effects when used in conjunction with more potent performances, as listed.

Bulletproof: Those affected gain DR 5/magic against attacks from firearms. The far-reaching potency of Metal means that even worlds that have yet to invent gunpowder have heard of this euphony; it just doesn't do anything useful there.
Inspire Greatness: They also gain a +5 deflection bonus to Armor Class against firearms.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and they also gain DR 5/- against firearms.

Fight Until We Die: Those affected gain the ability to fight until victory or death, gaining a +8 morale bonus to saving throws against fear and acting as though they had the Diehard feat.
Inspire Greatness: They also gain a +2 bonus to their Constitution score.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, plus: death only comes to the affected ally when he reaches a negative HP value equal to twice his (new) Constitution score. Because this tenacity is brought about only by the power of Metal, a character who is into the negatives for their Constitution score or below when this Euphony ceases affecting them will immediately die.

Guardians of Fate: Those affected gain the protection of cosmic forces, resulting in a +1 luck bonus to Armor Class.
Inspire Greatness: They also gain a +1 luck bonus to saving throws.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and they gain 1 temporary hero point, as per the Heroic Fortune spell; this effect can't trigger more than once per character per day, even if the Disciple ends his song and starts anew.

Heaven Can Wait: Those affected gain the ability to defy the grave, resulting in a +3 bonus to Will saving throws against channeled negative energy, Fortitude saving throws against Necromancy spells, and the supernatural abilities of the undead (such as energy drain).
Inspire Greatness: They also gain the benefits of Death Ward, making them immune to many such effects.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness and their saving throw bonuses granted by this Euphony are +5 instead.

Into the Storm: Those affected gain a +10' enhancement bonus to their speed and a +4 bonus to initiative rolls. If an affected ally has already rolled initiative for the encounter, this bonus results in a new total for them which takes effect on the following round.
Inspire Greatness: Their movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. They can even move through the space of creatures larger than they are, as long as they don't end their movement in a space occupied by a creature.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and the aforementioned numerical bonuses are doubled (+20' bonus to speed, +4 bonus to initiative rolls).

One Shot At Glory: Those affected gain a +4 morale bonus to attack rolls made to confirm critical hits, allowing them to reap bloodshed and fame on the battlefield. On a successful critical hit, their attack deals an additional 1d6 damage per critical multiplier (2d6 for a x2 multiplier, 3d6 for a x3 multiplier, etc).
Inspire Greatness: They also gain the ability to make a final strike if brought to the brink of oblivion. If an affected ally is dropped to 0 HP, they may make a melee attack against a foe they threaten as an immediate action.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and they also gain the benefits of Improved Critical with any weapon they wield.

Refuse, Resist: Those affected become resistant to magical influences upon the mind, gaining a +3 bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting spells or abilities.
Inspire Greatness: When you start playing this Euphony, affected allies may also make an immediate saving throw against any such influences currently upon them.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness and their saving throw bonuses granted by this Euphony are +5 instead.

Sacrament of Wilderness: Those affected resist binding ties and constricting chains, gaining a +3 bonus to saving throws and CMB checks against effects that impede movement, such as web, paralysis and slow. They also gain a +3 bonus to Combat Maneuver Defense against grappling attempts.
Inspire Greatness: The above bonuses are increased to +5.
Inspire Heroics: They move and act as though under the influence of a Freedom with Movement spell, effectively telling many such impediments to f*!& off.

Strength Beyond Strength: Those affected gain a +2 bonus to Combat Maneuver checks, Combat Maneuver Defense, Strength checks and Strength-based skill checks.
Inspire Greatness: They also gain a +2 morale bonus to their actual Strength score.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, except that they gain a +4 morale bonus to their Strength score instead of +2.

Tattered Flags and Bloody Banners: Those affected gain increased fervor as death approaches, granting them a +2 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls while reduced to half HP or less.
Inspire Greatness: A character whose hit points are 0 or less while this Euphony affects them gains 1 temporary hero point, as per the Heroic Fortune spell; this effect can't trigger more than once per character per day, even if the Disciple ends his song and starts anew.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and they actually gain a +4 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls while reduced to half HP or less.

The Grand Conjuration: Those affected gain a +2 bonus to Concentration checks and add 1 to the saving throw DCs of their spells.
Inspire Greatness: They also gain a +2 bonus to checks made to defeat spell resistance.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and they receive +1 caster level, improving the potency of their spells and allowing them to further demolish the fabric of the cosmos.

Through the Fire and Flames: Those affected gain resistance 10 against a single energy type (specified upon activation between acid, cold, fire, electricity or sonic), allowing them to carry on. The Disciple grants 15 points of resistance at 10th level and 20 points at 20th level.
Inspire Greatness: They gain double the listed amounts of resistance, up to 40 points at 20th level.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and the resistance applies against all available energy types instead of one. Yaaaaaaah!

Cacophony (Su): At levels 2, 5, 8 and 10, the Disciple masters a Cacophony from the list below. Cacophonies wreak destructive havoc upon the battlefield and are generally unpleasant for non-Disciples to listen to. In order to successfully invoke the Metal Gods' power thusly, the Disciple must expend the specified number of daily rounds for bardic performance and make a successful Perform check; if he fails his check, he will have wasted his daily music and his enemies will mock him ‘til death (their death, not his).

Most Cacophonies duplicate existing spells. As the Disciple grows in level, he usually gains the ability to invoke a wider array of spells through his Cacophonies. For example, Children of the Grave initially grants access to Animate Dead, but a 12 Hit Die Disciple may also use it for Create Undead, and so forth. When the Disciple has a choice of multiple spells to invoke in a Cacophony, he chooses which one to use each time he activates the ability and prior to rolling his Perform check. All spells duplicated through the use of a Cacophony have a save DC of 10 + the spell level + the Disciple’s Charisma modifier, and use the Disciple’s Hit Dice in place of caster level for all purposes.

1000 Eyes: The Disciple's foes find themselves in the pupil of a thousand eyes and all of their pathetic falsehoods are penetrated. This cacophony duplicates spells that reveal the unseen.
7th Level (DC 25, 1 rd): See Invisibility
9th Level (DC 30, 1 rd): Invisibility Purge
13th Level (DC 35, 4 rds): True Seeing

Acid Bath: The Disciple bathes his environs in seething acid.
7th Level (DC 30, 2 rds): Acid Pit
9th Level (DC 35, 4 rds): Acidic Spray
13th Level (DC 40, 6 rds): Caustic Eruption

Children of the Grave: The Disciple's music awakens the dead to do his bidding.
7th Level (DC 30, 2 rds): Animate Dead
11th Level (DC 35, 3 rds): Create Undead
15th Level (DC 40, 5 rds): Create Greater Undead

Creeping Death: The Disciple draws upon the music of the chosen one, summoning insects as per the spell below.
7th Level (DC 20, 1 rds): Summon Swarm
9th Level (DC 30, 3 rds): Insect Plague
13th Level (DC 35, 5 rds): Creeping Doom

Death in Fire: The Disciple summons a storm of lethal flames. Only death remains.
7th Level (DC 30, 2 rds): Volcanic Storm
11th Level (DC 35, 3 rds): Fire Snake
15th Level (DC 40, 6 rds): Fire Storm

Fatal Energy: The Disciple rends the life force of one who dares to oppose him.
7th Level (DC 30, 3 rds): Enervation
9th Level (DC 30, 2 rds): Slay Living
13th Level (DC 40, 6 rds): Finger of Death

Holy Thunderforce (DC 35, 3 rds): The Disciple imbues his instrument of destruction with holy thunderforce: on the weapon's next successful melee attack, it invokes a vertical column of thunderforce centered the target that functions as a Flame Strike spell except that half of the damage is electric (instead of fire), and the other half of it is divine awesomeness. The Disciple is immune to his own damage from this Cacophony, and the damage it deals is in addition to the regular effects of the attack. The imbue lasts for 1 minute per caster level or until discharged.

Master of Puppets: The Disciple twists the mind and pulls the strings of a single poor bastard, as per the potent enchantment below. There are two important differences between this cacophony and casting the spell. First, the duration is reduced to eighty-six rounds (8 minutes, 36 seconds). Once under the effect, victims suffer a -2 penalty on saving throws against it triggered by being forced to act against their nature.
7th Level (DC 25, 3 rds): Dominate Person
15th Level (DC 40, 6 rds): Dominate Monster

Operation Ground & Pound: The Disciple forces the environs to rock with a galvanizing solo.
7th Level (DC 25, 1 rd): Enlarged Raging Rubble
11th Level (DC 35, 3 rds): Animate Objects
15th Level (DC 40, 6 rds): Irresistible Dance

Primordial Breath: Drawing from the magic of forces ancient and terrible, the Disciple emulates one of the spells below to produce a battle-changing mist of ages.
7th Level (DC 25, 2 rds): Stinking Cloud
9th Level (DC 30, 3 rds): Cloudkill
15th Level (DC 40, 5 rds): Incendiary Cloud

Prince of Darkness: The Disciple summons forth darkness that is more deadly than man.
7th Level (DC 30, 1 rd): Deeper Darkness
9th Level (DC 35, 3 rds): Black Tentacles
13th Level (DC 40, 5 rds): Hungry Darkness

Rage of the Winter: The Disciple channels winter's vengeance.
7th Level (DC 30, 2 rds): Ice Storm
11th Level (DC 35, 4 rds): Maximized Ice Spears
15th Level (DC 40, 6 rds): Maximized Cone of Cold

Ride the Lightning: Death is in the air when the Disciple invokes this Cacophony, electrocuting foes with a spell below.
7th Level (DC 30, 1 rd): Lightning Bolt
11th Level (DC 35, 3 rds): Chain Lightning
15th Level (DC 40, 6 rds): Storm Bolts

Sea of Madness (DC 30, 2 rds): The Disciple conjures a bewildering song that ravages the mind.
7th Level (DC 25, 1 rd): Confusion
11th Level (DC 30, 2 rds): Widened Confusion
15th Level (DC 35, 3 rds): Song of Discord (heightened to 8th level)

Shout at the Devil: The Disciple casts out unnatural and unwanted powers.
7th Level (DC 25, 2 rds): Dismissal
11th Level (DC 35, 3 rds): Undeath to Death
15th Level (DC 35, 3 rds): Banishment (heightened to 8th level)

Some Kind of Monster (DC 25, 3 rds): The sheer brutality of the Disciple of Metal’s playing becomes so monstrous that he attracts the attention of extraplanar entities bent on total destruction. This Cacophony invokes Summon Monster of the highest level that a Wizard of the Disciple's caster level could cast, e.g Summon Monster VII for a 13th level Disciple. The Disciple of Metal can only summon “monsters” of non-good alignment; once summoned, such creatures proceed to attack anything in sight that’s nearby or possibly perceived as threatening. It will not attack Disciples of Metal, but he cannot control it and it will probably devour his allies at some point.

Superbeast (DC 35, 3 rds): Truly the one who the enemy wants, the Disciple transforms as per the aptly named Transformation spell. While changed into the Superbeast, the Disciple retains his ability to activate bardic class abilities, Euphonies and Cacophonies even though he can no longer cast spells. To even select this song, the Disciple of Metal must first prove himself to the Metal Gods by possessing eight levels in this class.

Symphony of Destruction: The Disciple renders destruction through the force of punishing sound, as the earth starts to rumble....
7th Level (DC 25, 1 rd): Enlarged Shatter (heightened to 4th level)
13th Level (DC 30, 2 rds): Sympathetic Vibration
15th Level (DC 35, 4 rds): Earthquake
17th Level (DC 40, 6 rds): Pied Piping

Disciple: At levels 3, 6, and 9, the Disciple grows closer to becoming the epiphany of all things Metal. He chooses an aspect of Metal from the list below.

Angel of Death (Su): The Disciple is a monarch to the kingdom of the dead, wielding true necromancy in the name of Metal. When using a Cacophony to invoke Animate Dead, the Disciple is considered to be four levels higher when determining the number of Hit Dice he animates. By making a Perform check (DC 25), the Disciple can invoke Command Undead as a spell-like ability; there is no limit to how often he may do this. The Disciple must possess the Children of the Grave Cacophony before he may select this ability.

Deathbringer from the Sky (Ex): The Disciple becomes no mere man. Monstrous and wicked is he, such that he gains a +5 circumstance bonus to Intimidate checks but suffers a -5 circumstance penalty to Diplomacy checks. He gains a climb speed of 30' and a +10 competence bonus to Jump checks. At 10 Hit Dice, the Disciple gains fly speed equal to his base speed. These changes cannot be reversed by any means short of mutilating the Disciple and remaking his form anew.

Defender of the Faith (Su): The Disciple becomes a champion crusader… of Metal. He gains a +2 sacred bonus to attack rolls against the enemies of Metal, and his attacks deal an additional 2d6 damage against them. At 12 Hit Dice, this bonus to attack damage increases to 4d6. (If your DM isn’t up to the nebulous task of determining what constitutes an enemy of Metal, have the bonuses apply to other Bards, Lawful-aligned entities, and creatures of the Fey subtype.)

Iron Man (Su): The Disciple's own body becomes like Metal. Ordinary weapons glance off of him as though they were manufactured by Mattel. He gains DR/magic equal to 5 per Disciple ability he possesses, and a +1 natural bonus to AC per 3 Hit Die (max +5).

Louder than Hell (Su): By means of sundering the veil between worlds and turning it up to eleven, the Disciple of Metal makes his sonic effects louder than the incessant screams of tortured, tormented souls. He treats his Hit Dice and caster level as 4 higher for the purpose of determining the range of Bard spells and Cacophonies. Whenever he deals energy damage with a Bard spell or Cacophony, he ignores 5 points of energy resistance per Disciple ability he possesses.

Radical Resistance (Ex): So let it be written that the Disciple of Metal was a fearless, indomitable songster of gratuitous violence and mayhem. Once per day, the Disciple of Metal may reroll a failed saving throw against any mind-affecting effect. Furthermore, he adds his Charisma modifier to Will saves instead of his Wisdom modifier.

The Triumph of Steel (Ex): The Disciple spurns the insufferable titles of 'hybrid' and 'support' and hones his martial prowess to adamantium heights. When fighting with his instrument of destruction, he gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to damage rolls. Furthermore, he qualifies for feats that require a minimum number of Fighter levels as though he himself had Fighter levels equal to 1 + his levels in the Disciple of Metal class (so a 3rd level Disciple of Metal could qualify for Weapon Specialization). If the Disciple has actual levels in Fighter, that blasphemer, then these levels stack.

Warriors of the World (Ex): The Disciple's personal magnetism reaches so far and wide that he gains the Leadership feat. If he obtains Leadership without the benefit of this class feature, he attracts a great many more warriors by adding his Disciple of Metal class level to his Leadership score for the sole purpose of determining followers gained.

Way of the Fist (Ex): The Disciple's instrument is his own body. He gains the Monk's Unarmed Strike ability, including its scaling increase to unarmed damage. His unarmed damage is based off of his Hit Dice (instead of his levels in Monk). He counts an unarmed strike as his instrument of destruction for the purpose of Disciple abilities, feats and Cacophonies. His unarmed strikes are Metal manifest, and count as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Since a Disciple may only have one instrument of destruction at a time, he who studies the Way of the Fist forfeits the ability to invest manufactured weapons with such glorious power. Finally, he gains a competence bonus to Perform checks equal to 1/2 his Hit Dice. (Ask your GM about obtaining masterwork heavy metal war paint in order to receive a circumstance bonus to Perform checks.)

Brutal Legend (Ex): At 11th level, the Disciple has reached the apex of his crusade. He becomes immune to sonic damage, and gains his choice of one ultimate ability below. Go forth and die.

Caught in a Mosh: Nothing distracts the Disciple from his music. He may take 10 on Perform checks even when caught in the thick of a raging battle atop an erupting volcano while his limbs are torn upon by a hundred world-devouring serpents, or while he is otherwise under duress.

Ram it Down: The Disciple masters the art of ramming “it” down. His bardic performances, Euphonies and Caocphonies influence even those normally immune to mind-affecting abilities. This allows him to, for example, impart morale bonuses from such abilities to his allies. If one such effect would allow a saving throw, an enemy who is immune to mind-affecting gains a +5 bonus to their Will save.

The Art of Ruin: The Disciple invests his chosen weapon with the power to ruin anything. His instrument of destruction ignores 10 points of hardness with its attacks, and always counts as “F@@* you” for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. (To be clear, “F@#$ you” encompasses all alignments and materials, and overcomes everything but DR/- and DR/Epic.)

*****

*****

Background of the Disciple
The Disciple of Metal was originally a homebrew class for D&D 3.5 that I released on the Wizards forums about seven years ago. Recently I've given it a complete overhaul using the Pathfinder ruleset. I launched a Kickstarter to fund some professional cover art so I could properly publish the class along with some supplemental material, but the project didn't reach its goal. Here is the class in full, that the realms of gaming may find use in it and more-likely-than-not even improve upon it with their feedback, comments and experiences.

If you are interested in the materials I have for “How to convert this remake back to 3.5” or being kept in the loop for future projects combining D&D and Heavy Metal, please feel free to email me at dungeonsandmetal@gmail.com. If you decide to use this class, I would love to hear about your experiences with it good or bad. Hope you enjoy the class and rock on!

Several years ago I posted a homebrew prestige class to the Wizards D&D 3.5 Forums with the goal of making the ultimate Heavy Metal, Combat-Worthy Bard. What began as a curiosity quickly grew into a fervent project of its own. An overview of the class can be described as follows:

* Focuses on making the Bard into a BAMF fighting machine, rather than a pansy 5th wheel spouting knowledge and paltry buffs. The first few levels alone practically redefine the entire concept of what once-was-a-mere-Bard.
* One of their signature features is that they get to turn a magical weapon into their musical instrument, so they are literally killing people with their guitar-Axe. (Sort of like Pentakill Mordekaiser from League of Legends, come to think of it.)
* To balance it out, the class loses 1/2 of its caster progression, but it's totally worth it. As well as armor proficiency and significantly increased fighting ability, they gain scaling class abilities that empower their bardic music and allow them to use the power of Metal to create spell-like effects: storms of fire, the ruin of castles, animating the dead, and more.
* You get to pick almost all of the class features from large lists, so two different Disciples can be built focusing on different themes. The final version has about 40 abilities to pick from.
* Every ability is named after a Heavy Metal song. The titles range from 80s Classics to modern Heavy Metal to well-known songs in the Power or Death Metal genres, and so forth.

I have updated and revived the Disciple of Metal so that it is more awesome than before, and plan to release it as a roughly 20-page PDF for sale at about 1-2 dollars a copy. Doing this will first require me to launch a Kickstarter project for roughly a few hundred dollars so I can give fair pay to a talented artist to draw some brutal, badass cover art for it.

So, here is a preview/abridged version of the class:

* * * * *

Disciple of Metal
Aliases: Badass Bard, Battle Bard, Heavy Metal Bard, Iron Man (Maiden), Brother (Sister) of Metal

Role: Disciples are not like other pansy mewling bards. A Disciple of Metal finds his home on the frontline, where fresh blood is spilt and heads are split atwine. His music and his weapon are one and the same.

Alignment: Disciples inherently represent the annihilation of axioms and boundaries. Though oft worshippers of Metal gods, Disciples forge their own path, write their own rules, and don't take shit from anyone. Thus, it is especially common for Disciples of Metal to be Chaotic aligned, especially Chaotic Badass.

Requirements
To prove themselves worthy of bloody baptism into the ranks of Metal, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any chaotic, unless the non-chaotic character is sufficiently brutal and awesome (this is between you and the DM).

Feats: Power Attack, Toughness.

Skills: Perform (anything that can be called Metal) 5 ranks.

Spells: Ability to cast 2nd level arcane spells.

Special: Bardic performance, inspire courage +2

BAB Fort Ref Will Special
+1 +2 +0 +0 The Gods Made Heavy Metal, Instruments of Destruction, Disciple
+2 +3 +0 +0 Euphony, +1 caster level
+3 +3 +1 +1 Cacophony
+4 +4 +1 +1 Euphony, +1 caster level
+5 +4 +1 +1 Disciple
+6 +5 +2 +2 Cacophony, +1 caster level
+7 +5 +2 +2 Euphony
+8 +6 +2 +2 Cacophony, +1 caster level
+9 +6 +3 +3 Disciple
+10 +7 +3 +3 Brutal Legend, +1 caster level

The Gods Made Heavy Metal (Ex): … and they saw that it was good. Henceforth, all of the Disciple’s bardic magic is considered, for all intents and purposes, divine magic. He gains proficiency in medium and heavy armor. Since his magic is divine now, even the heaviest of metal apparel won't interfere with his spellcasting or abilities. The Disciple becomes so inured to the impossibly loud noises demanded by his vocation that he gains 10 points of sonic resistance and automatically succeeds on Fortitude saves against deafness.

The Disciple adds his class levels in Disciple of Metal to his Bard levels for the purpose of determining daily uses of bardic performance, their effectiveness and what performances are available to him.

Instruments of Destruction (Ex): The Disciple’s weapon… becomes his instrument! By making a sacrifice of 2500 gp to the Metal Gods and ritualistically headbanging for eight hours, he may turn any magical melee weapon into a masterwork instrument; it’s still a goddamn weapon. An axe, for example, may double up as a guitar. As a result of his Metal training, he has no difficulty jamming out in the thick of battle whilst surrounded by ravenous foes (although the restrictions for what actions can be taken while maintaining bardic performance still apply). This instrument grants the Disciple (and only the Disciple) a competence bonus to Perform checks equal to 1/2 his hit dice, in addition to the +2 circumstance bonus for being masterwork. A Disciple can only have one such weapon glorified at a time.

Disciple: At levels 1, 5, and 9, the Disciple grows closer to becoming the epiphany of all things Metal. He chooses an aspect of Metal from the list below.

Deathbringer from the Sky (Ex): The Disciple becomes no mere man. Monstrous and wicked is he, such that he gains a +5 circumstance bonus to Intimidate checks but suffers a -5 circumstance penalty to Diplomacy checks. He gains a climb speed of 30' and a +10 competence bonus to Jump checks. At 10 hit dice, the Disciple gains fly speed equal to his base speed. These changes cannot be reversed by any means short of mutilating the Disciple and remaking his form anew.

Defender of the Faith (Su): The Disciple becomes a champion crusader… of Metal. He gains a +2 sacred bonus to attack rolls against the enemies of Metal, and his attacks deal an additional 2d6 damage against them. (If your DM isn’t up to the nebulous task of determining what constitutes an enemy of Metal, have the bonuses apply to other Bards, Lawful-aligned entities, and creatures of the Fey subtype.) This applies only ot those who fight

Louder than Hell (Su): By means of sundering the veil between worlds and turning it up to eleven, the Disciple of Metal makes his sonic effects louder than the incessant screams of tortured, tormented souls. He treats his hit dice and caster level each as 4 higher for the purpose of determining the range of Bard spells and Cacophonies. Whenever he deals energy damage with a Bard spell or Cacophony, he increases that amount by +1 per die.

Warriors of the World (Ex): The Disciple's personal magnetism reaches so far and wide that he gains the Leadership feat. If he obtains Leadership without the benefit of this class feature, he attracts a great many more warriors by adding his Disciple of Metal class level to his Leadership score for the sole purpose of determining followers gained.

************* and many more choices. ****

Spellcasting: At every even-numbered level in Disciple of Metal, he adds one to his Bard level for spellcasting purposes, granting him new and more powerful spells.

Euphony (Su): At levels 2, 4, and 7, the Disciple selects a Euphony. Euphonies enhance the empowering effects of bardic music and are magnificent for mortal ears to behold. Whenever the Disciple of Metal uses Inspire Courage, Inspire Greatness or Inspire Heroics, his otherwise inferior bardic music becomes Metal by taking on the aspect of a chosen Euphony. He can invoke a known Euphony at will as part of the same action used to create bardic music, and the effects end when the bardic music ends. Only one Euphony may be in effect at any given time (unless multiple Disciples are present, in which case the universe collapses under the sheer weight of the epic splendor to follow). These Euphonies have additional effects when used in conjunction with more potent performances, as listed.

Heaven Can Wait: Those affected gain the ability to defy the grave, resulting in a +4 morale bonus to Will saving throws against channeled negative energy, Fortitude saving throws against Necromancy spells, and the supernatural abilities of the undead (such as energy drain).
Inspire Greatness: They also gain the benefits of Death Ward, making them immune to many such effects.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, except that all saving throw bonuses granted by this Euphony are +8 instead.

Refuse, Resist: Those affected become resistant to magical influences upon the mind, gaining a +3 bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting spells or abilities.
Inspire Greatness: The bonuses are increased to +5.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness and they may immediately make a saving throw against any such influences currently upon them.

Through the Fire and Flames: Those affected gain resistance 10 against a single energy type (specified upon activation between acid, cold, fire, electricity or sonic), allowing them to carry on. The Disciple grants 15 points of resistance at 10th level and 20 points at 20th level. The Disciple may wish to rename this ability from time to time to more appropriately match its function, e.g, acidofilia, ride the lightning, under the ice....
Inspire Greatness: They gain double the listed amounts of resistance, up to 40 points at 20th level.
Inspire Heroics: As Inspire Greatness, and the resistance applies against all available energy types instead of one. Yaaaaaaah!

******* ... and many more. ***

Cacophony (Su): At levels 3, 6, and 8, the Disciple selects a Cacophony. Cacophonies wreak destructive havoc upon the battlefield and are generally unpleasant for non-Disciples to listen to. In order to successfully invoke the Metal Gods' power thusly, the Disciple must expend the specified number of daily rounds for bardic performance and make a successful Perform check; if he fails his check, he will have wasted his daily music and his enemies will mock him ‘til death (their death, not his).

Most of these Cacophonies duplicate existing spells, and the manner of spell grows with the Disciple's level. Thus, a single Cacophony might grant him the power to invoke multiple related spells or versions of the same spell with varying DCs and uses of music; in such instances, the Disciple chooses which spell to invoke each time he activates the ability and prior to rolling his Perform check. All spells duplicated through the use of a Cacophony have a save DC of 10 + the spell level + the Disciple’s Charisma modifier, and use the Disciple’s hit die in place of caster level for all purposes.

Children of the Grave: The Disciple's music awakens the dead to do his bidding, as per the spell below.
8th Level (DC 30, 1 rd): Animate Dead
12th Level (DC 35, 3 rds): Create Undead
16th Level (DC 40, 5 rds): Create Greater Undead

Holy Thunderforce (DC 25, 3 rds): The Disciple imbues his instrument of destruction with holy thunderforce: on the weapon's next successful attack, it deals an additional 1d6 damage per character level of the Disciple (max 20d6) to the initial target and all other hapless souls within 10' of them (excluding the attacker); half of this damage is electric, and half of it is divine awesomeness. A Reflex save (DC 10 + ½ Disciple’s hit dice + Charisma modifier) halves this damage. The imbue lasts for 1 minute per caster level or until discharged.

Master of Puppets: The Disciple twists the mind and pulls the strings of a single poor bastard, as per the potent enchantment below. There are two important differences between this cacophony and casting the spell. First, the duration is reduced to eighty-six rounds (8 minutes, 36 seconds). Once under the effect, victims suffer a -2 penalty on saving throws against it triggered by being forced to act against their nature.
8th Level (DC 25, 3 rds): Dominate Person
16th Level (DC 45, 6 rds): Dominate Monster

Some Kind of Monster (DC 25, 3 rds): The sheer brutality of the Disciple of Metal’s playing becomes so monstrous that he attracts the attention of extraplanar entities bent on total destruction. This cacophony invokes Summon Monster of the highest level that a Sorcerer of the Disciple's caster level could cast, e.g Summon Monster VII for a 14th level Disciple. The Disciple of Metal can only summon “monsters” of non-good alignment; once summoned, such creatures proceed to attack anything in sight that’s nearby or possibly perceived as threatening. It will not attack Disciples of Metal, but he cannot control it and it will probably devour his allies at some point.

Symphony of Destruction (DC 25, 1 rd): The Disciple deals 1d6 sonic damage per two caster levels to enemies and unattended objects within 100' from him, plus 10' per caster level. Since nothing is harder or heavier than Heavy Metal, this damage bypasses hardness. It is considered an important rite of passage for Disciples with this ability to level at least one fortified stronghold through repeated uses of this song.

*** ... and at least a dozen more. ***

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So, there ya go. The reason I'm posting this topic is to see if I can gauge and spark interest in the Disciple of Metal. I'll be starting the Kickstarter pitch soon and it'd be cool to know what sort of reception to expect. Thanks everyone for your time and your input.