Fiona Sun-Touched's page

Focused Study: All humans are skillful, but some, rather than being generalists, tend to specialize in a handful of skills. At 1st, 8th, and 16th level, such humans gain Skill Focus in a skill of their choice as a bonus feat. This racial trait replaces the bonus feat trait.

Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A skald is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, and shields (except tower shields). A skald can cast skald spells while wearing light or medium armor and even using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. This does not affect the arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes. Like other arcane spellcasters, a skald wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has somatic components.

Bardic Knowledge (Ex): A skald adds 1/2 his class level (minimum 1) on all Knowledge skill checks, and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained.

Cantrips: Skalds learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, as noted on Table: Skald Spells Known. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.

Spell Casting: A skald casts arcane spells drawn from the bard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. Every skald spell has a verbal component—these verbal components can take the form of song, recitation, or even non-verbal music like percussion. To learn or cast a spell, a skald must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell's level. The saving throw DC against a skald's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the skald's Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a skald can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Skald. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score.

The skald's selection of spells is limited. A skald begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of the skald's choice. At each new skald level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Skald Spells Known. Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a skald knows isn't affected by his Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Skald Spells Known are fixed.

At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, a skald can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the skald loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell's level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level skald spell the skald can cast. A skald may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.

A skald need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spell's level.

Lore Master (Ex): At 7th level, the skald becomes a master of many different types of lore, and can choose to take 10 on any Knowledge skill check that he has ranks in. Once per day, the skald can take 20 on any Knowledge skill check as a standard action, instead of spending the normal time taking 20 requires. He can use this ability to take 20 on a Knowledge skill check twice per day at 13th level and three times per day 19th level.

Raging Song (Su): A skald is trained to use music, oration, and similar performances to inspire his allies to feats of strength and ferocity. At 1st level, a skald can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. For each level thereafter, he can use raging song for 2 additional rounds per day.

Starting a raging song is a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. A raging song cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the skald is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action each round to maintain it. A raging song counts as the bard's bardic performance special ability for any effect that affects bardic performances. A skald may learn bard masterpieces.

A raging song has audible components, but not visual components. Affected allies must be able to hear the skald for the song to have any effect. A deaf skald has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use a raging song. If he fails this check, the attempt still counts against his daily limit. Deaf creatures are immune to raging songs.

If a raging song affects allies, when the skald begins a raging song and at the start of each ally's turn in which they can hear the raging song, the skald's allies must decide whether to accept or refuse its effects. This is not an action. Unconscious allies automatically accept the song. If accepted, the raging song's effects last for that ally's turn or until the song ends, whichever comes first.

At 7th level, a skald can start a raging song as a move action instead of a standard action. At 13th level, a skald can start a raging song as a swift action instead.

--Inspired Rage (Su): At 1st level, affected allies gain a +2 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution and a +1 morale bonus on Will saving throws, but also take a –1 penalty to AC. While under the effects of inspired rage, allies other than the skald cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration. At 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the song's bonuses on Will saves increase by 1; the penalty to AC doesn't change. At 8th and 16th levels, the song's bonuses to Strength and Constitution increase by 2. (Unlike the barbarian's rage ability, those affected are not fatigued after the song ends.)

If an ally has her own rage class ability (such as barbarian's rage, bloodrager's bloodrage, or skald's inspired rage), she may use the Strength, Constitution, and Will saving throw bonuses, as well as AC penalties, based on her own ability and level instead of those from the skald (still suffering no fatigue afterward). However, inspired rage does not allow the ally to activate abilities dependent on other rage class abilities, such as rage powers, blood casting, or bloodrager bloodlines; the ally must activate her own rage class ability in order to use these features.

--Song of Marching (Su): At 3rd level, a skald can use raging song to inspire his allies to move faster without suffering from fatigue. By expending 1 round of raging song, the skald invigorates allies within 60 feet, who may hustle for the next hour; this movement counts as a walk (not a hustle) for the purpose of accruing nonlethal damage and fatigue. The skald must continue to perform the song for the remainder of the hour, otherwise its effects end, but only 1 round of raging song is expended for that hour.

--Song of Strength (Su): At 6th level, a skald can use raging song to inspire his allies to superhuman feats of strength. Once each round while the skald uses this performance, allies within 60 feet who can hear the skald may add 1/2 the skald's level to a Strength check or Strength-based skill check.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 4th level, a skald gains the ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does he lose his Dex bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if he is immobilized. A skald with this ability can still lose his Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against him.

If a skald already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.

Scribe Scroll: At 1st level, a skald gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.

Versatile Performance (Ex): At 2nd level, a skald can choose one type of Perform skill associated with the skald class. He can use his bonus in that skill in place of his bonus in the associated skills listed below. When substituting in this way, the skald uses his total Perform skill bonus, including class skill bonus, in place of the associated skill's bonus, whether or not he has ranks in that skill or if it is a class skill. At 7th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, the bard can select an additional type of Perform to substitute.

The types of Perform and their associated skills are: Oratory (Diplomacy, Sense Motive), Percussion (Handle Animal, Intimidate), Sing (Bluff, Sense Motive), String (Bluff, Diplomacy), and Wind (Diplomacy, Handle Animal).

Current Versatile Performances: Sing, Percussion

Well-Versed (Ex): At 2nd level, the skald becomes resistant to sonic effects. The skald gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made against bardic performance, as well as all sonic or language-dependent effects.

Spell Kenning: At 5th level, a skald is learned in the magic of other spellcasters, and can use his own magic to duplicate those classes' spells. Once per day, a skald can cast any spell on the bard, cleric, or sorcerer/wizard spell list as if it were one of his skald spells known, expending a skald spell slot of the same spell level to cast the desired spell. Casting a spell with spell kenning always has a minimum casting time of 1 full round, regardless of the casting time of the spell.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 8th level and higher, a skald can no longer be flanked. This defense denies enemies the ability to sneak attack the skald by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more levels in a class that grants sneak attack than the target has skald levels.

Damage Reduction (Ex): At 9th level, a skald gains damage reduction. Subtract 1 from the damage the skald takes each time he is dealt damage from a weapon or a natural attack. At 14th and 19th levels, this damage reduction increases by 1. Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0, but not below 0. Additionally, the skald grants this DR to all allies affected by his inspired rage.

Lesser Spirit Totem: While raging, the barbarian is surrounded by spirit wisps that harass her foes. These spirits make one slam attack each round against a living foe that is adjacent to the barbarian. This slam attack is made using the barbarian’s full base attack bonus, plus the barbarian’s Charisma modifier. The slam deals 1d4 points of negative energy damage, plus the barbarian’s Charisma modifier.

Spirit Totem: While raging, the spirits that surround the barbarian make it difficult for her enemies to see her. The spirits grant the barbarian a 20% miss chance against ranged attacks and melee attacks made by creatures that are not adjacent to the barbarian (typically due to reach).

Increased Damage Reduction: The barbarian's damage reduction increases by 1/—. This increase is always active while the barbarian is raging. A barbarian can select this rage power up to three times. Its effects stack. A barbarian must be at least 8th level before selecting this rage power.