Armored Casting (Ex) You can cast bard spells while wearing light armor and use a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance.
Bardic Knowledge (Ex) You add +1 to all Knowledge checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained.
Bardic Performance You are trained to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around you, including yourself if desired. You can use this ability for 9 rounds per day. Each round, you can produce any one of the types of bardic performance that you have mastered. Starting a bardic performance is a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a bardic performance from one effect to another requires the bard to stop the previous performance and start a new one as a standard action. A bardic performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if you are killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. You cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time.
Bonus Feat Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Cantrips You have learned a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells. These spells are cast like any other spells, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.
Countersong (Su) You can counter magic effects that depend on sound (but not spells that have verbal components). Each round of the countersong you make a Perform (keyboard, percussion, wind, string, or sing) skill check. Any creature within 30 feet (including yourself) that is affected by a sonic or language-dependent magical attack may use your Perform check result in place of its saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the countersong is already under the effect of a noninstantaneous sonic or language-dependent magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it hears the countersong, but it must use your Perform skill check result for the save. Countersong does not work on effects that don't allow saves. Countersong relies on audible components.
Distraction (Su) You can use your performance to counter magic effects that depend on sight. Each round of the distraction, make a Perform (act, comedy, dance, or oratory) skill check. Any creature within 30 feet (including yourself) that is affected by an illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack may use your Perform check result in place of its saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform skill check proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the distraction is already under the effect of a noninstantaneous illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it sees the distraction, but it must use your Perform skill check result for the save. Distraction does not work on effects that don't allow saves. Distraction relies on visual components.
Fascinate (Su) You can use your performance to cause up to 1 creatures to become fascinated with you. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear you, and capable of paying attention to you. You must also be able to see the creatures affected. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents this ability from working. Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 15) to negate the effect. If a creature's saving throw succeeds, you cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and observes your performance for as long as you continue to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a -4 penalty on all skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect. Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.
Inspire Courage (Su) You can use your performance to inspire courage in your allies (including yourself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to perceive your performance. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability. Inspire courage can use audible or visual components. The bard must choose which component to use when starting his performance.
Lore Master (Ex): At 5th level, the bard becomes a master of lore and can take 10 on any Knowledge skill check that he has ranks in. A bard can choose not to take 10 and can instead roll normally. In addition, once per day, the bard can take 20 on any Knowledge skill check as a standard action. He can use this ability one additional time per day for every six levels he possesses beyond 5th, to a maximum of three times per day at 17th level.
Skilled Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency A bard is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the longsword, rapier, sap, short sword, shortbow, and whip. Bards are proficient with light armor and shields (except tower shields). A bard can cast bard spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like any other arcane spellcaster, a bard wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component (most do). A multiclass bard still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.
Versatile Performance At 2nd level, a bard can choose one type of Perform skill. He can use his bonus in that skill in place of his bonus in associated skills. When substituting in this way, the bard uses his total Perform skill bonus, including class skill bonus, in place of its associated skill's bonus, whether or not he has ranks in that skill or if it is a class skill. At 6th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the bard can select an additional type of Perform to substitute. Has chosen Keyboard at level 2. The types of Perform and their associated skills are: Act (Bluff, Disguise), Comedy (Bluff, Intimidate), Dance (Acrobatics, Fly), Keyboard Instruments (Diplomacy, Intimidate), Oratory (Diplomacy, Sense Motive), Percussion (Handle Animal, Intimidate), Sing (Bluff, Sense Motive), String (Bluff, Diplomacy), and Wind (Diplomacy, Handle Animal).
Well-versed At 2nd level, the bard becomes resistant to the bardic performance of others, and to sonic effects in general. The bard gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made against bardic performance, sonic, and language-dependent effects.
Wordstrike (Su): At 3rd level, the sound striker bard can spend 1 round of bardic performance as a standard action to direct a burst of sonically charged words at a creature or object. This performance deals 1d4 points of damage plus the bard’s level to an object, or half this damage to a living creature. This performance replaces inspire competence.
BACKGROUND:
Taliesin Staccato walks up to the other Pathfinders. She is late, yet elegantly explains her tardiness.
She is impeccably well-maintained and clean. Beautiful beyond description, she wears a new, form-fitting mithral shirt and carries a mithral buckler carved in a flower motif. A flowing banner hangs from a finely-crafted longspear she holds nonchalantly.
She smiles, and it is like the lighting of a torch.
"We are about to embark on a courageous mission, fellow Pathfinders! We shall discover the villainous ne’er-do-wells, punish most justly the perpetrators of evil, and finally return home with valor to receive the cheer and adulation of all!"
As she finishes speaking, she unfurls a banner of the Pathfinder Society, then curtsies with a flourish.
The only hardship Taliesin has ever faced in her life is that things have been much too easy.
She is tired of getting everything she wants and receiving preferential treatment from everyone because she is so beautiful, funny, witty, influential, and charismatic. School has been much too easy, since Taliesin remembers all the facts. Her professors, schoolmates, and family all love, adore, and worship her. Men fall over themselves trying to get her, and she is the envy of every woman. Something has to change.
That's why the young woman has left Magnimar in the dark of night to join the Pathfinders, leaving her noble, wealthy, and influential family distraught by her disappearance. If it's any concession, she did leave a note. Taliesin's main concern leaving is that she doesn't want to get dirty...perhaps she will miss her bath.
She also consulted a map before leaving. Surely this "Sandpoint" will have beaches to relax on, but hopefully some other challenges, too. Taliesin is tired of everything being so easy.
PFS:
Boons and Vanities: Confirmed Field Agent: Having successfully completed and documented your Confirmation, one of the Three Masters has formally recognized you as a field agent and given you a wayfinder engraved with your name and the date of your graduation. If this is the first time you have received this boon for any of your characters, you receive this wayfinder for free; otherwise, you may acquire it by spending 1 Prestige Point. Furthermore, if you assign this Chronicle sheet to a character whose starting XP is 0, you reduce the Prestige Point cost of any wayfinder enhancement vanities you purchase to modify this wayfinder by 1 (minimum 1).
Explore, Report, Cooperate: You have an excellent sense of what makes an exemplary Pathfinder. As a free or immediate action, you may consider whether a particular action you name-such as subduing but not killing an enemy, befriending an NPC, or recovering a particular item-would help realize the goals of the Pathfinder Society. The GM then informs you whether the action's impact would be positive (contributes to meeting a secondary success condition for the scenario), negative (opposes the secondary success condition), or negligible (neither contributes to nor opposes the secondary success condition). If none of these three options accurately reflects the action's impact on the PC's fulfillment of the secondary success conditions, the GM may respond with a phrase of five words or less. Once you use this boon, cross it off your Chronicle sheet.
Friend of Janira Gavix: The field agent who oversaw your Confirmation is appreciative of your bravery and camaraderie in the face of danger. She helps you perform research, granting you a +1 bonus on Knowledge checks attempted while you are in the Grand Lodge.
Explore, Report, Cooperate: You have an excellent sense of what makes an exemplary Pathfinder. As a free or immediate action, you may consider whether a particular action you name--such as subduing but not killing an enemy, befriending an NPC, or recovering a particular item--would help realize the goals of the Pathfinder Society. The GM then informs you whether the action's impact would be positive (contributes to meeting a secondary success condition for the scenario), negative (opposes the secondary success condition), or negligible (neither contributes to nor opposes the secondary success condition). If none of these three options accurately reflects the action's impact on the PC's fulfillment of the secondary success conditions, the GM may respond with a phrase of five words or less. Once you use this boon, cross it off your Chronicle sheet.
Prized Find: You were instrumental in uncovering a cache of lost records that the Pathfinder Society can use to explore hitherto unknown sites. If you would fail to earn a Prestige Point at the end of an adventure due to failing a success condition, you may cross this boon off your Chronicle sheet to remind your superiors of your past breakthroughs and earn the 1 Prestige Point as if you had successfully fulfilled the condition. You may only use this boon if you would also gain at least 1 XP for completing the adventure (0.5 XP if you use the slow track advancement option).
Elixir of Treasure Seeking: One of the treasures you recovered while seeking fame and fortune was a flask of liquid that glowed softly with a golden light. Driking this elixir gives you the ability to find treasure in unlikely places, granting you a +2 competence bonus on Appraise and Perception checks for duration of an entire adventure. In addition, if you earn less than the maximum gold piece reward during an adventure, your sharpened senses lead you to a small cache of gold and gems that increases your gold earned by 150 gp (up to the maximum reward given in the adventure. When you use this boon, cross it off your Chronicle sheet.
Impressive Find: A representative from the Pathfinder Society-an organization of archaeologists and explorers-has heard of your discoveries in the River Kingdoms and invites you to join the Society as a field agent. Once you ear 12 or more fame, your superiors award you one additional Prestige Point (but not Fame) in recognition of your excellence. You cannot have more Prestige Points than Fame, and if you would exceed this maximum, the bonus Prestige Point must be spent immediately or lost.
Pleasure Doing Business: As thanks for your assistance, Ulisha offers to sell you Silverhex at a lower price: 6326 gp.
Kassen’s Blessing: You carry a small charm from the spirit of Kassen. You may reroll a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check afterer the roll is made but before the results are revealed. You must take the result of the second roll, even if it is worse. Once this ability has been used, cross it off the Chronicle.
Twin Tomes: You may spend 1 Prestige Point to gain access to either the Celestial Song or the Infernal Incantation while the Pathfinder Society researches their contents. Your time spent poring over the chosen book's pages grants you proficiency in either Celestial or Infernal. Due to th emany parties in the Pathfinder Socity vying for time with the tomes, you may only research one of the two books.
Horn of Aroden: You recovered the Horn of Aroden, a relic once used to bolster the forces of good and defeat Deskari’s minions. This instrument is powerless now, but the Pathfinder Society is certain that it may be useful in the upcoming expedition to Jormurdun and in Mendev’s fight against the Worldwound.
Smine's Best: Following your spectacular performance in the Arena of Aroden, Venture-Captain Holgarin Smine decided to craft a spectacular new weapon (colloquially known as a "Smine") to commemorate your victory. You may apply this boon to any one weapon made primarily out of metal when you purchase it. Alternatively, you may spend 2 Prestige Points to apply this boon to a pre-existing weapon that the venture-captain modifies for you. When you choose the weapon, record its type below. While wielding that weapon, you gain a +1 bonus on performance combat checks as well as a +1 bonus on Intimidate checks made against creatures proficient with that weapon. In addition, increase the weapon's hit point total by 5.
PFS# 132,076-10
XP 13
Prestige/Fame 13/23
Faction Sovereign Court
-Faction Card [1 goal (recover incriminating evidence)] Scenarios Completed
*The Devil We Know Part I: Shipyard Rats, [1 XP, 2 PP, 538 gp, 75 day job]
-Bought wand of cure light wounds [-2 PP]
*Master of the Fallen Fortress, [1 XP, 1 PP, 479 gp]
*First Steps (In Service to Lore), [1 XP, 2 PP, 417 gp, 10 gp day job]
-Bought MW longspear [-305 gp], MW mithral buckler [-1005 gp], antitoxin [-50 gp]
*The Wounded Wisp (1-time application to level-2 character) [1 XP, 2 PP, 430 gp, 20 gp day job]
-Bought potion of gaseous form [-2 PP], MW perception tool [-50 gp]
*The Silverhex Chronicles (1-time application to level-2 character) [1 XP, 2 PP, 500 gp]
*Crypt of the Everflame [3 XP, 4 PP, 1398 gp, 20 gp day job]
-Bought mithral chain chirt [-1100 gp], +1 cloak of resistance [-1000 gp], lv1-1 scrolls (x4) [-100 gp], concert hall [-5 PP], wayfinder [-1 PP], sold studded leather armor [+12.5 gp]
*Song of the Sea Witch [1 XP, 2 PP, 1315 gp, 50 day job]
-Bought Twin Tomes boon (infernal language) [-1 PP], MW perform tool [-50 gp]
*The Horn of Aroden [1 XP, 2 PP, 1847 gp, 75 day job]
*You Have What You Hold [1 XP, 2 PP, 1247 gp, 75 day job]
-Bought +2 headband of alluring charisma [-4000 gp]
*Year of the Shadow Lodge [1 XP, 2 PP, 1250 gp, 75 day job]
*From the Tome of Righteous Repose [1 XP, 2 PP, 2265 gp, 50 day job]
