Dirgesinger

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Characters on Arelith:
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Dirgesinger is a custom prestige class available on Arelith.

Please note: as of March 23rd, 2022, this class is not yet implemented. It is still a work in progress.

Introduction

Dirgesingers voice melodies not of celebration and joy, but of sorrow and grief. They are often rootless wanderers who travel from place to place, wrapped in inconsolable torment from some personal tragedy. A few are sinister creatures who extinguish the joy of others by teaching the folly of love, the futility of hope, and the finality of the grave. Others still seek to honor the dead and remind the world of what has been lost, collecting tales of tragedy and writing elegies about them. No one will remember a dead queen in a few short generations, but a great lament might be sung a thousand years hence.

Dirgesingers always have a strong reason to choose their path, drawing power from the deepness of their loss. They have a talent for expressing their grief through song, choosing whether to bring despair, or to avoid the spread of more of it. They hold high positions in cultures where death is revered, serving as death-priests or entrusted with the serious responsibility of composing requiems for those who have passed. The rare dirgesinger who associates themselves with powerful undead might serve in the courts of lich kings or at the arm of a vampire lord.

Class Mechanics

Requirements

To qualify as a Dirgesinger, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Skills: Lore 8 ranks, Intimidate 6 ranks

Feats: Curse Song, Iron Will

Alignment restrictions: None. A Dirgesinger is as likely to be Good as they are Evil.

Class Features

Hit die: d6

Proficiencies: none

Skill points: 6 + int modifier

Class skills:

Bonus feats: spell focus (illusion, enchantment or necromancy), greater spell focus (illusion, enchantment or necromancy), arcane defense (illusion, enchantment, necromancy), skill focus: perform, epic skill focus: perform, epic reputation, perfect health, lingering song, extra music, lasting inspiration, dirge of woe, dirge of harvest, dirge of reprisal, dirge of damnation, dirge of awakening, dirge of terror

Unavailable Feats: weapon specialization, song of the heart

Primary saving throw(s): fortitude, will

Base attack bonus: +3/4 levels

Level Progression

Hit points rolls on Arelith are always maximum.

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Feats	HP
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	dirgesinger synergy, bonus feat	6
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	momento mori	12
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	macabre knowledge I	18
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	bonus feat	24
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	nocturne crescendo	30
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	macabre knowledge II	36
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	ghastly resonance, bonus feat	42
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+6	requiem	48
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+6	danse macabre, macabre knowledge III	54
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+7	echo, inspiring minstrel, bonus feat	60

Dirgesinger Features

Feature	Level	Description
Dirgesinger Synergy	1	A Dirgesinger deals with the topic of death and the dead more than an average minstrel. Two-thirds of your Assassin levels count towards your Bard Song and Curse Song scaling and charges.
Momento Mori	2	A Dirgesinger's Curse Song deals additional Sonic damage to all targets that it strikes over a period of 3 rounds. Each tick deals a number of damage dice equal to half of your combined Dirgesinger levels and Charisma modifier (d6 vs. Undead and d3 vs. Non-Undead).
Macabre Knowledge	3, 6, 9	Dirgesinger achieves a deeper understanding of the macabre. Per each tier of Macabre Knowledge, their Bard Song grants an additional +1 bonus to AC and AB vs. Undead and a +1 bonus to saves vs. Fear and Death.
Nocturne Crescendo	5	Whenever the Dirgesinger regains a charge to Bard Song, they gain an additional charge if they are under an open sky during night hours.
Ghastly Resonance	7	Ghastly Resonance doubles the radius of your Curse Song and adds ten rounds to its duration.
Requiem	8	The Dirgesinger's Bard Song counts all Dirgesinger levels when applied to friendly undead.
Danse Macabre	9	Friendly undead gain 1 additional point of AC, AB, Damage and Regeneration, as well as increased Turning resistance while affected by his Bard Song. Hostile Undead who are in the radius become Entranced and are unable to act for 1 round per 2 Dirgesinger levels. Hostile undead creatures with at least 14 Intelligence are unaffected.
Echo	10	The Dirgesinger projects echoes of their performances into the minds of others. Their Curse Song and Dirge Songs are more felt than heard, and can affect targets regardless of any Silence or Deafen effects (whether they be on the Bard themselves or on the target). Their Dirges also now apply a lesser version of Momento Mori to any hostile targets struck.
Inspiring Minstrel	10	A character with this feat can take Lasting Inspiration so long as they meet the Perform requirements. Granted on 20th level Bard or 10th level Dirgesinger.

Dirge Songs

((Subject to balancing.))

Dirge Songs are special feats available only to a Dirgesinger as bonus feats. They are a primary feature of the Dirgesinger class that sets them apart from a Bard, and personifies their musical talent into macabre (or deadly) power.
Dirge Songs are instant use abilities but each Dirge Song can only be applied to a particular time once (in that different Dirge Songs do stack, but the same Dirge Song applied twice will not.)
Effects with DCs are calculated as such:
- [5 + (1 / 2 Dirgesinger Level) + (Perform / 5) + (Charisma Modifier)]

Dirge Song	Prerequisites	Target	Cooldown	Duration	Description
Dirge of Woe	-	Single Enemy	3 Minutes	2 rounds per Dirgesinger level.	The Dirgesinger performs a woeful requiem. A single target is inflicted with Despairing. The strength of the Despair effect increases based on Dirgesinger levels.
Dirge of Harvest	-	AoE, Friendly	3 Minutes	1/2 turn, Lingering Song, Lasting Inspiration and Unremitting Cadence each add half a turn.	The Dirgesinger plays a dissonant chord that calls for a harvest of souls. All friendly targets gain 1 point of Vampiric Regen per Dirgesinger level (capped by your base Charisma modifier) and 1/2 of your Dirgesinger levels (capped by 1/2 of your base Charisma modifier) as bonus magic damage for the duration.
Dirge of Reprisal	-	AoE, Friendly	3 Minutes	1 Turn (3 rounds for Spell Turning).	The Dirgesinger unleashes a frenzied rhapsody of vengeance. All friendly targets gain a bulwark of spectral thorns that deal 1d4 magic damage plus 1 damage per Dirgesinger level (capped by your base Charisma modifier) to any attacker for the duration. They also gain Spell Turning for a much shorter duration.
Dirge of Damnation	-	Single Enemy	3 Minutes	-	-
Dirge of Awakening	Charisma 21+	Self	30 Minutes (after unsummoning)	24 Hours	The Dirgesinger leads a ballad of awakening to which the dead reply, per the Animate Dead spell. At 5 Dirgesinger levels, Dirge of Awakening works like Create Undead, and at 10 Dirgesinger levels, it is upgraded to Create Greater Undead. If the Dirgesinger has 10 levels and Lasting Inspiration, their undead are upgraded to the highest possible tier, per Mummy Dust.
Dirge of Terror	-	AoE, Hostile	3 Minutes	1 Turn (Lesser Fright), 1 Round (Standard Fright). Frighten duration is increased by 1 Round if the Dirgesinger has Lasting Inspiration.	The Dirgesinger swells a verse of nightmarish cantor. All enemies in a large radius around the Dirgesinger are stricken with Lesser Fright. If they fail an additional Will Save versus Fear, they are also stricken with Fright for one round.

Status Effects

Despairing:
- Targets afflicted by Despairing suffer -1 to attacks and saving throws.
  - At 10 Dirgesinger levels, this increases to -2 attack and saving throw penalty.
- Despairing cannot be removed with Restoration.