Dirgesinger

**Classes**
Characters on Arelith:
Character Creation
Race - Alignment
Deity - Class
Gifts - Backgrounds
Mark of Destiny
Epic Sacrifice
Customization
Head List

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, unremitting cadence, song of the heart, dirge of woe, dirge of harvest, dirge of reprisal, dirge of damnation, dirge of awakening, dirge of terror

Unavailable Feats: weapon specialization

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	Type	Level	Description
Dirgesinger Synergy	Class Feature	1	A Dirgesinger sacrifices some of their Bard Song potential in exchange for powerful Dirges. As such, they forego Bard Song scaling on Dirgesinger levels, but retain their Curse Song scaling. Their dealings with death and the macabre allows them synergy with the Assassin class; two-thirds of your Assassin levels now count towards your Bard Song and Curse Song scaling and your maximum Bard Song charges.
Momento Mori	Class Feature	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).
Misericorde	Synergy Feature	2 (Special)	Starting at 2 levels of Dirgesinger, characters with Assassin levels now apply a lesser version of Momento Mori on-hit once per round while their Curse Song is active. Momento Mori also now adds your Dexterity modifier to the damage scaling.
Macabre Knowledge	Class Feature	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	Class Feature	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	Class Feature	7	Ghastly Resonance doubles the radius of your Curse Song and adds ten rounds to its duration.
Requiem	Class Feature	8	The Dirgesinger's Bard Song counts all Dirgesinger levels when applied to friendly undead.
Danse Macabre	Class Feature	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	Class Feature	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	Feat Prerequisite	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.
Rhapsody of Blood	Synergy Feature	10 (Special)	With 10 levels of Dirgesinger and Epic Assassin (11+ levels), all Dirges now add your Dexterity modifier (or the respective ratios for the effect) to their effects and DCs. This also applies to Curse Songs with DCs or scaling Charisma effects, such as Lich Lyrics. Additionally, Selfish Solo now grants you 1 Attack Per Round at full BAB.

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	Song Charge Cost	Target	Cooldown	Duration	Description
Dirge of Woe	-	5	Single Enemy	3 Minutes	1 Turn	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	-	5	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	-	5	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	-	5	Single Enemy	3 Minutes	Effect: 2 Rounds Debuff: 1 Turn following the final round.	The Dirgesinger strikes a discordant elegy that burrows into the soul over the course of two rounds. On the first round, the target must make a Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round. On the second round, they must make a Fortitude save or are afflicted with 5% Damage Vulnerability to every damage type, 5% Spell Failure, and -1 AC. At 10 levels of Dirgesinger, the effect is upgraded to 10% Damage Vulnerability, 10% Spell Failure, and -2 AC. Dirge of Damnation also breaches 1 protection, plus 1 extra per 5 Dirgesinger levels (3 at 10).
Dirge of Awakening	Charisma 21+	10	Self	15 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	-	5	AoE, Hostile	3 Minutes	1 Turn (Lesser Fright) 2 Rounds (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.

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.