Bard Archetypes
An animal speaker focuses not on the ears and minds of humans, but on the creatures of the wild and those in the underbellies of cities.
An animal speaker selects a particular kind of animal, such as apes, badgers, bears, boars, cats, snakes, and so on. The bard gains a +4 bonus on Handle Animal checks to influence animals of his chosen kind. Animals of this kind have a starting attitude of at least "indifferent" toward the bard and never attack him unless he attacks them first.
Animal companions and magically controlled animals of the bard's chosen kind can be directed to attack the bard if the controlling creature wins an opposed Charisma check against the bard (this check can be made once per round until it succeeds, after which no further checks are needed). Supernatural versions of animals (such as animals with the fiendish template) can attempt an opposed Charisma check against the bard with a +4 bonus on its roll to overcome this hesitation. This ability has no effect on creatures other than animals. This ability replaces fascinate.
Nature's Speaker
At 5th, 11th, and 17th level, the animal speaker selects another kind of animal friend. The bard can use speak with animals at will on animals of his selected kinds. This ability replaces well-versed.
An animal speaker gains the following types of bardic performance.
At 3rd level, an animal speaker can use bardic performance to influence animals. This works like the druid ability wild empathy, except he expends 1 round of bardic performance and makes a Perform check. If the bard already has wild empathy from another class, he adds the class levels that provide wild empathy to the result of his Perform check to influence an animal. This ability replaces inspire competence.
Attract Rats
At 6th level, the animal speaker can use bardic performance to summon 1d3 rat swarms; they remain as long as he continues performing. At 11th level, he summons 2d3 swarms instead of 1d3 and the swarms have the advanced creature simple template. At 17th level, the number of swarms he summons increases to 3d3. This ability replaces suggestion.
Summon Nature's Ally
At 1st level, the animal speaker adds summon nature's ally I to his bard spell list and bard spells known as a 1st-level spell. At 4th level (when he gains access to 2nd-level spells) he adds summon nature's ally II to his spell list and spells known as a 2nd-level spell, and so on every 3 levels thereafter, until 16th level when he adds summon nature's ally VI to his 6th-level spell list and spells known. This ability replaces mass suggestion.
Known for being known, a celebrity bard is a master of performance who captures the imagination and attention of his audience. He trades on his charisma, his wit, and his exploits to build his renown—and that of his companions.
Famous
At 1st level, a celebrity bard may choose a region where he is famous, and within that region, the locals are more likely to react favorably toward the bard. The bard gains a bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks in that area and to influence people from that area.
At 1st level, this region is a settlement or settlements with a total population of 1,000 or fewer people, and the modifier on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks is +1. As the celebrity grows more famous, additional areas learn of him (typically places where he has lived or traveled, or settlements adjacent to those where he is known) and his bonuses apply to even more people. At 5th level, the region is a settlement or settlements with a total population of 5,000 or fewer people, and the modifier on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks is +2. At 9th level, the region is a settlement or settlements with a total population of up to 25,000 people, and the modifier on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks is +3. At 13th level, the region is a settlement or settlements with a total population of up to 100,000 people, and the modifier to Diplomacy and Intimidate is +4. At 17th level and above, the bard's renown has spread far, and most civilized folk know of him (GM's discretion); the bard's modifier on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks is +5.
This ability replaces inspire courage.
A celebrity gains the following type of bardic performance.
At 5th level, the celebrity is skilled at drawing an audience to his performances. If he is in a settlement or populated area, he can shout, sing, or otherwise make himself noticed in order to attract an audience to his impromptu stage. The size of the crowd depends on the local population, but typically is a number of people equal to 1/2 the bard's class level × the result of the bard's Perform check. The crowd gathers over the next 1d10 rounds. If the bard fails to engage the crowd (such as by performing, kissing babies, trying to use fascinate, and so on), it disperses over the next 1d10 rounds. This ability replaces lore master.
At 8th level, the celebrity has learned how to focus attention on himself so thoroughly that even the presence of danger does not distract his adoring crowd. When using fascinate, a target making a save to break the effect because of a potential threat takes a –4 penalty on that save, and even obvious threats require a save rather than automatically breaking the effect. Creatures affected by the bard's fascinate ability ignore the shaken condition. The ability replaces dirge of doom.
Not content with providing amusing and occasionally instructive performances, the demagogue seeks to inflame and ignite his audience, driving them toward a specific purpose with carefully chosen words and tones that may spark momentous change.
Famous
At 1st level, a demagogue is famous in a particular region. This works like the famous ability of the celebrity bard archetype, except the demagogue's skill bonuses apply to Bluff and Intimidate instead of Diplomacy and Intimidate. This ability replaces inspire courage +1.
A demagogue gains the following type of bardic performance.
At 5th level, the demagogue gains the ability to quickly gather a crowd. This is identical to the gather crowd ability of the celebrity bard archetype. This ability replaces lore master.
At 6th level, the demagogue can use his performance to fan the fury of a crowd of people he has fascinated. Using this ability does not disrupt the fascinate effect, but does require a standard action to activate (in addition to the free action to continue the fascinate effect). The bard selects a number of targets equal to his level, who must make Will saves (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Charisma modifier) or be affected by rage for a number of rounds equal to the bard's level. The bard indicates who is the intended target of violence (either after using this ability or as part of the performance leading to it) and the enraged members of the crowd immediately attack the target if possible. The target does not need to be present ("kill the king" is a suitable choice) and can be an object instead of a person ("destroy the prison!" is likewise appropriate). Other members of the crowd may follow suit, though they do not gain the benefits of rage. This is a sound-based effect and is affected by countersong. If two or more bards are attempting to direct the crowd against different targets, they must make opposed Charisma checks, with the crowd following the directions of the winner. This ability replaces suggestion.
At 18th level, the demagogue can lift a crowd's emotions and turn them toward a common purpose. First, he must fascinate the crowd, and then use incite violence without designating a target, at which point he can use righteous cause. Instead of driving the crowd with anger, he fills them with purpose. Fascinated creatures must make Will saves (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Charisma modifier) to resist. Those who fail are affected by mass suggestion of a plausible idea that lingers with them for one day. Typical uses of this ability are to spark rebellion, overthrow a king, build a beneficial structure such as an orphanage, or donate money to a cause. This ability replaces mass suggestion.
A composer of sonorous laments for the dead and elaborate requiems for those lost yet long remembered, dirge bards master musical tools and tropes that must appeal to the ears and hearts of both the living and the dead.
A dirge bard gains the following type of bardic performance.
At 10th level, a dirge bard can use his bardic performance to cause dead bones or bodies to rise up and move or fight at his command. This ability functions like animate dead, but the created skeletons or zombies remain fully animate only as long as the dirge bard continues the performance. Once it stops, any created undead collapse into carrion. Bodies or bones cannot be animated more than once using this ability. Unlike animate dead, dance of the dead requires no components and does not have the evil descriptor. This performance replaces jack-of-all-trades.
At 2nd level, a dirge bard gains a +4 bonus on saves against fear, energy drain, death effects, and necromantic effects. This ability replaces well-versed.
At 2nd level, a dirge bard gains a bonus equal to half his bard level on Knowledge (religion) checks made to identify undead creatures and their abilities. A dirge bard may use mind-affecting spells to affect undead as if they were living creatures, even if they are mindless (though spells that affect only humanoids do not affect them, even if they were humanoids in life). In addition, he may add one necromancy spell from the spell list of any arcane spellcasting class to his list of spells known at 2nd level and every four levels thereafter. This ability replaces versatile performance.
At 5th level, a dirge bard is able to stir primal terrors in the hearts of listeners. He can use a Perform (keyboard) or Perform (percussion) check in place of an Intimidate check to demoralize an opponent, with a bonus equal to half his bard level. In addition, saving throws against any fear effect he creates are made with a –2 penalty, and this penalty increases by –1 every 5 levels beyond 5th. This ability replaces lore master.
In some cultures, the professional entertainer is a prestigious role. Specially trained entertainers called geisha are praised for their appearance and skill at conversation, music, dancing, singing, poetry, and calligraphy. A geisha provides social intimacy and status but not physical intimacy.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Geisha are proficient in all simple weapons and one monk weapon. Geisha are not proficient in any armor or shield; unlike bards, geisha are subject to arcane spell failure even when casting in light armor or when using a shield. This replaces the normal bard armor and weapon proficiencies.
Tea Ceremony
By spending 10 minutes preparing an elaborate tea ceremony, a geisha may affect her allies with inspire courage, inspire competence, inspire greatness, or inspire heroics. The ceremony's effects last 10 minutes. The geisha must spend 4 rounds of bardic performance for each creature to be affected.
A geisha adds half her class level (minimum 1) on Craft (calligraphy) checks, Diplomacy checks, Knowledge (nobility) checks, and one type of Perform check (act, dance, oratory, percussion, string instruments, or sing); she may make checks with these skills untrained. This replaces bardic knowledge.
A geisha gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.
Words can harm, but they also heal. The songhealer brings peace and surcease of pain, calming wild emotions and providing a balm for the wounded body.
A number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier, a songhealer can cause any healing effect from a spell completion or spell trigger item to function at a caster level equal to his class level. This ability replaces versatile performance.
A songhealer gains the following type of bardic performance.
A bard of 14th level or higher can use his performance to create an effect equivalent to heal on a living target (or harm on an undead target), using the bard's level as the caster level. Using this ability requires 5 rounds of continuous performance, and the target must be able to see and hear the bard throughout the performance. The healing performance relies on audible and visual components. This ability replaces frightening tune.
A bard of 20th level or higher can use his performance to create an effect equivalent to resurrection on a dead creature, using the bard's level as the caster level. Using this ability requires 20 rounds of continuous performance, and the target must be within 10 feet of the bard for the entire performance. Funereal ballad relies on audible and visual components. This ability replaces deadly performance.
They say that words can cut deeper than any blade, and the sound striker proves this true. Using music and words as a weapon, he can focus his performances into a deadly delivery.
A sound striker gains the following type of bardic performance. Neither performance can be performed more quickly than a standard action.
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.
At 6th level, a sound striker can start a performance as a standard action, lashing out with 1 potent sound per bard level (maximum 10), each sound affecting one target within 30 feet. These are ranged touch attacks. Each weird word deals 1d8 points of damage plus the bard's Charisma bonus (Fortitude half), and the bard chooses whether it deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage for each word. This performance replaces suggestion.