Mourner prestige class

[Birthright-L]

It`s very rare that I find anything in Drgaon magazine

I can use for Birthright games `cause everything has

such a weird "flavor" to it, but this one I felt had

kind of a Birthrighty feel to it. I thought I`d point

it out. This prestige class is a good way of showing

one aspect of Neserie`s faithful.





Mourners use their musical gifts to honor the dead and

ease the suffering of the living. Travelling from

city to city and trained in all manner of funeral

customs, mourners assist, and, when necessary, replace

priests in the performance of last rites.



Mourners believe in the sanctity of burial and are

sworn enemies of grave robbers and, especially,

necromancers. They view non-intelligent undead as

victims and use special bardic music abilities to

restore their eternal slumber, but they mercilessly

hunt and destroy intelligent undead.



All mourners have bardic backgrounds, with multiclass

bards/clerics almost as common as single class bards.



To qualify to become a Mourner, a character must

fulfill all the following criteria:

Diplomacy: 8 ranks

Knowledge (religion): 5 ranks

Perform: 8 ranks

Special: The character must have the bardic music

ability.





All the following are features of the Mourner prestige

class:



The Mourner prestige class has a five-level

progression with good fortitude, reflex, and will

saves and a medium base attack progression. Each

level adds 1 to their effective bard level for

purposes of spellcasting (spells per day and spells

known).



Special Abilities are as follows:

1st Bardic knowledge, bardic music

2nd Bright soul

3rd Peaceful slumber

4th Lament

5th Go gently



Hit Die: d6

Class Skills:

Dex: Hide, Move Silently

Con: Concentration

Int: Craft, Decipher Script, Knowledge (any),

Search, Spellcraft

Wis: Listen, Profession, Sense Motive

Cha: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Perform

Skill points at each level: 6 + int modifier







Weapon and Armor proficiency: A character becoming a

mourner gains no additional proficiency in weapons or

armor for taking levels of this class.



Bardic knowledge: If the character already has the

bardic knowledge ability, her mourner levels stack

with levels of any other classes that grant her that

ability for the purpose of determining the bonus, but

only when making a bardic knowledge check that deals

with funeral rites, undead, necromancy, or items

associated with those topics.



Bardic Music: If the character already has the bardic

music ability, her mourner levels stack with the

levels of any other classes that grant her that

ability for the pupose of determining abilities,

duration, and so on.



Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each mourner level,

the character gains new bard spells per day and spells

known as if she had also gained a level in the bard

class.



Bright soul (Su): The mourner adds her Charisma bonus

to all saves against necromancy spells and effects and

all supernatural and spell-like abilities of undead.



Peaceful Slumber (Su): A 3rd-level mourner can use

peaceful slumber to grant a corpose protection against

reanimation. Peaceful slumber requires 1 use of the

mourner`s daily uses of bardic music and a Perform

check. The mourner cannot take 20 on this check. The

corpose then gains permanent spell resistance equal to

the mourner`s Perform skill check, but only against

spells and spell-like abilities that speak with the

dead, create undead, or raise or resurrect the dead.

A mourner may grant a corpse spell resistance as many

times as he wishes, but each use resets the spell

resistance granted to the corpse, regardless of

whether the perform check has a higher or lower

result.



Lament (Su): A 4th-level mourner can stir and undead

creature`s soul with a lament to lost life laced with

the magic of necromancy. Peaceful slumber requires a

standard action and two uses of the mourner`s daily

uses of bardic music. All undead within a 30-foot

radius centered on the mourner who fail a Will save

(DC 10 + mourner`s level + bard level + Cha bonus)

fall prone and are held immobile as by the spell Halt

Undead cast be a cleric of the mourner`s class level.

This is a sonic effect.



Go gently (Su): A 5th-level mourner can, in the round

immediately following the lament ability, sever the

cords of negative energy that bind undead to the

material plane. Go gently requires a perform check

and 1 use of the mourner`s daily uses of bardic music.

Any undead within 30 feet that failed to save against

the lament are required to make a second Will save

against the same DC. Non-intelligent undead that fail

are desroyed, and intelligent undead take damage equal

to the Perform skill check. Use of Go Gently

constitutes an attack against the undead and frees

them from the effects of lament.



=====

"Though much is taken, much abides; and though

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

--Alfred, Lord Tennyson



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[Athos69]

Y'know, with a bit of tweaking, this could work as a PrCl for Clerics of Nesirie, considering the portfolio of that faith....

[Don E]

I agree that it is a very interesting prestige class. The only problem I see is that it is very theme dependent. If the DM decide to use lots of undead it is a very powerfull class, otherwise it is very bad choice. I'm not sure I like the fact that only bards can choose the class, as I think most prestige classes are better if suitable to a broad base of classes.

Originally posted by Athos69@Jul 7 2004, 08:01 PM
Y'know, with a bit of tweaking, this could work as a PrCl for Clerics of Nesirie, considering the portfolio of that faith....

One option would be to allow tham to use turning uses instead of spellsong uses to power the abilities. On the other hand this would perhaps be just as well represented by using various channeling feats, e.g. those presented in Complete Divine.