Swanmay Prestige Class

Soon on The Bardess’ Library #7! I had a swanmay character in my old AD&D 2.5E campaign, but I didn’t feel right for it to be a “race” of characters. So, here, I am converting the 3.5E prestige class.

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Swanmay

The knightly fey known as swan maidens can admit willing female humanoids in their number via a transformation ritual, but there are other aspirants who choose to develop such abilities on their own, thanks to a long training and connection to nature. Swanmays are female members of an order of woodlands’ guardians that try to emulate swan maidens. Their feather cloaks allow them to transform into swans (even if other branches of the order could choose another animal to identify with), and in time, a swanmay can end up becoming a real fey.

Requirements

To qualify to become a swanmay, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Gender: Female.

Alignment: Any good.

Skills: Knowledge (nature) 5 ranks, Survival 5 ranks.

Languages: Sylvan.

Special: Must have the wild empathy class feature.

Class Skills

The swanmay's class skills are Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge (geography, nature), Perception, Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, Stealth, Survival, and Swim.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Hit Die: d8.

Swanmay

CL	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1st	+0	+2	+2	+0	Spell resistance, swan shape 1/day, wild empathy
2nd	+1	+3	+3	+0	Inherited talents
3rd	+2	+3	+3	+1	Low-light vision
4th	+3	+4	+4	+1	Inherited talents
5th	+3	+4	+4	+1	Fey magic, swan shape 2/day
6th	+4	+5	+5	+2	Inherited talents
7th	+5	+5	+5	+2	Trackless step
8th	+6	+6	+6	+2	Inherited talents
9th	+6	+6	+6	+3	Fey magic, swan shape 3/day
10th	+7	+7	+7	+3	Fey transformation, inherited talents

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the swanmay prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Swanmays gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Spell Resistance (Ex): A swanmay has spell resistance equal 2 + her swanmay level.

Swan Shape (Su): A swanmay can assume the form of a trumpeter swan once per day at 1st level thanks to her feather cloak, that is the identifying sign of her order. This functions as beast shape II, except that the swanmay can only assume the form of a trumpeter swan. The swanmay gains another use of this ability per day at 5th and 9th level. Her caster level for this effect is equal to her character level. If the swanmay already has the ability to transform into a swan (as with a druid or shifter’s wild shape ability), she can instead use it one more time per day; a shifter/swanmay or a character possessing the shifter’s wild shape ability gains one extra hour of wild shape per day at 1st, 5th, and 9th level. While in swan form, a swanmay gains DR 5/cold iron. A swanmay cannot use swan shape if her feather cloak is lost or stolen. 

Wild Empathy (Ex): This ability is identical to the druid class ability. For the purpose of this ability, a swanmay’s class level stacks with levels in any other class that grants the wild empathy ability.

Inherited Talents: At 2nd level, a swanmay must choose a class she belonged to before adding the prestige class. At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, the swanmay gains the class features of an additional level in her chosen class (for example, a druid 5/swanmay 4 would have the nature bond benefits, wild shape ability, caster level, and spells per day of a 7th-level druid). She still retains the Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saving throw bonuses, and skill ranks of the prestige class, but gains all other class features of her chosen class at the specified levels.

Low-Light Vision (Su): At 3rd level, a swanmay gains low-light vision.

Fey Magic: At 5th level, a swanmay’s connection with the plane of Faerie grants her certain spell-like abilities. The swanmay can use dancing lights at will and entangle and glitterdust once per day each, with a caster level equal to her class level. At 9th level, the swanmay can also cast confusion, deep slumber, and major image once per day each. 

Trackless Step (Ex): At 7th level, a swanmay gains the druid’s trackless step ability.

 

Fey Transformation (Ex): At 10th level, a swanmay's type changes to fey. She also gains DR 5/cold iron and resistance 10 to cold and electricity, regardless of which form she is in, and can use the swan shape ability at will.