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.

Judge of Souls (Omdura Archetype)

Just a simple archetype for a class that has too few of them.

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Judge of Souls (Omdura Archetype)

A judge of souls is an officer of her religion, charged with the spiritual well-being of the flock and the punishment of those who are guilty towards the church.

Divine Office: A judge of souls is granted the power from one inquisitorial office (see Legendary Inquisitors. She can also select the Judgment and Executions office with this ability.

This replaces invocation, commune, improved invocation, greater divine might, and greater invocation.

Death Defier (Spheres of Might Valkyrie Archetype)

This is a Spheres of Might archetype for the Valkyrie class from Total Party Kill Games, written by my friend Aaron Hollingsworth!

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Death Defier (Spheres of Might Valkyrie Archetype)

A death defier doesn’t choose only the souls of the slain who are worthy of a good afterlife; she can fight death itself to keep it away from a worthy warrior.

Proficiencies: Death defiers are proficient with simple weapons, as well as light armor and bucklers. In addition, if this is this character’s first level in any class, she may select a martial tradition of their choice.

This modifies weapon and armor proficiencies.

Combat Training (Ex): A death defier is considered a Proficient practitioner, gaining spheres and talents as appropriate. Death defiers use Charisma as their practitioner modifier. This ability replaces the rage powers gained at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Defy Death: A death defier gains the Warleader sphere as a bonus sphere at 1st level; if she already possesses this sphere, she may instead select any talent she qualifies for from it. The death defier can also use stabilize as a spell-like ability at will. This replaces deathwatcher.

Rousing Claxon: A death defier gains Rousing Claxon as a bonus talent at 7th level. This replaces lasting death.

Recall Spirit: A death defier gains Recall Spirit as a bonus talent at 12th level. This replaces call lightning storm.

Mythic Battledancing Feat

Soon on The Bardess’ Library #7, the mythic version of a feat I converted a while ago!

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Battledancing (Combat, Mythic)

Nothing can hinder your flowing movements in combat.

Prerequisite: Battledancing.

Benefits: You can use Battledancing when wearing any type of armor. If you are wearing armor that’s made mostly of cloth, the total bonus from Battledancing increases to +4 and you can divide it as you like among 2, 3, or 4 opponents.

Thank you to my patrons

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Thanks to my Supporter patrons, as always:

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Confusing Critical Feat (Normal and Mythic)

Soon on The Bardess’ Library #7!

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Confusing Critical (Combat, Critical)

Your critical hits cause confusion in your opponents.

Prerequisites: Staggering Critical, base attack bonus +17.

Benefit: Whenever you score a critical hit, your opponent becomes confused for 1d4 rounds. A successful Fortitude save reduces the duration to 1 round. The DC of this Fortitude save is equal to 10 + your base attack bonus. The effects of this feat do not stack. Additional hits instead add to the duration.

Special: You can only apply the effects of one critical feat to a given critical hit unless you possess Critical Mastery.

Confusing Critical (Combat, Critical, Mythic)

You can make your foes confused with a weapon blow at will.

Prerequisites: Confusing Critical, 3rd mythic tier.

Benefit: Once per round when you hit a foe with an attack, but the attack is not a critical, you may expend two uses of mythic power to inflict the effect of the Confusing Critical feat rather than your attack’s normal damage.

You may not add the effects of more than one mythic critical feat to a single attack.