Ortho: Prestige Classes

I would also really like to see a varient class of bardic Drummers oddly enough. Esp if it ties in with the Lord of Music or the College of the Choir.

Also, Clueless, I sent you a PM...

Proposal for an Ortho/Harmonium trained Spell and Knowledge focused bard core class.

The class is for trained educated bards of the harmonium. The training focuses on useful skills similar to a collage education with an emphasis on the arts, performance, teaching and even proselytizing to an extent. I would say I'd like to be careful to steal the core bard's thunder, but frankly there isn't much there to steal.

Hit Die: D4
Saves: Fort-bad, Refl-bad(or good if the class needs more power), Will-good
BAB: As wizard
Skills: 6+int
Skill list(roughly in order of importance):perform, knowledge(all), spellcraft, language, diplomacy, bluff, craft, profession, concentration, scry, use magic device, disguise, heal, alchemy, decipher script, balance, jump.

Spells are memorized as a wizard with int being the determining factor for spells per day because of the class emphasis on memorization and learning but charisma is the factor for determining spell DC and whether a spell of that level can be cast because of how the spells themselves are cast. Like a bard all spells have a verbal component and silent spell cannot be taken or rather the dm may allow it as long as the spell has a visual or semantic component (Ie a silent dance to cast the spell instead of a song). Each spell is viewed as a performance and as such there must either be a verbal or somatic component. Also spells are not to be rushed and thus quicken spell raises the spell level by one more than it does when used for spells of other classes.

Bardic Lore as in PHB.

Bardic Music as in PHB.

Studied Verse - At first level and every level there-after the character may choose one spell that she can already cast and make it a studied verse, a spell so well known to the character that she is able to cast it without memorizing it first. The character may cast a studied verse that she knows using up a previously memorized spell.

Spell Folio - Instead of keeping a spell book the character keeps a folio of notes and lyrics of all of her spells. She adds spells to her folio just like a wizard does to his spell book. Spells that are available to both wizards and bards may be added at the lower of the two levels. However spells that are only available to just wizards or bards are taken as being one level higher.

spells per day
1st 3/1
2nd 3/2
3rd 4/2
4th 4/3/1
5th 4/3/2
6th 4//3/2/1
7th 4/3/2/2
8th 4/4/3/2/1
9th 4/4/3/2/2
10th 4/4/3/2/2/1
11th 4/4/4/3/2/2
12th 4/4/4/3/2/2/1
13th 4/4/4/3/2/2/2
14th 4/4/4/3/3/2/2/1
15th 4/4/4/3/3/2/2/2
16th 4/4/4/4/3/2/2/2/1
17th 4/4/4/4/3/3/2/2/2
18th 4/4/4/4/3/3/2/2/2/1
19th 4/4/4/4/3/3/2/2/2/2
20th 4/4/4/4/4/3/3/2/2/2

Does this fit your description?

Iron Fist of Ortho

It is said that might makes right. If this is true, then an Iron Fist of Ortho must be right all the time. Any simple fighter can smash his enemy using brute strength, but an iron fist of Ortho takes that to the next level, using simple but effective methods to strike down their foes.

Hit die: D10
Requirements:
Abilities: strength 16+
BAB: +5
Feats: power attack, cleave, improved sunder
Special: must be a member of the Harmonium

Class skills: The Iron Fist’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Points: 4+int mod

Class Features:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An Iron Fist is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. In addition, they are proficient in all armor and shields, except tower shields.

Level/ Bab/ Fort_ Ref_ Will_ Special Powers known
1 /+1/ 2_0_2_ Rending Strike 1/day
2 /+2/ 3_0_3_ Bash
3 /+3/ 3_1_3_ Great Cleave
4 /+4/ 4_1_4_ Leap Attack
5 /+5/ 4_1_4_ Rending Strike 2/day
6 /+6/ 5_2_5_ DR 1/-
7 /+7/ 5_2_5_ Battle Concentration
8 /+8/ 6_2_6_
9 /+9/ 6_3_6_ DR 2/-
10 /+10/ 6_3_7_ Rending Strike 3/day

Rending strike (Ex): One of the first,a nd most basic, forms of attack that an Iron Fist learns is to deliver a single, devestating strike to the enemy. Once per day, an Iron Fist can take a full round action to deliver a touch attack to the enemy, which in addition applies double their strength mod to the damage. However, this attack provokes an attack of opportunity. If this AoO is successful, the Iron fist must make a concentration check equal to the damage taken, or the Rending Strike fails, and the attempt is wasted. In addition, the Iron fists defenses are temporarily lower, denying them their Dex bonus to AC for the duration of the round.

Bash (Ex): The simple application of force can easily weaken an enemy. A number of times per day equal to the Iron Fists strength mod, the Iron fist can make an attack that, if it hits, forces the opponent to make a reflex save or become flatfooted.

Great Cleave (Ex): As the feat

Leap Attack (Ex): Your own strength can only do so much, but an intelligent warrior can find ways to amplify their strength through the method of attack. By now, the iron fist has learned the simple fact that momentum hurts as much as muscle. By making a successful jump check of no less then 16, you leap into the air a few feet from your target, and bring your weapon down. On a successful touch attack with your weapon, you make contact. You and your target now make opposing strength check, gaining a + or – 4 to your roll for every size category above or below medium. If you beat the strength check, your opponent takes full damage, and is knocked prone. If they beat the strength check, they manage to push back, taking only half damage, and knocking you flat footed. If you are beaten by 10 or more, you are knocked prone.

Damage Reduction (Ex): You have learned to ignore some of the pain inflicted on you, making you more resistant to attacks.

Battle Concentration (Ex): When making a rending strike, you have learned to ignore the pain. If hit by an AoO, you still take damage, but need not make a concentration check. You automatically succeed. The Rending Strike cannot be prevented unless you are damaged to the point of death. In addition, you gain a +4 bonus to all other concentration checks.

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Im not to crazy about the name. Feel free to take it apart and use it as you want.

From Eldersphinx's LJ (10Feb06):

So is this a Thrall-like class?...
Kwint

I wasn't kidding about getting bored on this road trip...

Hmmm, something similar to Bardic Knowledge, perhaps?

Ok, I've editted them into somethign with more depth and numbers attached. Thoughts? Critisms? Commentary?

Would you allow these Pr. Classes in your home game?

kwint: Yes, and Bluff.

Anyone going to stat out Alzrius?

True, but it wouldn't stop a high level Harmonium adventuring party from being assigned to hunting him down.

Besides, he's scheming to return, isn't he? Perhaps his schemes are starting to come to fruition, and it's up to the PCs to stop him. Heck, that's an entire campaign right there.

Hi, here's my attempt at a bard hunter type class. Let me know what you think.

The Censor

The tradition of the bard hunter or “Censor” stretches back to before the time of Enoril himself, representatives of the Knights of Harmony scouring the land in search of misguided and chaotic users of artistic gifts. These censors are often artistically gifted themselves and even those who do not perform in the conventional sense often consider themselves to be artists in the medium of sword or spell. This connection with art tends to cause censors to view themselves as protectors of their medium from those who would warp it and bring into disrepute the followers of the true path.
There have always been conflicting philosophies between members of this profession as to whether their objective was to silence dissenting voices or to guide the talents of the misguided into line with the greater harmony. Despite this difference the two factions get along relatively well, for the most part seeing each other as different edges of the same sword in the fight against chaos.
Over time certain techniques have been developed and refined by those who choose one of these paths which are useful in finding and subduing rogue bards regardless of whether the user seeks to destroy their target or convert them. These techniques are often shared with new censors before they are sent out by the collages of the choir to aid them in their missions.
This path is most often taken by othodox bards but many rogues and rangers can also be found in the ranks of the censors.

Requirements:
BAB: +4,
Skills: Gather Information 8 ranks, Search 4 ranks, Sense motive 8 ranks,
Feat: Track ,
Lawful alignment,
Special – must receive official sanction by a recognised Orthorian Choir.

Hit Die: d8
Class Skills: 4+ Int skill points per level.
The Censor’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), Use Rope (Dex).
BAB: Average progression
Fort Save: Poor (1/3 level)
Ref Save: Good (2 + 1/2 level)
Will Save: Good (2 + 1/2 level)

Class Features:
Spell casting
Silencing Strike (1,3,6,9)
Detect Chaos (2)
Structured search (3, 6, 9)
Deaf Ear (4)
Dispelling strike (7,10)
Spurn the Heathen (10)

Spells: A Censor can cast a small selection of spells drawn from the list below. Due to the relatively simple somatic components a Censor is able to cast spells gained from this class whilst wearing light armour. A censor must have a charisma score equal to at least 10+ the spell level. The Difficulty class for saving throws against a Censors spells equals 10+ the spell level + The Censors Charisma modifier.
Silencing Strike: The Censor may magically empower one of his attacks with magical silence. This counts as a touch/ranged touch (if he empowers a missile weapon) attack which, if successful casts Silence as a caster of the Censors level centred on the target of the strike. The censor recieves one use of this ability per day at 1st level, then another at 3rd, 6th & 9th.
Detect Chaos: A Censor can use Detect Chaos at will as a cleric of equal level.
Skill Bonus: As he develops a Censor learns more efficient ways of tracking fugitives, at 3rd, 6th and 9th levels he receives a +2 bonus to Gather information and survival checks involved in tracking.
Deaf Ear: The censors musical palate has become so specialised that non-lawful harmonies now sound to him like discordant scratchings, mildly annoying but nothing more. The censor becomes immune to all bardic music effects created by a performer of a non-lawful alignment.
Dispelling strike: Once per day a 7th level Censor may use his attacks to punch through an opponents magical defences. This counts as a touch/ranged touch (if he empowers a missile weapon) attack which, if successful casts Greater Dispel Magic as a caster of the Censors level on the target of the strike. The censor gains an additional use of this ability at 9th level.
Spurn the Heathen: After so long dealing with the trickery of chaotic bards the censor has become immune to enchantment and illusion spells cast by non-lawful casters.

Changing a censors alignment away from lawul results in immediate loss of the abilities - silencing strike, dispelling strike and deaf ear.

1st Level
Alarm, animate rope, comprehend languages, detect magic, detect secret doors, disguise self, erase, expeditious retreat, hypnotism, identify, know direction, message, obscure object, open/close, read magic, remove fear, resistance, undetectable alignment, ventriloquism.

2nd Level
Alter self, blindness/deafness, cat’s grace, detect thoughts, eagle’s splendour, fox’s cunning, hold person, hypnotic pattern, invisibility, locate object, minor image, silence, tongues, web, whispering wind.

3rd Level
Blink, clairaudience/clairvoyance, dispel magic, displacement, glibness, haste, illusory script, invisibility sphere, remove curse, scrying, sculpt sound, secret page, see invisibility, slow, suggestion, speak with animals.

4th level
Arcane eye, break enchantment, freedom of movement, greater invisibility, hold monster, legend lore, locate creature, speak with plants, zone of silence.

Censor Spells per day - level 1/2/3/4:
Level 1: 0
Level 2: 1
Level 3: 2/0
Level 4: 3/1
Level 5: 3/2/0
Level 6: 3/3/1
Level 7: 3/3/2/0
Level 8: 3/3/3/1
Level 9: 3/3/3/2
Level 10: 3/3/3/3

Censor Spells known - level 1/2/3/4:
Level 1: 2
Level 2: 3
Level 3: 3/2
Level 4: 4/3
Level 5: 4/3/2
Level 6: 4/4/3
Level 7: 4/4/3/2
Level 8: 4/4/4/3
Level 9: 4/4/4/3
Level 10: 4/4/4/4

All good comments, thanks, I'll adjust accordingly when I get a sec, I actually thought I'd put in uses per day, mustn't have made its way from paper to screen.
I included bard meaning "Ortho bard" depending on the variant that gets accepted by this project whichever that may be.
With the "spurn the Heathen I was probably trying to over specialise it a bit so immunity to illusion and enchantment could work, I just thought it'd over-power the class a bit. I guess if I restrict the immunity to non-lawful spell casters that could work. I really wanted to get across an image of one of these guys coming up against a powerful bard and going "that's not music!"

cheers.

I noticed in “Complete Divine” that the Rainbow Servant prestige class had a suggested natural opposite in the servants of the raksasha. This class is only vaguely described as a “Striped Servant” and while I thought that name was pretty sucky the idea was cool so I fleshed out the class. The only issue I had with the whole thing was that the followers were getting clerical powers when the creatures they were emulating had none. I figured I’d write this off as a manifestation of the force of their beliefs which seems kind of appropriate if the raksasha have tribes of worshippers. Indeed many of the cats would encourage followers to take this class just to re-enforce their own feelings of divinity (after all if my followers are receiving divine power I must be a god right?).
I figured that since the raksasha numbers are so small they’d want agents around the world both to keep them informed and to act as their proxies, enter “The Disciples of the Paw”. I’ve written some flavour text and thought they might fit in well, let me know if you want the rules for use in Ortho.

Disciple of the Paw
Many years ago the raksasha foresaw that despite of their own, admittedly formidable, levels of personal power that they would become a largely ignored and powerless group upon the world of Ortho because of their lack of numbers in comparison to the other races. Obviously the answer was not to increase their population, more raksasha would only lead to more rivals for territory, so to increase the range of their influence many of the raksasha lords of Hazhkan began to train their most devoted worshippers in the arts of manipulation, subterfuge and sorcery whilst always stressing the concept of “the natural order” with the raksasha naturally appearing at the top. In some cases a raksasha even modified the form of their servant to assist in their integration with another society.
An unforseen upshot of the association between master and servant was that the disciples began to closely resemble their masters in many ways, becoming supernaturally aware of the thoughts and motivations of those around them. In addition, their faith in the raksasha began to manifest itself as a grasp on spells usually associated with the divine.
Most modern day Disciples (or claws as they refer to one another) can be found in major settlements across Ortho as well as beyond. They often conceal their abilities from those around them and insinuate themselves into local power cliques in order to better serve their distant masters. Disciples of different masters often work at cross purposes and generally try to avoid one another’s territory as a matter of courtesy, however those of the same master often secretly co-ordinate their efforts and pool their information.
The raksasha occasionally accept outsiders as Disciples if they appear useful and are able to show a sufficiently deferential attitude. Such supplicants are often given a task to demonstrate their loyalty before being accepted although in exceptional cases a characters reputation may precede them.

Item:
All Disciples carry a small clipping of their masters fur, often incorporated into a piece of clothing or an item of jewellery. This item acts both as a clerical symbol and as a method of communication with their master allowing 1 sending each way per day.

I like your Rakshasa idea and would like to see it statted up.

The Urflheim beastblood looks pretty good, but it really needs to have some abilities distinct to Ortho. Right now he is just a pastiche of already-existing abilities, and doesn't have enough unique features to justify being its own full class. Unless you can find some unique abillities to give it, I'd recomend turning it into a five or ten level prestige class (remember, prestige classes needn't all start at level five).

We could just put in something saying Barbarians and other non-lawful classes have no such restrictions on Ortho. They were always stupid rules anyway. I mean, who says just because you live in the woods and have to hunt and forage for your livelihood that you can't follow the laws of your society? It's such a load of crap, and yet another piece of evidence that WotC doesn't do enough real-world research.

So I think you should make this class with the idea in mind that the barbarian is present in Ortho's wilderness and many of the non-weretouched warriors in Urflheim and elsewhere will have the class.

As for the Detect Chaos idea, I'm going to have to say no. Just because they're on Ortho doesn't mean their life's mission should be to fight chaos. Hell, I seen no reason why a few such beast-warriors wouldn't secretly be chaotic themselves.

I say we make this a Barbarian-oriented prestige class. Give it the shifter traits you were talking about as well as improved Barbarian abilities, and add things like Track to fill in the cracks. What doesn't work for a base class can work fine for a prestige class.