Alternate Class Features (Legendary Bard)

## **Class Skills**

The following options can be taken in place of the legendary bard’s normal class skills.

**Natural Performer:** The legendary bard’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str) and Use Magic Device (Cha).

## **Weapon and Armor Proficiency**

The following options can be taken in place of the legendary bard’s normal weapon proficiencies, armor proficiencies, or both. If one of the following alternate class features modifies only the legendary bard armor proficiencies, it can be combined with an alternate class feature that modifies their weapon proficiencies, such as with the dancer’s style and prescient defense alternate class features.

**Armored Bard:** The legendary bard is proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, medium armor and shields. A legendary bard who selects this alternate class feature can cast their bard spells while wearing medium armor, light armor, and while wielding shields without suffering from arcane spell failure. This modifies the legendary bard’s weapon and armor proficiencies.

**Dancer’s Style:** The legendary bard does not gain proficiency with any weapons besides all simple weapons. Instead, the legendary bard has learned to use their body as a weapon during their performances. The legendary bard gains the unarmed strike class feature of the monk, using their legendary bard as their effective monk level for this ability. If they later take levels in monk, or another class that gives them the unarmed strike class feature, these levels stack when determining their unarmed strike damage. This modifies the legendary bard’s weapon proficiencies.

**Exotic Weapon Wielder:** The legendary bard is proficient with all simple weapons, and one exotic weapon of their choice. This modifies the legendary bard’s weapon proficiencies.

**Prescient Defense:** The legendary bard does not gain proficiency with armor or shields. Instead, the legendary bard has learned a special technique to avoid danger, whether it be a sixth sense, foresight, or a divine blessing. The legendary bard adds their Charisma modifier to their AC and CMD. These bonuses apply even against touch attacks or when the bard is caught flat-footed and increases by +1 for every 4 legendary bard levels. The legendary bard loses this bonus when they are immobilized or helpless, when they wear any armor or use a shield, or when they carry a medium or heavy load. This does not stack with the monk’s AC bonus or similar class features. If the legendary bard takes levels in another class, the bonus provided by this class feature is capped at their legendary bard level. This modifies the legendary bard’s armor proficiencies.

## **Bardic Spellcasting and Cantrips**

The following options can be taken in place of the legendary bard’s bardic spellcasting and cantrips abilities.

**Performer of the Wild Songs:** The legendary bard casts spells drawn from the druid and ranger spell lists, rather than the bard spell list. Only druid spells of 6th level and lower and ranger spells are considered to be part of the legendary bard’s spell list. If a spell appears on both the druid and ranger spell lists, the legendary bard uses the lower of the two spell levels listed for the spell. For instance, *reduce animal* is a 2nd-level druid spell and a 3rd-level ranger spell, making it a 2nd-level legendary bard spell for the purposes of this alternate class feature. Likewise, *detect poison* is a 0-level druid spell and a 2nd level ranger spell, making it a 0-level spell.

Instead of being able to be taught spells by other bards, a legendary bard can learn spells from other legendary bards with this alternate class feature, from druids or rangers, or from other characters who cast spells using those spell lists.

## **Bardic Knowledge**

The following options can be taken in place of the legendary bard’s bardic knowledge ability.

**Companion Familiar:** At 2nd level, the legendary bard gains a familiar, treating their legendary bard level as their effective wizard level for the purpose of this ability.

**Courtly Savvy:** The legendary bard gains a bonus equal to half their class level on Diplomacy, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), and Knowledge (nobility) checks.

**Performer’s Expertise:** The legendary bard gains a bonus equal to half their class level on Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, and Disguise checks.

**Shameless Scoundrel:** The legendary bard gains a bonus equal to half their class level on Bluff, Disguise, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth checks.

**Eye for Detail:** The legendary bard gains a bonus equal to half their class level on Knowledge (local), Perception, and Sense Motive checks, as well as Diplomacy checks to gather information.

**Magical Training:** The legendary bard gains a bonus equal to half their class level on Knowledge (arcana), Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device checks.

**Theologian’s Master:** The legendary bard gains a bonus equal to half their class level on Heal, Knowledge (planes), and Knowledge (religion) checks.

**Outrider’s Cunning:** The legendary bard gains a bonus equal to half their class level on Handle Animal, Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Ride, and Survival checks.

**Criminal’s Insight:** The legendary bard gains a bonus equal to half their class level on Appraise, Disable Device, Escape Artist, and Intimidate checks.

## **Bardic Fame**

The following options can be taken in place of the legendary bard’s bardic fame ability.

**Bardic Renown:** a legendary bard becomes well known in a specific community in which they gain the benefits of renown. They gain the renown vigilante social talent, treating their legendary bard level as their vigilante level for this ability. This community can be an entire settlement or portions of a settlement (such as a particular district or neighborhood), depending on the population as allowed by the renown social talent. For the purposes of this class feature, the legendary bard does not have a vigilante identity and is always considered to be in their social identity. At 8th level, the legendary bard gains the great renown vigilante talent. At 14th level, the legendary bard gains the incredible renown vigilante talent. At 20th level, the legendary bard can gain renown in a single community of up to 100,000 people (metropolis) or up to two larger cities of no more than 25,000 individuals each (large city).

**Bardic Notoriety:** This functions as the bardic renown alternate class feature, save that instead of being considered to be in their social identity for the purposes of the bardic renown ability, the legendary bard is instead treated as always being in their vigilante identity, gaining a circumstance bonus to Intimidate checks instead of improving the starting attitude of the community. At 20th level, the circumstance bonus to Intimidate from their incredible renown social talent increases to +10.

**Masked Performer:** At 2nd level, the legendary bard gains the dual identity and seamless guise vigilante abilities. If the bard later selects the school of the socialite bardic school, they can select any vigilante social talent using the school, rather than only talents that don’t rely on the dual identity feature.

At 8th level, and again at 14th and 20th level, the legendary bard gains their choice of the following vigilante social talents. They use their legendary bard level as their vigilante level for the purposes of meeting the prerequisites and determining the effects of these talents: any guise, case the joint, everyman, feign innocence, immediate change, many guises, morphic mask, quick change, or subjective truth.

## **Lore Master**

The following options can be taken in place of the legendary bard’s lore master ability.

**Acrobat’s Talent:** At 5th level, and again at 11th level, the legendary bard gains a rogue talent from the following list, using their legendary bard level as their effective rogue level: agile climber, artful dodger, consummate avoidance, expert leaper, fast stealth, fast tumble, ledge walker, rogue crawl, rope master, stand up, and wall scramble.

At 17th level, they gain an additional talent chosen from any of the above talents, or an advanced talent from the following list: defensive roll, fast tumble, hide in plain sight, and skill mastery.

This ability does not qualify the legendary bard for the Extra Rogue Talent feat.

**Bard’s Luck (Ex):** At 5th level, once per day the legendary bard can choose to roll two dice instead of one when making any skill check, keeping the better of the two results. The bard must choose to use this ability before they roll any dice for the check. The legendary bard can use this ability an additional time each day at 8th level, and every three levels thereafter.

**Lore of the Wilds:** The legendary bard has mastered the lores of nature itself. This ability functions as the lore master ability, save that it applies to the Handle Animal, Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Ride, and Survival skill checks instead of all Knowledge skill checks.

**Master of Manipulation:** The legendary bard is a master in swaying others to their line of thinking, and detecting those who would do the say to them. This ability functions as the lore master ability, save that it applies to Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive skill checks instead of Knowledge skill checks.

## **Inspirations**

The following options can be taken in place of or modify the legendary bard’s inspirations ability.

**Animal Singer (Ex):** At 1st level, the legendary bard forms a bond with an animal companion available to a druid. This ability functions like the druid animal companion ability. The legendary bard’s effective druid level is equal to their class level. If a character receives an animal companion from more than one source, their effective druid levels stack for the purposes of determining the companion’s statistics and abilities.

A legendary bard with this alternate class feature counts their legendary bard level as four levels lower (minimum 0) when determining when they receive new inspirations, and the strength of their inspirations. The legendary bard can combine this alternate class feature with other alternate class features that modify, but not replace, their inspiration class feature. The modified class feature also suffers this penalty.

This modifies the legendary bard’s inspirations class feature.

**Dragon Singer (Ex):** At 1st level, the legendary bard forms a magical bond with a drake, gaining a legendary drake companion. The bard’s drake companion has a base Charisma score of 11, and adds Perform (Act, Comedy, Dance, Oratory, Sing) to their list of class skills. At 4th level, and every 2 levels thereafter, the base Charisma score of the drake companion increases by +1. This magical bond bolsters both the drake and the legendary bard, granting them both a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects, and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls while they are within 100 feet of each other. At 5th level, and every four legendary bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1 to a maximum of +5 at 17th level.

This replaces the legendary bard’s inspirations class feature.

**Diminishments (Su):** The legendary bard can utilize their wits and magics to diminish their foes rather than inspire their allies. Starting a diminishment requires a standard action and lasts until the legendary bard chooses to end their diminishment (a free action) or if the legendary bard loses the ability to take any actions (such as if they are dazed, nauseated, unconscious, paralyzed or stunned). A legendary bard can only use a single diminishment at a time, attempting to start a second diminishment ends the first. Each of the legendary bard’s diminishments are mind-affecting effects.

To be affected by a diminishment, the enemy must be within 60 feet of the legendary bard, and the legendary bard must be able to see their foe. The foe must also be able to see or hear the bard to suffer from their diminishment. If an ability would affect the legendary bard’s inspirations, it also affects their diminishments, such as the quickened performance ability or the Clockwork Speaker feat.

This modifies the legendary bard’s inspirations class feature. As the legendary bard increases in level they gain diminishments from the list below:

*Diminish Courage:* At 1st level, the legendary bard can diminish the courage of their foes, imposing a -1 penalty on saving throws against charm and fear effects, and a -1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 5th level, and every four legendary bard levels thereafter, this penalty increases by -1 to a maximum of -5 at 17th level.

*Diminish Competence:* At 1st level, the legendary bard can diminish the competence of their foes, causing them to perform skills with greater difficulty. When the legendary bard begins this inspiration, they choose one skill. This diminishment imposes a -2 penalty to the chosen skill on the bard’s enemies. At 5th level, and every four legendary bard levels thereafter, the bard can choose an additional skill and the penalty imposed increases by -1, to a maximum of 5 chosen skills and a -6 bonus at 17th level.

*Diminish Heroics:* At 5th level, the legendary bard diminished the heroics of their foes, imposing a -2 penalty on all saving throws, and a -2 penalty to AC. At 9th level, and every four legendary bard levels thereafter, the penalty to saving throws and dodge AC increases by -1, to a maximum of -5 at 17th level.

*Diminish Spellcraft:* At 9th level, the legendary bard can diminish the spellcraft of their foes, imposing a -2 penalty to the caster level of spells they cast (to a minimum caster level of 1). At 13th level and 17th level, the penalty to caster level increases by -1, to a maximum of -4 at 17th level.

*Diminish Bravery:* At 13th level, the legendary bard can diminish the bravery of their foes. Each foe takes a -4 penalty on saving throws against fear effects. Creatures that are normally immune to fear lose their immunity to fear while they are being affected by this diminishment.

*Diminishment Greatness:* At 17th level, the legendary bard can diminish the greatness of their foes. Affected foes take a -2 penalty to their Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom scores, as well as a -2 penalty to their attack rolls and caster level of spells they cast (to a minimum caster level of 1). This reduction in ability scores bypasses any immunities to ability score reduction.

This modifies the legendary bard’s inspirations class feature.

**Selfish Inspiration:** The legendary bard uses their abilities to glimpse inspiration for themselves. The legendary bard’s inspirations no longer affect their allies, only themself. In addition, they gain the ability to maintain two inspirations at once, rather than only one. If they attempt to begin an inspiration while they already have two active, they choose which of their two inspirations they wish to end.

This modifies the legendary bard’s inspirations class feature.

## **Jack of All Trades**

The following options can be taken in place of the legendary bard’s jack of all trades ability.

**Magician’s Flexibility (Ex):** At 5th level, the legendary bard can take a move action to treat one of their known spells that isn’t prepared as if it were prepared for 1 minute. The legendary bard may use this ability once each day at 5th level, plus an additional time each day at 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.

The legendary bard can use this ability again before its duration expires in order to replace the previous spell or magic talent with another choice.

**Warrior’s Flexibility (Ex):** At 5th level, the legendary bard can take a move action to gain the benefits of a combat feat they don’t possess. This effect lasts for 1 minute, and the legendary bard must meet the feat’s prerequisites. The legendary bard may use this ability once each day at 5th level, plus an additional time each day at 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.

The legendary bard can use this ability again before its duration expires in order to replace the previous combat feat with another choice. If a combat feat has a daily use limitation (such as Stunning Fist), any uses of that combat feat while using this ability count toward that feat’s daily limit.

## **Well-Versed**

The following options can be taken in place of the legendary bard’s well-versed ability.

**Arcane Insight:** At 2nd level, the legendary bard can find and disable magical traps, like a rogue’s trapfinding ability. In addition, they gain a +4 bonus on saving throws made against illusions and a +4 bonus on caster level checks and saving throws to see through disguises and protections against divination (such as *misdirection*, and *nondetection*).

**Blatant Subtlety:** At 2nd level, the legendary bard has mastered the art of using magic without being detected. The legendary bard gains Spellsong as a bonus feat. Observers do not automatically recognize their bardic performances as anything other than ordinary speech or performance. Those specifically looking for abnormal effects must succeed at a Sense Motive check (DC = 10 + half the legendary bard’s level + their Charisma modifier) to detect their performances.