Initiate of the Order of the Harlequin

Prestige Class

 

The Bard’s Guild of Talagon is broken down into different divisions, sometimes referred to as Orders or Colleges.  One such order is the Order of the Harlequin, a sect dedicated to the service of Jester, the god of mischief, mayhem, gambling, luck, rogues, acrobats and performers of every stripe.

 

The Bards who join this order are free spirited adventurers who dedicate their life to exploration, mischief, pranks, entertainment and getting filthy rich by any means necessary, other than outright murder.  Unlike the Thieves or Assassins Guilds, members of this guild rely more on their wits and talents than by the sword (not that the blade is an alien tool in their arsenal).  Bards of this order enjoy finding new lore, selling it to the highest bidder and getting famous (or even infamous) in the process. But wealth is not purely money to these bards, though they will defend it and fight to acquire it as needed. Since such wealth is sought after with a high level of competition, these bards have learned a few tricks to deal with such intrigue. Knowledge brings its own rewards, and not always for financial gain.  While some members of this order are purely greed-driven, most are anxious to learn about what the world has to offer (even if they must steal such knowledge from their fellow guild mates!)  Only through the acquisition of such knowledge can one learn the whereabouts of the truly best treasure!

 

Initiates of this order rely on stealth to sneak into ancient ruins, performing arts as the tools of subterfuge, and their wealth of knowledge, by which to gain even more. Bards of this college have often become famous for the discovery of many an ancient artifact or historic site.  Some of these same bards have also been known to sell their discoveries…and steal them back!  Fame, fortune and adventure are the provinces of these Initiates….honesty does not rank as high.

 

Prerequisites:

                                                                                       

Special: Devotion to the Jester

Class: Bard

Alignment: Any non-lawful

Languages: Common, Elven, Dwarven, Gnome, Halfling, Draconic

Race: Any

Skills: Appraise (5 Ranks), Perform (10 ranks), Knowledges (20 ranks), which must include at least one rank each in arcana, history, religion, architecture, geography, nature and planes. One Rank or more in each of the following: Gather Information, Move Silently, Hide, Search, Spot, Listen

 

Class Features:

 

Class Skills, Weapons, Armor: Same as Bard

 

Skill Points per level: 3 + Intelligence Modifier

 

Hit Die: d6

 

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special / Spells (each once per day)
1st	+0	0	+1	+1	Gifted Liar 1
2nd	+1	+1	+2	+1	Performance Synergy 2
3rd	+1	+1	+2	+2	Sneak Attack +1d6*
4th	+2	+2	+3	+2	Limitless Knowledge 3
5th	+2	+2	+3	+3	Ranged Legerdemain 4
6th	+3	+2	+3	+3	Sneak Attack +2d6
7th	+3	+3	+4	+4	Greater Lore 5
8th	+4	+3	+4	+4	Foment Chaos 6
9th	+4	+4	+5	+5	Sneak Attack +3d6
10th	+5	+4	+6	+5	True Lore  7

 

* Sneak Attack Bonuses stack with those earned from other Sources.

 

¹ When trying to pass on false information, you gain a +4 Competency Bonus to Bluff, Innuendo and Diplomacy checks. If the information is true, this bonus is reduced to +1 for these skills.

 

² Gain a +4 Synergy bonus to any relevant Class Skill attempted while performing an entertaining act. Examples include picking pockets while singing to an audience, Innuendo while Storytelling or Tumbling or Balance while performing acrobatics.

 

³+4 Competency bonus to all known knowledges. You may use unknown knowledges as untrained (normally not allowable), but without the bonus.

 

⁴ You may perform Disable Device, Open Lock and Sleight of Hand skills at a range of 30 feet, increasing the DC by 5. You may not take 10 or 20. Objects manipulated must weigh 5 lbs. or less. Use this ability once per day, twice per day at 8^th level and three times per day at 10^th level.

 

⁵You now understand magic items as with the Identify spell.

 

⁶Once per day, you may use music to cause Confusion as per the spell. This is not a spell, but may be ignored if the target’s Will save is greater than your Performance check.

 

⁷ Once per day, you may use your knowledge to gain the effect of a Legend Lore spell or Analyze Dweomer spell.