Muse-Touched Bard (Bard/Investigator)

Some bards train hard at their craft, while some bluff their way through their schooling either though luck or skillful deception. However, there are a rare few who are simply touched with extraordinary genius, never settling on any one medium of expression, but every piece they create reflects some part of the expressive world around them. These then, are the mused-touched bards, relying on inherent brilliance to perform their art. (Original Concept by Apraham Lincoln)

Primary Class: Bard.

Secondary Class: Investigator.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The muse-touched bard may select three investigator skills to add to his class skills in addition to the normal bard class skills. The muse-touched bard gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 6 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The muse-touched bard is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, longsword, rapier, sap, shortbow, short sword, sword cane, and whip. He is also proficient with light armor and with shields (except tower shields). A muse-touched bard can cast arcane spells while wearing light armor and using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance.

Inspiration (Ex): At 1st level, a muse-touched bard gains the investigator’s inspiration ability, but is changed in the following ways. The muse-touched bard uses his Charisma instead of his Intelligence to determine his inspiration pool. He can use inspiration on any Perform skills checks and any skill checks where he can use versatile performance without expending a use of inspiration, provided he is trained in the perform skill.

In addition, a muse-touched bard of 7th level or higher can gain temporary access to masterpieces or greater access to and spells. Once per day as a swift action, the muse-touched bard can learn a single spell from the bard, cleric, or sorcerer/wizard spell list and add it to his list of spells known, or gain a masterpiece of his choice. This exceeds his normal number of spells known. The muse-touched bard must spend a number of inspiration points equal to the spell’s level (minimum 1) or the equivalent spell level cost described in masterpiece’s description. The spell or masterpiece spell slot cost must be of a level that the muse-touched bard can cast. For example, if a muse-touched bard wants to gain the use of the symphony of the Elysian heart masterpiece, she must spend 3 points of inspiration, as the masterpiece requires the cost of a 3rd-level spell.

This ability replaces bardic knowledge.

Versatile Performance (Ex): This is exactly like the bard ability of the same name, except that the muse-touched can choose a versatile performance at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, up to 18th level. The muse-touched bard can choose Contraptions (Disable Device, Knowledge [Engineering]), Painting (Linguistics, Perception), or Sculpture (Appraise, Use Magic Device) as one of his versatile performances.

Alternatively, he can choose one of the following investigator talents in place of a versatile performance: alchemist discovery (enhance potion, eternal potion, and extend potion only), applied engineering, device talent, hidden agendas, inspirational expertise, inspired intelligence, item lore, rogue talent (black market connections, canny observer, charmer, coax information, convincing liar, guileful polyglot, hard to fool, honeyed words only), tenacious inspiration, unconventional inspiration, underworld inspiration.

This modifies the versatile performance and replaces well-versed and lore master.

Amazing Inspiration (Ex): At 10th level, a muse-touched bard gains the investigator’s amazing inspiration talent. When using inspiration, the muse-touched bard rolls a d8 instead of a d6. At 20th level, he rolls 2d8 and adds both dice to the result. This ability replaces jack-of-all-trades

Table: Muse-Touched Bard