Bloodsong Heritor

Every race has a song to sing, a story to tell to the world. The bards who become bloodsong heritors are those who have chosen to take up that song. Exemplifying the art and culture of their peoples, bloodsong heritors unlock sanguine music that inspires their allies and fills their veins with its strange, pounding beat. Bloodsong heritors all begin as bards, and most of them are bards with an interest in preserving and promoting their race’s culture and unique nature in the wider world around them. While not all bards with that interest become bloodsong heritors, some discover a natural talent for the bloodsong, while others unearth it in ancient tomes or learn it from a fellow heritor. However it happens, they begin their journey into the heart and soul of their people, understanding it from a different perspective than their peers.

Bloodsong heritors can be found in any race that has bards, though truly old races produce them more often than younger races do. Many half-breeds become bloodsong heritors, looking to understand where they come from and then falling in love with their heritage.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d8

Role: Support; bloodsong heritors enhance their allies and use harmonic magic to bolster their spellcasting

Requirements

To qualify to become a bloodsong heritor, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Skills: Perform (any) 3 ranks

Feats: Bloodsong Adept

Spellcasting: Able to cast 1st-level barad spells

Special: Bardic performance class feature

Class Skills

The bloodsong heritor’s class skills are Knowledge (all) (Int), Perform (Cha), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Int modifier

Table: Bloodsong Heritor

Level	BAB	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spellcasting
1st	+0	+0	+1	+1	Bloodsong, harmonic enhancement	–
2nd	+1	+0	+1	+1	War hymn	+1 level of bard spellcasting
3rd	+2	+1	+2	+2	Harmonic blood	+1 level of bard spellcasting
4th	+3	+1	+2	+2	Bolstering rhythm	+1 level of bard spellcasting
5th	+3	+1	+3	+3	Harmonic balance	+1 level of bard spellcasting
6th	+4	+2	+3	+3	Furious chord	+1 level of bard spellcasting
7th	+5	+2	+4	+4	Counter resonance	+1 level of bard spellcasting
8th	+6	+2	+4	+4	Bloodsong mastery	+1 level of bard spellcasting
9th	+6	+3	+5	+5	Harmonic metamagic	+1 level of bard spellcasting
10th	+7	+3	+5	+5	Song of sorrows	–

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Bloodsong heritors gain no proficiency with any weapons and armor.

Spells Per Day

At every level except 1st and 10th, the bloodsong heritor gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in bard. She does not, however, gain other benefits a bard would have gained (such as class features). This essentially means that she adds those levels of bloodsong heritor to her levels of bard, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly.

Bloodsong (Su)

The bloodsong heritor learns songs woven with blood magic and her peoples’ ancient ancestry. She gains additional rounds per day of her bardic performances equal to her levels in this class, and learns the following bardic performances as she gains levels in bloodsong heritor. Bloodsong performances may have auditory or visual components, or both, as chosen by the bloodsong heritor when she begins each performance.

Harmonic Enhancement (Ex)

The bloodsong heritor weaves her songs and spells together in a way few bards ever learn to. She increases the caster level of spells she casts while maintaining a performance by 1. This increases to +2 at 5th level, and +3 at 10th level.

Harmonic Blood (Su)

At 3rd level, the bloodsong heritor learns to exploit the blood sympathy she can create with her harmonic spells; while maintaining a bardic performance, whenever she casts a spell targeting a creature that shares a type or subtype with her, she gains a +2 bonus to the save DCs of her spells until the beginning of her next turn and deals 2 additional damage per die with those spells, if the spell deals damage.

Harmonic Balance (Su)

At 5th level the bloodsong heritor learns to repurpose the magical energies in her songs and spells. She may cast any bard spell she knows without using one of her spells per day by instead expending bardic performance rounds equal to twice the spell’s level (rounded down).

She may modify a spell cast with this ability with metamagic as normal, which may require expending more performances. It may only have a maximum spell level equal to the highest level spell the bloodsong heritor can cast and still takes a full-round action to cast unless the bloodsong heritor has another ability that reduces its casting time. Additionally, the bloodsong heritor may sacrifice a spell slot as a swift action to regain a number of bardic performance rounds equal to the spell slot’s level, up to her full normal maximum (any excess is wasted).

Counter Resonance (Su)

At 7th level, the bloodsong heritor’s harmonic magic aids her when countering spells; she may attempt to counterspell as an immediate action as long as she maintained a bardic performance within the last round, without needing to ready an action. She otherwise follows the normal rules for counterspelling (including needing to use the spell being countered or a spell specifically noted to counter that spell).

Bloodsong Mastery (Su)

At 8th level, the bloodsong heritor’s mastery over the bloodsong’s fundamental principles reaches its pinnacle. The effects of her performances that can be maintained on creatures that share a type or subtype with her last for 2 rounds after she ceases performing, which stacks with the other effects that prolong the effects of her performances (such as the Lingering Performance feat).

Harmonic Metamagic (Su)

At 9th level, the bloodsong heritor masters the final aspect of her harmonic magic. She chooses Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, or Still Spell (once made, this choice may not be changed). Spells she casts while maintaining a bardic performance gain the benefits of the chosen feat without extending their casting time or increasing their spell level.