Cacophonous Knight (3.5e Prestige Class)

Summary::A gish class which employs sonic damage, all of the sonic damage. Length::10 Minimum Level::4 Base Attack Bonus Progression::Good Fortitude Save Progression::Good Reflex Save Progression::Poor Will Save Progression::Good Class Ability::Prepared Arcane Spellcasting Class Ability::Spontaneous Arcane Spellcasting Class Ability::Prepared Divine Spellcasting Class Ability::Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting Class Ability::Psionics Class Ability::Bardic Music Class Ability Progression::Partial

Cacophonous Knight
"This quiet offends us. Things will get loud now!"

Music touches the souls and have magical powers in itself, as bards themselves show. This primal song pulses within the world, and some suspect it comes from a source. This source has been said to be sentient or not, beneficial or maleficent, and none truly know. But what is known is the power and the source are real, and one can tap into it can become something truly amazing.

Becoming a Cacophonous Knight
Cacophonous Knights love the noise, and embrace the power of music, becoming something above and beyond what they are. Cacophonous knights often stem from bards and sorcerers but anyone capable of producing sonic spells can do it.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Cacophonous Knight.

You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting or manifesting class before becoming a Cacophanous Knight, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

If you have no levels in bard, you gain the bardic music of a bard of your cacophonous knight level.

 : As a move action you can cause the next sonic damage you deal within 1 round to also deafen the target if a creature fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma). They are deafened for 1 minute on a failed save, save negates.

 : Whenever you use your bardic music you gain fast healing equal to your class level for as long as you maintain the bardic music, or 1 minute, whichever is less.

 : You can weaponize any instrument as a weapon. You gain proficiency in "instrument" and treat them as any simple or martial weapon of equivallent size or effect. For example, a guitar can easily become a bludgeoning greataxe, while a flute may act as a piercing weapon such as a shortsword.

More importantly you can use it as the focus for powerful sonic blasts you can create at will. You make a ranged touch attack out to 60 ft, and deal 1d6 points of sonic damage per class level.

 : How can you use all this sound if you hurt yourself in the process? The cacophanous knight gains sonic resistance 5. This improves to sonic resistance 15 at 4th, and sonic resistance 30 at 7th.

The cacophonous knight must be using bardic music at the time to use song casting.

 : The cacophonous knight can choose to communicate through song. All creatures can understand a cacophanous knight as long as he sings or plays his intent, though the creature may not be able to communicate back. He can communicate to any non-mindless creature this way, even animals.

 : At 3rd level and every three levels beyond, the cacophonous knight gains +1d6 bonus sonic damage on their physical attacks.

 : As a move action you can cause the next sonic damage you deal within 1 round to also stagger the target if a creature fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma). They are staggered for 1d4 rounds on a failed save, save negates.

 : At 4th level, the cacophonous knight becomes immune to deafening.

 : As a move action you can cause the next sonic damage you deal within 1 round to also nauseate the target if a creature fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma). They are nauseated for 1 round on a failed save, save negates.

 : At 5th level, a cacophonous knight's sound continues to vibrate after it's occurred. Any creature which has failed their save against the cacophanous knight's deafening note, staggering note, brown note, or stunning note abilities takes half the damage they took from the attack again on the following round.

 : The 6th level cacophonous knight is so loud nothing can stop the noise. His sonic abilities function even in a void or silence field), and they can still speak and vocalize.

 : As a move action you can cause the next sonic damage you deal within 1 round to also stun the target if a creature fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma). They are stunned for 1 round on a failed save, save negates.

 : An 8th level cacophonous knight's bardic music abilities now extend out to a range of 1000 ft. In addition if the cacophanous knight uses bardic music in conjunction with allies within 30 ft who aid another on the Perform check, the range of the bardic music range extends out to 1 mile for each additional player, to a maximum of 1 mile/level.

 : As a standard action at will, the cacophonous knight can play a pure note so explosively loud they transform into music. This duplicates the effect of dimension door, but the entry and exit points erupt in an explosive blast that deals 1d4 points of sonic damage/level in a 10 ft radius. A Fortitude save, DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma reduces the damage by half.

 : Once per day as a move action you can cause the next sonic damage you deal within 1 round to also kill the target if a creature fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma). They are killed on a failed save, save renders the creature staggered for 1 round. This is not a [Death] effect.

 : The scaling of the blast from Sonic Weaponry is now based on your character level, not your class level.

 : At 10th level the cacophonous knight becomes immune to sonic damage.

 : The 10th level cacophonous knight is able to make a truly powerful bardic music ability. Using this ability takes full-round actions to concentrate on. The songs may be concentrated up to 1 minute, and once you finish you are rendered fatigued for as long as you were playing. There are three separate degrees of the song you are able to use. For all abilities any save DCs are Fortitude, 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma. Once used, you have a cooldown of 1 hour before you can use it again.


 * Fire the Bass Cannon: You deal your sonic instrument damage to all creatures in a 30 ft radius, centered on you. Creatures get a Fortitude save for half.  Creatures which move into the area are subject to damage as well.  While you play, you are immune to all non-siege ranged projectiles as if you were protected by wind wall.


 * Rock and Roll: You duplicate the effects of earthquake with a duration of how long you play and centered on yourself. You are immune to the effects of your own earthquake.


 * Shake Up, Break Down: You must play for an entire minute. At the end of it you duplicate the effect of reticulating splines.

The epic Cacophonous Knight gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Cacophanous Knight feats) at 11th and every 3 levels after (14th, 17th, etc).

Epic Cacophonous Knight Bonus Feat List: PENDING

Playing a Cacophonous Knight
Combat: Cacophonous Knights can blast from afar or get up in melee, while buffing themselves and others with awesome bardic abilities.

Advancement: Bardic prestige classes are good classes to segway into.

Resources: Sometimes cacophonous knights join up into a sweet rock band.

Cacophonous Knights in the World
"The mind-curdling cacophony of the battlefield! Shape it, savor it, add to it until your senses shake and your minds quiver with deafening bliss!"

NPC Reactions: WHY IS IT SO LOUD?!

Cacophonous Knight Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge Nobility can research Cacophonous Knights to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Cacophonous Knights in the Game
Sample Encounter: The ultimate rock concert is here! But is it a secret plot by evil cacophanous knights to summon demons from the abyss?

EL 14: PENDING