Daring Dancer
“5, 6, 7, 8... What's my next step?"-Olivia, Daring DancerMartial arts started as a way for fighting, but soon they started being used for entertainment too. After all every martial art is based in mastering the rythms of one’s body much like a bard masters their voice, knowing how to wield weapons like a musician plays their instrument, and both can make for a great show.
Thus the origin the Daring Dancers, learning martial arts not for violence and war but to entertain and inspire others. Although often violence and war often come knocking, and in those cases a Daring Dancer may need to turn her arts to both defend herself and support her public.
Daring Dancers are usually female, but young beatiful men taking this path is far from unheard of.
MAKING A DARING DANCERAbilities: Charisma is the key ability for Perform and Dexterity is useful when one is using light weapons. Constitution bolsters your HP. However a Daring Dancer’s choice of schools may also make other stats more important.
Races: Virtually everybody that has eyes can enjoy a good dance, and from orcs underground to elves in their forests and even among the sea races one may find Daring Dancers.
Alignment: Good Daring Dancers love to use their arts just to put smiles in the faces of sad people while Evil Daring Dancers prefer to be the center of attention, seeking to make others addicted to their shows. Lawful Daring Dancers prefer to perfect a few styles and perform under contract while Chaotic Daring Dancers travel around picking bits from here and there to combine with their dances, spontaneously acting anywhere.
Starting Gold: 4d4x10 (100gp)
Starting Age: Young
HD:d8| Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Feature | Maneuvers Known | Maneuvers Readied | Stances Known |
| 1 | +1 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Sublime Dance, Fascinating Dance, Counter Dance, Courage Dance +1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | +2 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Personal Dance 1/hour, Dancing Feat | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Competence Dance | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Special Dance | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 5 | +5 | +1 | +4 | +4 | The Show Goes On | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 | +6/+1 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Fighting Dance | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | +7/+2 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Special Dance | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | +8/+3 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Courage Dance +2 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| 9 | +9/+4 | +3 | +6 | +6 | Greatness Dance | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | +10/+5 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Special Dance | 8 | 5 | 4 |
| 11 | +11/+6/+1 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Personal Dance 2/hour, Dancing Feat | 9 | 5 | 5 |
| 12 | +12/+7/+2 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Freedom Dance | 9 | 5 | 6 |
| 13 | +13/+8/+3 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Special Dance | 10 | 5 | 6 |
| 14 | +14/+9/+4 | +4 | +9 | +9 | Courage Dance +3 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
| 15 | +15/+10/+5 | +5 | +9 | +9 | Heroic Dance | 11 | 6 | 7 |
| 16 | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +5 | +10 | +10 | Special Dance | 11 | 6 | 8 |
| 17 | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 | Personal Dance 3/hour, Dancing Feat | 12 | 6 | 9 |
| 18 | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Double Dance | 12 | 6 | 10 |
| 19 | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Special Dance | 13 | 6 | 10 |
| 20 | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +6 | +12 | +12 | Destiny Dance, Courage Dance +4 | 13 | 7 | 10 |
4 Skill points+int per level, quadruple at 1st level. Class skills: Apraise, Bluff, Concentration, Craft(any), Climb, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Intimidate, Handle Animal, Jump, Knowledge(any), Listen, Perform(any) Profession(any), Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Tumble, Use Rope
Proficiencies: simple weapons and light armor, one-handed martial weapons.
Features:Maneuvers: A Daring Dancer learns maneuvers from two martial schools of her choice. If any of the schools demands any special prerequisite (like Ancient Temple needing a feat) the Daring Dancer must fulfill it as well. Her Iniator level is equal to her Daring Dancer level, and she can only learn maneuvers of a level no bigger than half (IL+1). If the Daring Dancer would learn a new stance but there's no more valid options among her chosen schools, she may pick another school to learn a stance from.
Daring Dancers fight in rythm, they automatically recover one expended maneuver of their choice at the start of their turn.
At 4th level, and every even-numbered level afterwards, the Daring Dancer can swap one of her older maneuvers with a new one she qualifies for from one of her two schools (the new one doesn't need to be of the same level of the older one).
Sublime Dance(Ex): Like Bards can motivate crowds with their music, a Daring Dancer can dance to get a great show going. This works exactly like Bardic Music, but using Daring Dancer levels instead of Bard levels, it’s an Ex effect, the Daring Dancer can’t be using armor heavier than Light, no shields either and can’t have more than one hand holding anything and doesn’t rely on sound so there’s no problem with Deafness and she can use her voice for other stuff while dancing, but it requires sight so others who can’t see the Daring Dancer can’t benefit from it. At first level the Daring Dancer can use Fascinating Dance, Counter Dance and Courage Dance which work as the bard's Fascinate, Counter Song and Inspire Courage respectively besides as noted previously. Feats, prcs, ACFs and similar for Bardic Music can be used for Sublime Dance too.
Personal Dance(Ex): Starting at 2nd level a Daring Dancer may approach an ally to give them a closer look of her moves, making sure they have a good view that inspires them to push them beyond their limits. Like Sublime Dance, it cannot be used if the Daring Dancer is wearing armor heavier than Light, has any shields or more than one hand busy. As a standard and swift action the Daring Dancer may grant an extra Standard action to an adjacent ally that must be used in the same round and the Daring Dancer recovers all her expended maneuvers. Once somebody has benefited from Personal Dance, they cannot benefit from another Personal Dance for 1 hour unless it’s from another Daring Dancer with more ranks in Perform. Daring Dancers themselves cannot benefit from Personal Dance because they’ve practiced it so much they’ll either consider it somebody else’s moves inferior and thus not worthy of attention or else superior to their own and thus lead to sadness. The Daring Dancer can first use Personal Dance once per hour, plus another time per hour at 11th and 17th levels.
Dancing Feat(Ex): At 2nd level for each Stance she knows the Daring Dancer gains a bonus feat from the fighter bonus feat list she qualifies for, but she only benefits from that feat while on the respective Stance. Those feats may be changed with 1d12 hours of dance practice for another valid configuration. This applies retroactively when the Daring Dancer learns new Stances. At 11th and 17th level she gains another Dancing Feat for each of her stances.
Competence Dance(Ex): At 3rd level the Daring Dancer can use Competence Dance, which works the Bard’s Inspire Competence, but Ex and for Sublime Dance.
Special Dance(Su): Starting at 4th level the Daring Dancer picks one of the following abilities and when using Sublime Dance or Personal Dance any affected allies receives the special benefit. At 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th and 19th she picks another Special Dance but when using Sublime/Personal Dance can only pick one. All bonus last as long as the Sublime Dance (or 1 round for Personal Dance), are of the morale type and benefit both the Daring Dancer and the target(s).
Blaze-All attacks cause an extra 1d4 damage (fire, acid, cold or electricity, chosen when this learned) plus another 1d4 at 7 Perform(Dance) Ranks and for each extra 4 ranks in Perform(Dance) and grants Resistance to the chosen element equal to Perform(Dance) ranks.
Gale-Target gains an Haste effect where the bonus to attack rolls, AC and saves is boosted by an extra +1 at 7 Perform(Dance) Ranks and for each extra 4 ranks in Perform
Stone-Target gain +2 to Fort saves which increases by an extra +2 at 7 Perform(Dance) Ranks and for each extra 4 ranks in Perform(Dance) plus Hardness equal to half the ranks in Perform (Dance) and an equal bonus to resist trip/disarm/bullrush checks.
Torrent-Target gains a +2 bonus on Will saves which increases by an extra +2 at 7 Perform(Dance) Ranks and for each extra 4 ranks in Perform(Dance) plus SR equal to 11+ ranks in Perform (Dance) which may be dropped or raised at any time as a free action even if it isn’t their turn and a Freedom of Movement effect.
Deluge-You need both Torrent and Gale special dances to pick this and it grants the benefits of both.
Geyser-You need both Torrent and Stone special dances to pick this and it grants the benefits of both.
Fireflood-You need both Blaze and Torrent special dances to pick this and it grants the benefits of both.
Firestorm-You need both Blaze and Gale special dances to pick this and it grants the benefits of both.
Rockslide-You need both Stone and Gale special dances to pick this and it grants the benefits of both.
At 5th level the Daring Dancer can use Sublime Dance without spending an use by counting herself as 4 levels lower, and while it lasts she counts as having 4 less ranks in Perform(Dance).
Fighting Dance: At 6th level the Daring Dancer can start a Sublime Dance and initiate a Strike with an initiation time of a Standard action or less as a Fullround action.
Greatness Dance(Ex): At 9th level the Daring Dancer can use Greatness Dance, which works the Bard’s Inspire Greatness, but Ex and for Sublime Dance.
Freedom Dance(Ex): At 12th level the Daring Dancer can use Freedom Dance, which works the Bard’s Song of Freedom, but Ex and for Sublime Dance.
Heroic Dance(Ex): At 15th level the Daring Dancer can use Heroic Dance, which works the Bard’s Inspire Heroics, but Ex and for Sublime Dance.
Dancing Stance(Ex): At 18th level the Daring Dancer can assign each of her Sublime Dances to one of her known stances. When she starts that Sublime Dance, she counts as having entered the respective stance too, stacking with any other stance she was in. The Dancing Stance lasts as long as the Sublime Dance does. She can assign multiple stances to the same Sublime Dance, but in that case when she starts that Sublime Dance, she must choose only one of the respective Dancing Stances to benefit from this.
Destiny Dance(Ex): At 20th level 1/day when the Daring Dancer starts one of her Sublime Dances she counts as having prepared all of the respective maneuvers of the respective Dancing Stance even if she didn’t have enough prepared maneuver slots.
