Skald
Skald
Cost: 5Skalds perform to empower their skills, but a skald is born to war and learns to perform in battle while they are actually fighting. When you purchase this header choose either epic poetry, which you recite as tales of valor and heroism, or songs of battle, which you sing even while fighting. Whichever you choose becomes your type of performance.
To use many abilities in this header you must create plot approved performances that you perform while fighting. A long performance is at least one minute in length. A short performance is at least 10 seconds in length. Some skills in this header have a requirement of finishing a performance. Skalds do not need to focus to perform; they may perform while fighting and moving about so long as they do not interrupt their performance by using other skills. This allows a skald, for instance, to hold a line while performing or to travel to another area while performing.
Although you may fight while finishing a short or long performance, there are some restrictions. While skills with a performance requirement might create effects at the end of a performance, you cannot use skills or abilities that create effects during the performance requirement. You can attack and block with weapons, you can move or even run normally assuming you don’t ruin the performance by losing your breath, and you may even call defenses if you can call them during the flow of the performance without ruining the quality of the piece you are reciting or singing. A performance is ruined if you are rendered helpless, unconscious, or silent before it is complete.
If you mess up the pre-approved words or the tune of a performance, due to calling a defense or just because you didn’t perform well, then you don’t expend the skill but you must start the performance over again from the beginning. You are playing a skald and have presumably practiced and timed your performances before they are approved by plot; you’ll know if you messed up the performance and must end the performance prematurely as appropriate.
Each time you successfully use a skill that requires a performance you gain a point of Protection.
A Call of Healing
Cost: 3Once per long rest, finish a short performance, spend a point Void, and call out “By My Voice, Heal 2 by Inspiration.” If you have a community trait you may instead call out “By My Voice, Heal 2 to [Community]” when using this skill.
Centering*
Cost: 3You may purchase this skill 3 times.
You gather magical power by singing, and this allows you to cast all sorts of spells more easily. You can purchase this skill up to 3 times, and each level of this skill gives you 1 point of Centering that can be exhausted instead of Earth, Fire, or Water when casting your spells. Spells cast using Centering points do not use normal incantations. Instead, you must finish a short performance before calling out the verbal. Each spell must have a unique musical short performance that is approved by plot. This song replaces the normal incantation of the spell.
Like Earth, Fire, and Water, you can refresh Centering points during a long rest a number of times equal to your Void. You may cast a spell using a mix of Centering points and attributes but using even one Centering point requires a short performance instead the usual incantation.
Companions in Arms
Cost: 2You may create a community and, if you already belong to a community, induct new members into your community. If you are creating a community, you must decide upon a community name and get plot approval for your name. Your community can be as big as you wish, and it can include the entire town if you want to do that. The first time you create a community or join a community you must create an induction ceremony of at least one minute. You may perform this induction ceremony for a person who has proven themselves worthy of inclusion in your community. When you finish the induction ceremony, touch the new member and call out “Permanent Grant [Community] Trait” to welcome the new member into your community. This person permanently gains your community trait.
You may normally only belong to and induct members into one community, although rumors have suggested there are ways to join and even learn to induct members into additional communities.
Durability of the Skald
Cost: 5You gain +1 to your Vitality attribute.
Song of Steel
Cost: 5Finish a long performance to reset your armor. If you have a skill or spell that gives you the ability to focus for one minute to reset your armor points you may instead finish a long performance as a replacement for that focus. This allows you to fight and hold a line and still reset your armor.
Song of Wind
Cost: 5Finish a long performance to refresh most of your Air attribute. If you need to rest to refresh your Air, you may instead finish a long performance and spend a point of Air as a replacement for that rest. This allows you to fight and hold a line and still refresh your Air, although it is not quite as efficient since you must pay a point of Air as cost of using the skill from the newly refreshed pool of Air points. This does not increase the number of times you may refresh Air before your next long rest; you are still limited by your Void as normal. This skill does allow you to fight or move while refreshing your Air.
Words of Courage
Cost: 4Finish a short performance, spend a point of Air, touch a recipient, and call out “Cure Fear by Inspiration” to bolster the courage of an ally.