The hymnist is the divine counterpart to the bard. He finds inspiration, and inspires his allies, though the power of word and song. Hymnists are similar to bards in most aspects. He is also a jack-of-all-trades. His interests vary across such a wide spectrum of areas that it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what a hymnist is. He can be an evangelist, preaching the word of his god. He can be part of a choir, inspiring his congregation to new heights of religious fervor. He can be a traveling preacher, spreading faith in his god to new lands. One thing all hymnists have in common is a drive to learn. They love to keep themselves informed of events both near and far.
Characteristics: As a very adaptable class, hymnists can fill a variety of rolls within a party. They may not be the best fighters, but they can fight if need be. They may not be the best spellcasters, but they can be a caster if need be. They may not be the best scout, but they can do so if need be. One thing hymnists typically excel at is personal interactions. When a party needs someone to speak on their behalf, a hymnist can be a wonderful choice.
Religion: Hymnists view religion a little differently than a regular bard. They find inspiration in the existence of deities that have the same views the hymnist himself has come to believe. hymnists often devote themselves to a particular church, though many change churches as they themselves change and grow. hymnists are great spokespersons for their church, and are often employed to spread the word to as many people as they can.
Role: The strengths of the hymnist class are in dealing with other people, and with filling any role the party may need at any given moment. With a little notice, hymnists can amply prepare to fill any role they’re asked to fill.

Game Rule Information
Hymnists have the following game statistics.
Abilities: As divine casters, charisma and wisdom are important to hymnists. Dexterity is important to a hymnist, who wears little if any armor.
Hit Die: d4+2
Starting Gold: 5d4x10

lvl BAB F R W Class Abilities
1 +0 +1 +1 +2 Armored Casting, Bardic Knowledge, Hymn (Rapture +1 & 1/-, Countersong, Fascinate)
2 +1 +1 +1 +3 +1 divine spellcasting level
3 +2 +2 +2 +3 Inspire Competence, Advanced Learning
4 +3 +2 +2 +4 +1 divine spellcasting level
5 +3 +2 +2 +4 +1 divine spellcasting level
6 +4 +3 +3 +5 Rapture +2 & 2/-, Phantasmal Song, Advanced Learning
7 +5 +3 +3 +5 +1 divine spellcasting level
8 +6 +4 +4 +6 +1 divine spellcasting level
9 +6 +4 +4 +6 Rally, Advanced Learning
10 +7 +5 +5 +7 +1 divine spellcasting level
11 +8 +5 +5 +7 +1 divine spellcasting level
12 +9 +6 +6 +8 Rapture +3 & 3/-, Smite, Advanced Learning
13 +9 +6 +6 +8 +1 divine spellcasting level
14 +10 +6 +6 +9 +1 divine spellcasting level
15 +11 +7 +7 +9 Warding, Advanced Learning
16 +12 +7 +7 +10 +1 divine spellcasting level
17 +12 +7 +7 +10 +1 divine spellcasting level
18 +13 +8 +8 +11 Bastion of Defense, Rapture +4 & 4/-, Advanced Learning
19 +14 +8 +8 +11 +1 divine spellcasting level
20 +15 +9 +9 +12 +1 divine spellcasting level
Class Skills: The hymnist’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are appraise (int), balance (dex), bluff (cha), climb (str), concentration (con), craft (int), decipher script (int), diplomacy (cha), disguise (cha), escape artist (dex), gather information (cha), hide (dex), jump (str), knowledge (all skills, taken individually)(int), listen (wis), move silently (dex), perform (cha), spellcraft (int), swim (str), tumble (dex), and use magic device (cha). See Player’s Handbook Chapter 4: Skills for skill descriptions.
Skill Points per Level: 6 + Int modifier

Class Features
All the following are class features of the hymnist.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Hymnists have proficiency with Basic Weapons Group and two other weapon groups of their choice. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Hymn: Once per day per hymnist level, a hymnist can use his song or poetics to produce magical effects on those around him (usually including himself, if desired). While these abilities fall under the category of hymns and the descriptions discuss singing or playing instruments, they can all be activated by reciting poetry, chanting, singing lyrical songs, singing melodies, whistling, playing an instrument, or playing an instrument in combination with some spoken performance. Each ability requires both a minimum hymnist level and a minimum number of ranks in the perform skill to qualify; if a hymnist does not have the required number of ranks in at least one perform skill, he does not gain the hymn ability until he acquires the needed ranks.

Starting a hymn effect is a standard action. Some hymn abilities require concentration, which means the hymnist must take a standard action each round to maintain the ability. Even while using a hymn that doesn’t require concentration, a hymnist cannot cast spells, activate magic items by spell completion (such as scrolls), spell trigger (such as wands), or command word. Just as for casting a spell with a verbal component, a deaf hymnist has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use a hymn. If he fails, the attempt still counts against his daily limit.
Fascinate (sp): As bard 1.
Countersong (su): As bard 1.
Rapture (su): A hymnist with 3 ranks in perform gains the ability to instill his allies with a religious rapture. An ally that hears the hymnist perform gains a +1 insight bonus to armor class, a +1 insight bonus to saves, and damage reduction 1/-. At level 6, and every 6 levels after, these values increase by 1.
Inspire Competence: As bard 3.
Phantasmal Song (su): A 6th level hymnist with 9 ranks in perform gains the ability to sow doubt and fear in his enemies. All enemies within 30 ft. must make a Will save (DC equal to perform check) or become shaken. Affected creatures get to retry their save every three rounds.
Rally (su): A 9th level hymnist with 12 ranks in perform gains the ability to dispel fear or charm effects. The hymnist makes a perform check and uses that as his caster level check to dispel any fear or charm effects allies within short range (25 ft. + 5 ft/2 levels) are under the effects of.
Smite (su): A 12th level hymnist with 15 ranks in perform gains the ability to imbue his allies with the ability to smite infidels. Upon activating this hymn, all allies that can hear the hymn gain a smite attack that must be used within 2 rounds. To use the smite, the character declares a single attack to be a smite before the attack roll is made. The character gains a bonus to hit equal to the hymnist's charisma modifier, and a bonus to damage equal to the hymnist's class level.
Warding (sp): A 15th level hymnist with 18 ranks of perform can use his performance to hedge outsiders away from he and his allies. The hymnist chooses a plane when he makes a perform check. The perform check total hedges out any outsiders (as the spell antipathy with a spell resistance lower than the perform check. Outsiders without spell resistance are automatically affected.
Bastion of Defense (su): A 18th level hymnist with 21 ranks in perform gains the ability to bolster his companions in acts of defensive fighting. He makes a perform check, and a number of allies equal to the result of the check that are within short range (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) gain the following bonuses:
+4 sacred* bonus to constitution
+4 sacred bonus to natural armor
10 temporary hit points
+4 sacred bonus to saves against fear and charm
(*sacred is meant to reflect divine bonuses, not the “good” alignment)

In addition, if any ally affected by this song is affected by anything that causes death, whether a spell effect, physical damage, or anything else, that ally instead just clings to life, 1 hit point from death (usually equal to negative hit points equal to Constitution score –1), and automatically stabilizes.

These bonuses last for the duration of the hymn, plus 1 round after.

Spells: At every level except 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th, a hymnist advances as a divine caster.

Hymnists have a class specific spell list that only they may access. A character must meet the minimum number of hymnist levels to gain access to these hymnist-only spells. All hymnist spells are divine spells, even if they normally appear on a different spell list. Use the following chart to determine the minimums necessary:
1st level hymnist spells: 2 levels of hymnist.
2nd level hymnist spells: 5 levels of hymnist.
3rd level hymnist spells: 8 levels of hymnist.
4th level hymnist spells: 11 levels of hymnist.
5th level hymnist spells: 14 levels of hymnist.
6th level hymnist spells: 17 levels of hymnist.

Caster Level: At every level except 1st and 6th, a hymnist’s effective caster level increases by 1, even though he doesn’t advance in spellcasting according to tables S-1 through S-3. This increase in effective caster level only affects the variables of his spells that are dependent upon caster level, such as range, number of targets affected, damage, area of effect, etc. It also increases opposed rolls that rely on caster level, such as rolls made to overcome spell resistance and caster level checks (dispel magic for example). This effective caster level increase does not grant him more spells known, more spells prepared, nor more spells per day.

Hymnist Spell List: As a divine caster, a hymnist may choose any spell from the cleric spell list at the appropriate level. He may also choose spells from the following list.
0-level: dancing lights, daze, flare, ghost sound, know direction, lullaby, mage hand, message, open/close, prestidigitation, summon instrument
1st level: alarm, animate rope, charm person, detect secret doors, disguise self, erase, expeditious retreat, feather fall, grease, hypnotism, identify, confusion (lesser), magic mouth, magic aura, obscure object, remove fear, silent image, sleep, hideous laughter, undetectable alignment, unseen servant, ventriloquism
2nd level: alter self, animal messenger, animal trance, blindness/deafness, blur, cat's grace, daze monster, detect thoughts, enthrall, fox's cunning, glitterdust, heroism, hypnotic pattern, invisibility, locate object, minor image, mirror image, misdirection, pyrotechnics, rage, scare, suggestion, tongues, whispering wind
3rd level: blink, charm monster, clairaudience/clairvoyance, confusion, crushing despair, deep slumber, displacement, fear, gaseous form, geas (lesser), glibness, good hope, haste, illusory script, invisibility sphere, leomund's tiny hut, major image, phantom steed, scrying, sculpt sound, secret page, see invisibility, snake sigil, slow, speak with animals
4th level: break enchantment, detect scrying, dimension door, dominate person, hallucinatory terrain, hold monster, invisibility (greater), legend lore, secure shelter, locate creature, modify memory, rainbow pattern, shadow conjuration, shout, speak with plants, zone of silence
5th level: dispel magic (greater), dream, false vision, heroism (greater), mind fog, mirage arcana, mislead, nightmare, persistent image, seeming, shadow evocation, shadow walk, song of discord, suggestion (mass)
6th level: analyze dweomer, charm monster (mass), eyebite, fox's cunning (mass), irresistible dance, permanent image, project image, scrying (greater), shout (greater), sympathetic vibration, veil

Extra Source Material: The above spell list doesn’t include any spells from other source materials than what I own. This list should automatically include any bard spells that are released with new accessory books.

Armored Casting: Hymnists gain Armored Casting as a bonus feat at 2nd level.

Advanced Learning: At level 3, and every three levels after (6, 9, 12, etc.), a hymnist can add a new spell to his spells known, representing the result of personal study and experimentation. The spell may be any spell that contains a morale bonus or any [mind-affecting] spell. This is in addition to any spells he knows from gaining a spellcasting level.