Boastful Gallant (Swashbuckler/Bard)

(Original Concept by Bardess)

All swashbucklers are braggarts more or less, and all bards as well; but a boastful gallant combines the swordplay and wordplay of both. Poetry, love, and glory are her lifeblood. Cheerful and romantic at heart, she deeply believes that seeing her beloved’s face and composing verses in his and her own bravery’s praise can give her the strength to defeat a hundred foes single–handedly. The thing is, that’s usually the case.

Primary Class: Swashbuckler.

Secondary Class: Bard.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d10.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The boastful gallant select three bard skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal swashbuckler class skills. The boastful gallant gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 6 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The boastful gallant is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, plus the dueling sword and the whip. She is also proficient with light armor, and with bucklers.

Performance Deeds: In addition to swashbuckler’s deeds, the boastful gallant gains a number of performance deeds that function like a bard’s bardic performances. Unlike swashbuckler deeds, performance deeds require the boastful gallant to spend panache points each round to be maintained. A boastful gallant can only perform deeds or performance deeds of her level or lower.

Starting a performance deed is a standard action (including spending the panache point), but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a performance deed from one effect to another requires the boastful gallant to stop the previous performance deed and start a new one as a standard action. A performance deed cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the boastful gallant is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. A boastful gallant cannot have more than one performance deed in effect at one time.

At 7th level, a boastful gallant can start a performance deed as a move action instead of a standard action. At 13th level, a boastful gallant can start a performance deed as a swift action. Each performance deed has audible components, visual components, or both.

A boastful gallant replaces five swashbuckler deeds with the following performance deeds.

Inspire Courage (Su): At 1st level, a boastful gallant gains the bard’s inspire courage performance. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 5th level, and every six boastful gallant levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level. A boastful gallant can affect a number of allies (including herself) equal to her Charisma modifier. This performance deed replaces the dodging panache deed.

Fascinate (Su): At 3rd level, a boastful gallant gains the bard’s fascinate performance. The boastful gallant can affect a number of opponents equal to her Charisma modifier. This performance deed replaces the kip–up deed.

At The Envoy’s End (Ex): At 7th level, a boastful gallant can improvise a ballad of epic proportion to challenge an opponent to single combat. She can spend 1 panache point for each round she maintains the performance. When the performance ends, she delivers a final blow with a light or one–handed piercing melee weapon (but not natural weapon attacks). For each round the performance is maintained, she gains a +1 bonus to this attack roll. If she rolls a potential critical hit with this attack, the critical is automatically confirmed. This performance deed replaces the superior feint deed.

Inspire Greatness (Su): At 11th level, a boastful gallant gains the bard’s inspire greatness performance and can inspire greatness in herself or a single willing ally within 30 feet. For every three levels the boastful gallant attains beyond 11th, she can target one additional ally while using this performance deed (up to a maximum of four at 20th level). This performance deed replaces the bleeding wound deed.

Inspire Heroics (Su): At 15th level, a boastful gallant gains the bard’s inspire heroics performance to inspire tremendous heroism in herself or a single ally within 30 feet. For every three levels the boastful gallant attains beyond 15th, she can inspire heroics in one additional creature. This performance deed replaces the dizzying defense deed.

In addition, a boastful gallant replaces 2 swashbuckler deeds for the following new deeds.

One Against Many (Ex): At 15th level, whenever an opponent attempts a melee attack against the boastful gallant, she can spend 1 panache point to make a single attack of opportunity against that opponent as an immediate action. She can use this performance deed against multiple opponents, but must spend 1 panache point for each opponent. If the boastful gallant has the Combat Reflexes feat, as an immediate action, she can spend 1 panache point to make a single attack of opportunity against a number of opponents equal to her Dexterity. This deed replaces the perfect thrust deed.

Immortal Panache (Ex): At 19th level, whenever the boastful gallant is reduced to 0 hit points or fewer, she can spend all of her remaining panache as an immediate action to fight on even after she is dead. For a number of rounds equal to the number of panache points spent, the boastful gallant continues to fight as normal, but is staggered. If the boastful gallant is reduced to a negative number equal to her Constitution score or lower (is dead), she continues to fight on until the performance deed ends, at which time she dies. A boastful gallant that dies in this way can be revived as normal. This deed replaces the cheat death deed.

Performance Panache (Ex): More than just a daring duelist, a boastful gallant is a quintessential performer. She can inspire herself and her allies to greater heights of heroism through her music and song, or demoralize her foes with her tenacity. At the start of each day, a boastful gallant gains a number of performance panache points equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1). This number goes up or down throughout the day, but usually cannot go higher than her maximum, though feats and magic items can affect this maximum. At each level after 1st, a boasting gallant gains 1 additional point of performance panache per day. Each round, the boasting gallant can spends her performance panache points to perform any one of her performance deeds. The boastful gallant must sing, dance, play an instrument, or otherwise use the Perform skill in some way to use her performance deeds.

A boastful gallant regains performance panache points in the same ways as a swashbuckler can regain panache points. A boastful gallant can also regain performance panache points by rolling a natural 20 on a Perform check. This ability otherwise functions as bardic performance and panache.

Well-Versed (Ex): At 4th level, a boastful gallant gains the bard’s well-versed ability. This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 4th level.

Performance Weapon Training (Ex): At 5th level, a boastful gallant gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with melee weapons with the performance weapon quality. While wielding a performance weapon, she gains the benefit of the Improved Critical feat. These attack and damage bonuses increase by 1 for every 4 levels beyond 5th level (to a maximum of +4 at 17th level). This ability only affects weapons inherent with the performance quality, any ability or feat that imbues other weapons with the performance quality (such as Performance Weapon Mastery) do not count towards this ability. This ability replaces swashbuckler weapon training.

Bonus Feats: A boastful gallant adds performance feats and any feat that enhances the bardic performance ability (such as Extra Performance) to the types of feats she can choose as a bonus feat.

Jack of All Trades (Ex): At 12th level, a boastful gallant gains the bard’s jack of all trades ability. This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 12th level.

Performance Weapon Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, when a boastful gallant threatens a critical hit with a melee weapon with the performance quality, the critical is automatically confirmed. Furthermore, the boastful gallant gains the Performance Weapon Mastery feat and is no longer is restricted in what weapons may be used for his Performance Weapon Training. This ability replaces swashbuckler weapon mastery.

NEW DARES

The boastful gallant may select a dare in place of a normal feat gained through level progression or a bonus feat. She can choose the following new dares.

For Your Beautiful Eyes (Ex): While this dare is active, your Charisma bonus for all abilities and checks increases by +1. You regain 1 performing panache point when someone who counts as romantically or physically attracted by you gives you praise while you are using this dare.

Table: Boastful Gallant