(( WIP: Prestige class meant for Kasumi ))

Elastic Artists are those performers who use psionic manifestations to increase their beauty and impact. They change their bodies to suit others interests, they read peoples minds to learn their culture all the while always keeping to their core vision.

(( Bard that uses Psionics, mainly Empath and Metamorphing powers to increase their social abilities and performances ))

(( One aspect of inspiring others through performances, building on that side of bards ))

(( One aspect using body alteration/empathy to better convince others/do performances. Such as reading the others preference and slowly altering body over course of a conversation. ))

(( Performances are supposed to transfer emotions designed by artist to those who see/listen to it. But what mechanics fit well with this? ))

Requirements

To qualify to become a Elastic Artist, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Skills: Perform (any 2) 7 ranks, spellcraft 5 ranks.

Feats: Skill Focus (Performance[any individual performance skill]).

Special:

• Must be able to use Inspire competence +3
• Must be able to manifest 4th level Psion Powers
• Must be gestalt

Class Skills

The Elastic Artist's class skills are: Acrobatics, Bluff, Intimidate, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Knowledge: Local, Knowledge: Arcana, Knowledge: Psionics, Perception, Perform, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Swim

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Hit Die: d8

Table

Bardic Performance

The Elastic Artists continue to extend their bardic performance rounds per day as they level. You gain 2 additional rounds of bardic performance per level of Elastic Artist.

If an Elastic Artist can perform Inspire Competence or Inspire courage, then Elastic Artist levels are added to their base class for determining the bonuses of inspire courage and inspire competence. An Elastic Artist gains no further bardic performances from their base class.

(( Place for bardic performances ))

Hard work and dedication

Through a combination of practice, talent and luck the Artist becomes better at their craft.

An Elastic Artist must select a single category of performance as their preferred category. As long as they mantain psionic focus an elastic artist adds their class level to their preferred category of performance.

TODO

A good song does not reach it's best moment after 6 seconds, music builds and carries sentiments.

You achieve an effect on others after several rounds of buildup.

(( Slowly building, rising ability, that stack bonuses up to limit as they go on longer. Though certain types of bonuses don't work, nightmare in combat to keep changing modifiers for others. ))

(( Could go for repeating pattern in performances instead of crescendo. As you repeat a performance it grants the audience a longer term effect. ))

Ostentatious Outfit

Whilst your clothing changes with you naturally as you change shapes and forms, it often no longer has the effect you intended because for example your dress is not supposed to go with wings or your skin is now green and this clashes with your shoes.

You can spend 1 round of bardic performance to manifest an obviously magical outfit that replaces your normal clothing for 1 minute per round spend. The manifested outfit can be as magical, physics-defying, and ostentatious as you desire but it must be made to draw attention. The manifested outfit counts as a masterwork tool for the purposes of individual performance based on your appearance or behaviour. While the outfit is manifested, you take a -10 penalty on any Stealth checks.

Made for This

You can alter your body to specifically adapt to a single type of performance, creating the right chest cavity, or the perfect hands for playing and supporting your instrument.

You take an -2 penalty on all Strenght and Dexterity based skills to gain a +1 bonus your Elastic Artist preferred performance category.

(( Maybe needs more balancing, fluff is good ))

Understanding Conversational Partner

When talking aimed at a single target, you read the other persons surface desires. You slowly and imperceptibly change your body to match their preferences. For every five minutes you spend interacting with your target you gain a cumulative +1 bonus to Charisma based skills up to half your Elastic Arist class level."

As long as you maintain psionic focus, you subconsciously adapt your appearance to match the preferences of your interlocutor. For every five minutes you spend interacting with your target you gain a cumulative +1 circumstance bonus to Charisma based skills, up to half your Elastic Arist class level. This is a polymorph effect, but specifically does not grant you the +10 bonus on Disguise skill checks.

Backstage Access (Ex)

Great artists are sought after, their attention precious. When people get access to an artist they are more willing to talk about whatever the artist desires.

An Elastic Artist gets a +5 (( X type, competence? )) bonus to gathering information, after they have performed in a relevant social circle.

Culturally Aware

Every culture has subtly different expectations around customs and behaviour, mannerisms that indicate someone fits in or stands out. A skilled Elastic Artist can make themselves blend in anywhere, acting in accord with the others customs.

By reading the surface thoughts of those around you, you instinctively know how to behave, which way to shake hands, etc. In a foreign culture, people will more easily trust you. You are never affected by circumstance penalties to social interaction due to missing cultural knowledge or clues.

Amp it Up

As you grow, so does your music grow with you. An Elastic Artist has experience with performing their preferred style of performances in flexible circumstances. A skilled elastic artist is never harmed by their body being altered, only ever enhanced.

(( Power should be scrapped, unless there is a non OP mechanic that can be attached ))

The Cavalry

As a proper psion, you never need to worry about arranging backup performers to support you, you always carry them with you. If you are psionically focused, you can manifest up to three copies of yourself to assist in your performance.

Your backup looks roughly like you, though their outfits, colour schemes and even skin colour kan differ from you. When they are summoned they can have any instrument you wish, like Summon Instrument. They are physical and can be provided with different instruments, or operate a stage already there.

(( Based on fissionish. Should not be able to help in combat, but can flip switches. Needs limitations depending on balance concerns/power budget. Roughly physical affecting capability of an unseen servant? ))

Spontaneous Song

When you start to work, everyone in the area joins in to uplift the performance. You psionically emit the right rhythm and pace, keeping even the most tone deaf in a common chorus. Everyone keeps to a background part, you the center of attention. The unity elevates the experience of the performance, moving everyones spirits about the event.

The distraction of a nearby combat or other danger prevents this ability from working.

(( Could also be a bardic performance ))

(( Could cause everyone in area to become fascinated against will save? ))

Mind Palace

Transferring your creative thoughts to the physical world, you build the perfect environment for your expressions.

You can make decorative changes to your surrounding environment. For example, creating a banner advertising your presence or rolling out large draperies from the walls to match your dress. In this way, you can turn an abandoned castle into a lively setting for a song. These changes are ever scene dressing, you cannot erect barricades or do harmful changes.

(( Transform any location into the perfect stage. Hang your banners through the location, project your face on the outsides. ))

Dance of the focused mind

Your mind and your body are one as you become a lethal combat dancer. You move with focused precision, whirling and spinning with grace.

(( You can start this twice per day. Must be psionically focused. Must move 10 feet or make a melee attack or it ends. Costs 1 round of bardic performance per round, but can be done next to bardic performances. Gives some kind of bonus. Such as flat bonus on melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, acrobatics checks and armour class. Either flat bonus, or levelling with Elastic Artist levels depending on where in progression it's fit. ))

Type Shift

(( Meant to be more combat focused metamorphosis power ))

You become very flexible at changing yourself, reducing your identity past your type of being.

When you change yourself through a Metamorphosis power you can become one of the following types, with the associated Traits: aberration, construct, elemental (cold, electricity, fire, or sonic only), dragon, fey, humanoid (any subtype), magical beast, monstrous humanoid, plant. This does not grant any special attacks or special qualities, it simply grants the Traits for that type.