Stormdancer

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by Kipper Snifferdoo

The weather was miserable. The past two days The Cutter had endured the rain and choppy waves. The deck of the ship had swayed up and down so often that the sailors walking it had become accustom and would surely become land-sick once they reached dry land. In the crows nest a grizzled sailor peered into the veil of rain hoping to catch some glimpse of the rocks that he knew lay ahead. The ship had slowed but not quite enough to prevent them from crashing upon the natural reefs of this region. The pirates chasing them knew the area better than anyone, so it was urgent they continue, but the storm had definitely made the task of escape much more difficult.

Then he saw a form ahead and was about to call out when something upon the rocks caught his attention. Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision he leaned over the edge of the crows nest as if a couple inches could improve his view. There, swaying upon the rocks, was a mysterious woman. She danced gracefully upon the slippery rocks, her body undulating and rolling like the waves. If the distraction wasn't enough to cause their doom lightning fell from the gray collection of clouds above and crashed into the bow of the ship. The sound of the ship crashing upon the rocks was earsplitting and the men aboard perished beneath the violent waves with pleading and curses to Zeboim upon their lips. All the while, the stormdancer gracefully swirled and swayed in the storm lost in the power of the Sea Queen.

The origin of the stormdancers date back to a time before the Kingpriest. Up and down the savage coasts of Falthana the stormdancers, or kamchatka as they were called then, worshiped the Storm Queen and were both feared and respected among the tribal clans of that region. They gave praise and worship to the dark god Zeboim and ruled the waters in the north east region of Ansalon. Some lived solitary lives on small islands at sea and others took to the waves on ships of their own making looking to serve the interest of their goddess.

As the world around them became more civilized they adopted new roles and found a place among buccaneers and pirates and commanded respect and trepidation among many seafarers. In ancient port cities such as Lattakay, Persaro and Yerasa temples to Zeboim were common and sailors in every port made sure to give offerings to the goddess of the sea and sky in hope to appease the capricious goddess while they risked their life upon the water.

Eventually this worship was outlawed as Istar imposed an ever tightening grip on evil. Stormdancers were hunted by the Divine Hammer and brought to justice, many of which spat upon their captors and flew into rages of fury so violent that even without their magic people quailed in fear. In the final days of Istar it was rumored that many of the stormdancers were instructed by their goddess to deliver the wrath of the gods upon the city of light. Legends tell of flocks of dark and mysterious dancers upon the hills surrounding Istar ignoring the destruction, lost in rapture as the world around them was shattered in the greatest tempest in the history of the world. The same dancers disappeared seconds before the fiery mountain came crashing upon the lord city.

After the War of the Lance the stormdancers made a brief appearance in the waters surrounding the Blood Sea. The perpetual storm of the Maelstrom drew the attention of many of the sea queen's priests who continually played a dangerous game skimming the outer edge of the vortex drawing in those ships foolhardy enough to try the same.

Following the War of Souls the stormdancers have returned once again. The Storm Queen has surprisingly found a number of followers among the Silvanesti elves. They call upon Zeboim to destroy the fleets of minotaurs that are invading their homeland. These stormdancers can often be found working in league with the Cult of the Bloody Condor or even the Legion of Steel when they are looking to accomplish the same goal.

Stormdancers channel and amplify the divine energy of their goddess through dance-like movements that imitate the flow and ebb of the sea, the gracefulness and playful movements of the wind and the fury and excitement of a storm. These worshipers of the Sea Goddess are predictably tempermental by nature. Much like their goddess they are fickle and quick to anger. They demand respect in all things and can be vengeful if slighted. When pleased they can be very loving and affectionate, but the abyss has no fury like a stormdancer scorned. All stormdancers are female.

Hit Dice: (d8)

Requirements

To become a stormdancer, a character must fulfill the following criteria.

Alignment: CE, CN, NE
Skills: Perform 8 ranks (dance), Swim 4 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 4 ranks
Gender: Female
Domain: Storm
Deity: Zeboim

Class Skills

The class skills of a stormdancer (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance, Concentration, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Heal, Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Stormdancers gain no new proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Spells Per Day: Twice every three stormdancer levels, the character gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in a divine class she belonged to before adding the prestige class level. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of turning or rebuking undead and the like). In addition healing spells for a stormdancer are not spontaneous. Instead those spells of the Storm domain* are spontaneous and may be cast without being prepared as long as they substitute it for another prepared spell of the appropriate level.

Bonus Spell List: The Storm Queen Zeboim grants her stormdancers access to additional spells that are related to her portfolio but are normally reserved for wizards and sorcerers. A stormdancer may also pray for the following spells.

1st level: Shocking Grasp
2nd level: Crackling Sphere*, Fog Cloud, Shocking Spark*
3rd level: Gaseous Form, Lightning Bolt
4th level: Dalamar's Lightning Lance*, Solid Fog, Storm Wall*
5th level: Cloud Kill
6th level: Chain Lightning
7th level: Electrical Storm*
8th level: Horrid Wilting

* Found in the DragonLance Campaign Setting sourcebook.

Bonus Languages: The intimate nature stormdancers share with the sea and wind grant them bonus languages. Stormdancers can speak the Aquan (water-based) and Auran (Air based) languages.

Calm before the storm (Ex): Provided the stormdancer is free to dance she may replace her Concentration skill check with a Performance skill check instead and use that result for her check.

Survival Sense (Ex): +2 competence bonus on Survival and Swim checks.

Wind Shield (Sp): Once a day a stormdancer may summon a current of swirling air that surrounds her body adding a +1 deflection bonus to her AC for every 3 stormdancer prestige class levels she has attained. Any ranged attacks that require a roll to hit and are directed at the stormdancer have a 20% miss chance (similar to the effects of concealment).The deflection bonus stacks with other bonuses to armor class but the miss chance percentage does not.

Storm Mastery (Su): As the stormdancer begins to become attuned to the intricacies of the world around them they excel in the casting spells with the Air, Electricity and Water descriptors. Beginning at 2nd level stormdancers cast these spells one level higher than their current spellcaster level. This ability increases to 2 levels at 5th and 3 levels at 8th.

Storm Rider (Su): At 3rd level stormdancers do not suffer the ill effects of adverse weather conditions that are less severe than a storm. They are still affected by temperature, just not effects that reduce Spot checks, Listen checks or Movement. This includes natural fog, but not magically created weather effects such as gust of wind or fog cloud. (See page 94 of the Dungeon Master's Guide for effects of different types of weather.) This ability also includes ill effects for wind conditions up to and including Severe Wind.

At 5th level this ability increases to include the effects of Storms (but not Powerful Storms) and winds up to and including Hurricane-Force Winds.

At 8th level this includes all natural weather and immunity to all second level and lower spells with the Air and Water descriptor.

Control Winds (Sp): Stormdancers have an intimate connection to the wind around them. Once a day starting at 3rd level a stormdancer may cast Control Winds.

Tempest in a teapot (Ex): Provided the stormdancer is free to dance a stormdancer can substitute the use of a material component for a spell with a performance check (DC 15 + 1 per spell level). If the check is successful the stormdancer is not required to use the material component for the spell. If the check fails the spell is wasted.

Lightning in a bottle (Sp): At 5th level a stormdancer is able to generate an electrical charge that they can use to cast lightning once a day. This ability is similar to the spell lightning bolt, but the caster has the choice of casting the bolt or storing the energy within their body. If the lighting is not cast it surrounds the stormdancer with a field of electricity that is discharged if the stormdancer makes a touch attack or alternatively if the stormdancer is touched by an opponent. If she is struck by a weapon both the weapon and the opponent must make saves against the damage inflicted. A stormdancer may retain this energy for up to 1 min per prestige class level before it dissipates. Summoning the energy is a full round action that provokes and attack of opportunity.

Hurricane force (Ex): Over time a stormdancer gains enough experience with dancing that the art form becomes a natural expression of the way she moves. At 7th level a stormdancer may substitute her attack rolls with her performance roll.

Whispering Wind (Sp): At 9th level a stormdancers increase of the mastery of the winds allows her to cast Whispering Wind at will.

Shock to the System (Sp): At 10th level any amount of damage taken from electricity actually heals the stormdancer restoring her hit points and effectively allowing her to "bathe in lightning" to heal her wounds.

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