Some battlefield minstrels flee when the sight of battle grows too near, and when their allies fall. Some battlefield minstrels sing to the dance of death around them, letting their arrows fly and their bow string’s ring across to field, their voices carrying across the field by their arrows, raising the souls of their comrades to fight harder, or for their enemies to fall under his voice.
The battlefield minstrel is an archetype of the archer class.
Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The battlefield minstrel mainly focuses on DEX for martial combat and DEX, CON, and CHA for their class features.
Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Limit Breaks, Archery Style. 2nd – Archery Talent, Hawkeye. 4th – Archery Talent, Expert Archer. 5th – Improved Archery Style, Targeted Shot. 6th – Archery Talent. 8th – Archery Talent. 10th – Archery Talent, Archery Style Mastery. 12th – Archery Talent. 14th – Archery Talent. 16th – Archery Talent. 18th – Archery Talent. 20th – Archery Talent.
Weapon Proficiencies
The battlefield minstrel is proficient with harp bows as well as all other non-exotic bows.
This ability modifies the starting archer’s weapon proficiencies.
Class Skills
The battlefield minstrel adds Perform to his list of class skills. This replaces Knowledge (Nature) as a class skill.
Limit Breaks (Su)
At 1st level, the battlefield minstrel receives the Limit Breaks (Battle Voice and Empyreal Arrow).
Battle Voice (Su): This Limit Break allows the battlefield minstrel to sing harder, lifting the spirits of his comrades to overcome all odds. All allies within 30 feet of the battlefield minstrel gain the effects of the Die Hard feat. In addition, all bonuses from his Ballads of the Battlefield are doubled. This Limit Break lasts for a duration of 1 round plus 1 round per four archer levels after 1st. This limit break requires only a swift action.
Empyreal Arrow (Su): This Limit Break allows the battlefield minstrel to charge an arrow with energy from the hum of his voice, and to send it flying, the arrow splitting to hit all enemies before him in a 30-
These abilities replace the archer’s standard Limit Breaks.
The Wanderers Minuet (Ex)
The battlefield minstrel sings as he fires his arrows into the fray, his arrows carrying his voice with him into battle, ringing against his foes with every arrow that pierces them, and a harp with his bow to help his comrades at a moment’s notice. The battlefield minstrel begins play with a small harp that is attachable to his bow, allowing him to perform with a bow in hand. A battlefield minstrel is trained in the use of the Perform skill, especially harp and sing, to create magical effects on himself and allies. He can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier; this increases by 2 rounds per archer level thereafter. At 1st level, the battlefield minstrel can use inspire courage. At 9th level, the battlefield minstrel can use inspire greatness. At 15th level, the battlefield minstrel can use inspire heroics. The Wanderers Minuet’s benefits apply only when the battlefield minstrel is wearing light or no armor. Like bardic performance, it cannot be maintained at the same time as other performance abilities.
Starting a minuet is a move action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a minuet from one effect to another requires the battlefield minstrel to stop the previous performance and start the new one as a move action. Like a bard, a battlefield minstrel’s performance ends immediately if he is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action each round. A battlefield minstrel cannot perform more than one minuet at a time. At 10th level, a battlefield minstrel can start a minuet as a swift action instead of a move action. This ability otherwise functions as bardic performance; feats and other effects that affect bardic performance (such as the Extra Performance feat) apply to it.
This ability replaces archery style, improved archery style, and archery style mastery.
Stamina Pool (Ex)
At 2nd level, the battlefield minstrel gains a reservoir of stamina that he can draw upon to fuel his talents that he gains below. This stamina pool has a number of points equal to half his archer level + his Constitution modifier (minimum 1). The pool refreshes once per day when the battlefield minstrel rests for a full 8 hours. Sustained modes take up a static amount of stamina points from the battlefield minstrel’s current and maximum stamina pool and most sustained modes stack.
Some talents are activated as a sustained mode. When activated, these talents both consume stamina and reduce the user’s maximum stamina by the listed amount. While active, they provide their listed bonuses until the user deactivates them as a free action, falls unconscious, or dies, at which point the reduction to the user’s maximum stamina is removed. Multiple sustained mode talents may be used at the same time as long as the user has enough stamina, though some talents may specify others that they cannot be used with.
By spending 1 stamina point as a swift action, the battlefield minstrel can do one of the following:
- Increase his speed by 10 feet for 1 round, or
- Delay and suppress his fatigue or exhaustion for 1 round, or
- Increase one saving throw by +1 for 1 round.
This ability replaces hawkeye.
Talent Trees (Su)
The battlefield minstrel gets access to the battlefield minstrel talent tree from below. At 2nd level and every two levels thereafter, the battlefield minstrel chooses to learn an archery talent or one talent from the talent tree below. The battlefield minstrel may pick up Extra Archery Talent feats to select these talents. Weapon Requirement: Any manufactured bows or crossbows.
Battlefield Minstrel Specialization Talent Tree
Talent Tree
- Barrage: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a full-
round action, the battlefield minstrel can make an extra attack with his bow at his highest base attack bonus with all attacks taking a – 2 penalty to the attack. This extra attack doesn’t stack with effects such as Rapid Shot and haste. - Enhanced Barrage: Barrage no longer invokes a penalty. Prerequisite: Barrage
- Ultimate Barrage: At the cost of 2 stamina points, barrage can now be used with one of the effects from his other talents: Bloodletter, Venomous Bite, or Wind Bite. Prerequisites: Barrage, Bloodletter, Venomous Bite, Wind Bite.
- Bloodletter: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a standard action, the battlefield minstrel may make a ranged attack on an enemy and, if successful, deals normal damage + bleed damage equal to his Charisma modifier.
- Venomous Bite: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a standard action, the battlefield minstrel may make a ranged attack on an enemy and, if successful, deals normal damage and inflicts Poison status on the enemy. A Fortitude save (DC 10 + half of the archer’s level + his Charisma modifier) can negate the status effect. The poison status effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the battlefield minstrel’s Charisma modifier.
- Wind Bite: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a standard action, the battlefield minstrel may make a ranged attack on an enemy and, if successful, deals normal damage and inflicts Squalled status on the enemy. A Fortitude save (DC 10 + half of the archer’s level + his Charisma modifier) can negate the status effect. The squalled status effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the battlefield minstrel’s Charisma modifier.
- Flaming Arrow: At the cost of 1 stamina point, as a standard action, the battlefield minstrel may make a ranged attack on an enemy and, if successful, deals normal damage + 1d6 points of fire damage for every two archer levels and inflicts Burning status. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of the archer’s level + his Charisma modifier) can negate the status effect. The burning status effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the battlefield minstrel’s Charisma modifier.
- Arrow Burst: At the cost of 2 stamina points, Flaming arrow can explode on hit, dealing the extra fire damage, and inflicting Burning status to the target and all within 15 feet. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of the archer’s level + his Charisma modifier) can halve the damage and negate the status effect. The burning status effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the battlefield minstrel’s Charisma modifier. Prerequisite: Flaming Arrow.
- Sidewinder: At the cost of 2 stamina points, as a standard action, the battlefield minstrel may fire an arrow, hitting all creatures in a 30-
ft.- line, dealing triple his normal damage with the bow. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + half of the archer’s level + his Charisma modifier) can halve the damage.
- Rain of Death: As a swift action, the battlefield minstrel can activate this talent as a sustained mode. Every time the battlefield minstrel inflicts damage with his bow, those struck take a –
1 penalty to AC + an additional – 1 penalty for every four archer levels after 5th. This penalty lasts until the battlefield minstrel’s next turn. This mode uses up 2 points of the battlefield minstrel’s current and maximum stamina pool.
This ability may replace archery talents.
Voice from the Quiver (Ex)
The battlefield minstrel’s voice gives life to his arrows, empowering them with every shot. At 4th level, the battlefield minstrel may apply his Charisma modifier as a morale bonus to all attack and damage rolls made with a single type of bow he chooses upon obtaining this ability, such as a short bow, longbow, greatbow, etc. At 11th level, he may choose another bow to apply this bonus.
This ability replaces expert archer.
Ballads of the Battlefield (Su)
At 5th level, the battlefield minstrel learns ballads to sing during battle to aid his allies. This is a standard action to activate and provokes attacks of opportunity. He may perform a ballad a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier and can’t be used outside of combat. All ballads last for a number of rounds equal to the battlefield minstrel’s Charisma modifier.
- Army’s Paeon: Singing or playing to lift the endurance within his allies. All allies within 30 feet replenish their stamina points equal to their Constitution modifier per round.
- Foe Requiem: Singing or playing to lower his foes resistance. All enemies within 30 feet take a –
1 penalty to all saving throws. This ballad increases the penalty by 1 for every four archer levels after 5th. - Knight’s Minne: Singing or playing to protect his allies from harm. All allies within 30 feet gain a +1 deflection bonus to AC. This ballad increases by 1 for every four archer levels after 5th.
- Mages Ballad: Singing or playing to lift the magic within his allies. All allies within 30 feet replenishes 1 MP per round. This doesn’t stack with other abilities or spells/songs that grant MP regen. This ballad increases by 1 for every seven archer levels after 5th.
- Swift Song: Singing or playing to rush forward into battle. All allies within 30 feet gain a 10-
foot bonus to their base movement speed. This ballad increases by 10 feet for every four archer levels after 5th. - Wars Minuet: Singing or play to lift the strengths of his allies. All allies within 30 feet gain a +1 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls. This ballad increases by 1 for every four archer levels after 5th.
This ability replaces targeted shot.
