Sayle Argyros

mute but can still spellcast. 'speaks' to others by summoning ghostly noise, communicating via audible charades.

physically fit with decent fitness, excels at stealth and escapes. knows a little bit of lock picking and sleight of hand. as a bard, fights via dance and song. uses a pair of castanets as her instrument of choice. can summon a temporary pair if her actual set is removed from per possession.

knowledgable in many things, master of none. well versed at bluffing.

due to growing up among submerged ruins belonging to a lost civilization, which became lost due to devolving into madness and carnage, she's been afflicted by the latent spellworks and supernatural residue from those ruins. these afflictions can cause her to exhibit signs of mental instability and bloodlust during combat. also granted resisted to effects which cause confusion, fear, insanity effects, and madness, as well as resistance to the supernatural abilities of aberrations. however, since it is a compulsion brought on by latent magic, it has subsequently also made her very susceptible to other compulsions - especially from those who know her true identity.

doesn't swim as fast as other merfolk (though it is still a decent swim speed), but in exchange is able to turn her fins to feet. can also manipulate water to a very minor degree. just enough to summon a wave to push a sailor off the deck of a ship.

could understand aquatic animals if she outright addresses them.... but can't speak to them since she can't.... physically speak...

spell theme revolves around auditory madness. can create auditory hallucinations and distortions, minor teleportation of objects, conjuration of shields and monsters, and induce enchantment effects like sleep and mood swings in others. the enchantment effects are harder to resist than her other spells. can also grant herself the ability to move supernaturally fast while performing.

Pathfinder: Skull and Shackles
Merfolk (black and white snapper) - Mute Musician Bard - Lvl. 6

eyes: red - hair: silver - height: 6'1 - weight: 160lb
age: 18

Sayle Argyros CR 5 XP –

Merfolk bard (mute musician) 6
NE Medium humanoid (aquatic)
Init +5; Senses lowlight vision; Perception +6

DEFENSE

AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 10 (+5 Dex)
hp 60 (6d8+24)
Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +7 (+4 bonus on all saves against confusion, fear, insanity effects, and the supernatural abilities of aberrations, +2 trait bonus on all saves against madness and confusion effects, -1 penalty on will saves against compulsions, -2 on will saves against foes that know her true identity.)

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.; swim 30ft
Melee mwk living steel rapier +9/+1 (1d6+2)
Special Attacks bardic performance (countersong, distraction, fascinate, suggestion, inspire courage, symphony of silence; 19 rounds/day), touched by the sea (penalties on attack rolls made underwater are lessened by 1)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th)

1/day–Fins to Feet (self), Hydraulic Push
At Will–Speak with Animals (aquatic only)

Bard Spells Known (CL 6th; concentration +11)

• 2nd (4/day)—allegro, apport object, cacophonous call, haunting mists (DC 18), oppressive boredom (DC 18); (DC 17)
• 1st (6/day)—auditory hallucination, expeditious retreat, hideous laughter (DC 17), shield, sleep (DC 17), summon monster I (blue-ringed octopus, monkey, viper, or poisonous frog), wave shield; (DC 16)
• 0th (at will)—ghost sound, lullaby (DC 16), prestidigitation, resistance, summon instrument, unwitting alley (DC 16); (DC 15)

TACTICS

Before Combat --

During Combat --

STATISTICS

Str 15, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 20
Base Atk +4; CMB +6; CMD 21 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Harmonic Spell, Lingering Performance
Skills Bluff +11, Disable Device +11, Escape Artist +9, Intimate +9, Knowledge (all) +6, Linguistics +6, Perception +6, Perform (act) +14, Perform (dance, percussion) +16, Sleight of Hand +11, Stealth +14, Swim +20
Languages Common, Aquan, Aboleth, Aklo, Sign Language
SQ amphibious, bardic knowledge, dulled horror, insights from beyond, mute, lore master 1/day, secret magic, worldly (reroll untrained skill check) 1/day
Traits broken mind, touched by the sea, worldly
Drawbacks empty mask
Combat Gear mwk living steel rapier,
Other Gear adventurer's sash (contains a chalkboard, heatstone, mapmaker's kit, skeleton key, traveler's dictionary (aquan), and an underwater compass), dancer's garb, hypnotic tattoo, mwk seashell castanets, thieves' ring

SPECIAL QUALITIES

• Amphibious (Ex) You can survive indefinitely on land.
  
• Bardic Knowledge (Ex) A bard adds half his class level (minimum 1) to all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained.
• Dulled Horror (Ex) At 2nd level, a mute musician gains a +4 bonus on saves against confusion, fear, insanity effects, and the supernatural abilities of aberrations. This class feature replaces well-versed.
  
• Insights from Beyond (Ex) At 2nd level, a mute musician adds two abjuration, conjuration (calling), conjuration (summoning), or conjuration (teleportation) spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list to her list of bard spells known. At 6th level and every 4 bard levels thereafter, she can choose two more spells to add to her spells known. This class feature replaces versatile performance.
  
• Lore Master (Ex) At 5th level, the bard becomes a master of lore and can take 10 on any Knowledge skill check that he has ranks in. A bard can choose not to take 10 and can instead roll normally. In addition, once per day, the bard can take 20 on any Knowledge skill check as a standard action. He can use this ability one additional time per day for every six levels he possesses beyond 5th, to a maximum of three times per day at 17th level.
• Mute (Ex) A mute musician has a disability or injury (possibly self-inflicted or even psychological) that prevents her from speaking or vocalizing. Language-dependent effects (including Perform [oratory]) require the bard to be able to use telepathy, nonverbal languages, or writing to communicate. She cannot use Perform (sing) or speak languages, though she can still create audible bardic performances by means of a musical instrument. A mute musician can provide verbal and somatic components for spells she casts via any musical instrument in which she has ranks in the appropriate Perform skill.
  

Bardic Performances

A bard is trained to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around him, including himself if desired. He can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier. At each level after 1st a bard can use bardic performance for 2 additional rounds per day. Each round, the bard can produce any one of the types of bardic performance that he has mastered, as indicated by his level. Starting a bardic performance is a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action.

Changing a bardic performance from one effect to another requires the bard to stop the previous performance and start a new one as a standard action. A bardic performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the bard is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time. At 7th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a move action instead of a standard action. At 13th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a swift action.

Each bardic performance has audible components, visual components, or both.

If a bardic performance has audible components, the targets must be able to hear the bard for the performance to have any effect, and many such performances are language dependent (as noted in the description). A deaf bard has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with an audible component. If he fails this check, the attempt still counts against his daily limit. Deaf creatures are immune to bardic performances with audible components.

If a bardic performance has a visual component, the targets must have line of sight to the bard for the performance to have any effect. A blind bard has a 50% chance to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with a visual component. If he fails this check, the attempt still counts against his daily limit. Blind creatures are immune to bardic performances with visual components.

• Countersong (Su): At 1st level, a bard learns to counter magic effects that depend on sound (but not spells that have verbal components.) Each round of the countersong he makes a Perform (keyboard, percussion, wind, string, or sing) skill check. Any creature within 30 feet of the bard (including the bard himself) that is affected by a sonic or language-dependent magical attack may use the bard’s Perform check result in place of its saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the countersong is already under the effect of a non-instantaneous sonic or language-dependent magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it hears the countersong, but it must use the bard’s Perform skill check result for the save. Countersong does not work on effects that don’t allow saves. Countersong relies on audible components.
  
• Distraction (Su): At 1st level, a bard can use his performance to counter magic effects that depend on sight. Each round of the Distraction, he makes a Perform (act, comedy, dance, or oratory) skill check. Any creature within 30 feet of the bard (including the bard himself) that is affected by an illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack may use the bard’s Perform check result in place of its saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the Distraction is already under the effect of a non-instantaneous illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it sees the Distraction, but it must use the bard’s Perform check result for the save. Distraction does not work on effects that don’t allow saves. Distraction relies on visual components.
  
• Fascinate (Su): At 1st level, a bard can use his performance to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated with him. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear the bard, and capable of paying attention to him. The bard must also be able to see the creatures affected. The Distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working. For every three levels a bard has attained beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with this ability. Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard’s level + the bard’s Cha modifier) to negate the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and observes the performance for as long as the bard continues to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect. Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.
  
• Inspire Courage (Su): A 1st level bard can use his performance to inspire courage in his allies (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to perceive the bard’s 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 bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability. inspire courage can use audible or visual components. The bard must choose which component to use when starting his performance.
• Symphony of Silence (Su) At 3rd level, the mute musician’s music muffles all other sounds within a 30-foot radius. All creatures in the area of effect gain a +2 bonus on all saving throws made against sonic attacks or language-dependent effects. This bonus increases to +3 at 7th level, +4 at 11th level, +5 at 15th level, and +6 at 19th level. Symphony of silence relies on audible components. This bardic performance replaces inspire competence.
• Suggestion (Sp): A bard of 6th level or higher can use his performance to make a suggestion (as per the spell) to a creature that he has already fascinated (see above). Using this ability does not disrupt the fascinate effect, but it does require a standard action to activate (in addition to the free action to continue the fascinate effect). A bard can use this ability more than once against an individual creature during an individual performance. A Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 bard’s level + bard’s Cha modifier) negates the effect. This ability affects only a single creature (but see mass suggestion, below). Suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language-dependent ability and relies on audible components.
  

Mute Musician traits (that she hasn't yet obtained)

A mute musician forswears speech for the unnatural songs and thunderous silences of the depths of space. She learns to blend light and sound in seemingly impossible ways. (aka: eldritch bard)

• Eldritch Caesura (Su) At 10th level, a mute musician can insert unsettling silences into her otherworldly music by spending an additional 1 round of bardic performance per round. This supernatural technique impossibly blurs the line between music and light, transmitting audible performances and sonic bard spells through most barriers save lead. This allows the music and sonic spells to affect creatures across planar boundaries (including on the Ethereal or Shadow Planes), vacuums, and areas of magical silence. This class feature replaces jack-of-all-trades.

Bardic Performance A mute musician gains the following bardic performances.

• Maddening Harmonics (Su) At 14th level, the mute musician can create a performance so baffling and discordant that it usurps all thought within a 30-foot radius with chaos and entropy. The mute musician can select which creatures in this area are affected by the maddening harmonics and which are not. All targeted creatures within this area must succeed at a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the bard’s level + the bard’s Charisma modifier) or be confused for as long as they can hear the performance. If the creature succeeds at its saving throw, it is immune to this ability for 24 hours. This performance relies on audible components. This bardic performance replaces frightening tune.
• Ceaseless Performance (Su) At 15th level, the mute musician can continue taking the free action to maintain a bardic performance even while confused, cowering in fear, dazed, nauseated, panicked, paralyzed, petrified, silenced, staggered, stunned, or unconscious. Even if the mute musician is killed, she can continue to take the free action to maintain her performance as long as she has rounds remaining. Only the utter destruction of the mute musician’s body (such as via destruction or disintegrate, or by reducing the bard to a negative hit point total equal to 10 × her Constitution score) causes the performance to end. This ability replaces inspire heroics.
• Song of the Conjunction (Su) At 18th level, the mute musician can harmonize with the alien chorus beyond the music of the spheres, creating a portentous cosmic alignment. This effect duplicates a gate used to travel, save that the destination point must be on the same plane as the bard, but it is not otherwise limited by distance. This bardic performance replaces mass suggestion.