Syndicate Provocateur (Apath)

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Some wealthy merchant syndicates employ unscrupulous individuals in their plots to achieve wealth and dominion over others. Syndicate provocateurs are specialists employed to sway the public, create unrest, and disrupt the social order to further the syndicate's success.

Class Information

This is a prestige archetype.

Prestige Class: Aspis agent from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Paths of Prestige.

Build Class: Bard.

Role: Syndicate provocateurs act as mission specialists on diplomacy and intrigue, provide research, and channel the passions of dupes and agents alike.

Alignment: Any. Most syndicate provocateurs are either chaotic or evil but rarely both. Chaotic syndicate provocateurs are loose cannons; their initiative makes them useful, but their actions don't always benefit the syndicate as a whole.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills

The Syndicate provocateur's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha)

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The syndicate provocateur has all bard class features, except as follows.

Table: Agent Provocateur Spells Known

Level	Spells Known
	Zero	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	3	—	—	—	—
2nd	4	—	—	—	—
3rd	5	—	—	—	—
4th	5	2	—	—	—
5th	5	3	—	—	—
6th	6	4	—	—	—
7th	6	4	2	—	—
8th	6	4	3	—	—
9th	6	5	4	—	—
10th	6	5	4	2	—
11th	6	5	4	3	—
12th	6	6	5	4	—
13th	6	6	5	4	2
14th	6	6	5	4	3
15th	6	6	6	5	4
16th	6	6	6	5	4
17th	6	6	6	5	4
18th	6	6	6	6	5
19th	6	6	6	6	5
20th	6	6	6	6	5

Bardic Performance

This is exactly like the bard ability, except syndicate provocateurs do not gain the inspire greatness and soothing performance abilities. Syndicate provocateurs tend to prefer acting, comedy, and oratory for their performances.

Syndicate provocateurs gain frightening tune one level early, at level 13 instead of 14.

Mask Alignment (Su)

At 4th level, as a standard action, a syndicate provocateur can alter her alignment aura to deceive effects that detect alignment. She may choose to be detected as any specific alignment she chooses or as no alignment. This affects only alignment detection, not effects that cause harm or are otherwise based on alignment. This effect lasts until she dismisses it or changes her alignment aura again. Mask alignment and syndicate secrets replaces simplified spellcasting.

At 12th level, a syndicate provocateur targeted with an effect that detects alignment or with any alignment-based effect can automatically identify the effect by making a Spellcraft check. If successful, she can assume a false alignment as an immediate action. This replaces soothing performance..

At 16th level, when a syndicate provocateur assumes a false alignment, she is treated as having that alignment for all effects of magic items, spells, and spell-like or supernatural effects (such as forbiddance, sympathy, or an unholy weapon), including magical traps based on alignment. While masking her alignment, she ignores these types of effects that relate to her true alignment.

Simplified Spellcasting

The syndicate provocateur casts spells like bard, but has access only to spells up to level 4. Level 5 and 6 bard spells are not on the syndicate provocateurs spell list. The syndicate provocateur has different spells per day and spells known that the bard. See Table: Syndicate Provocateur and Table: Syndicate Provocateur Spells Known.

Add the following spells to the syndicate provocateur's spell list at their sorcerer spell level: nondetection, shrink item.

Syndicate Secrets

At 8th level and every three levels thereafter, a syndicate provocateur gains one of the following syndicate secrets. Unless noted a syndicate provocateur can't select an individual syndicate secret more than once. Mask alignment and syndicate secrets replaces spellcasting being changed to simplified spellcasting.

Bluster (Ex): a syndicate provocateur takes no penalty on Intimidate checks against larger creatures, and larger creatures gain no bonus on Intimidate checks against her.

Bonus Feat: a syndicate provocateur may choose one of the following as a bonus feat: Antagonize, Combat Expertise, Enforcer, Greater Dirty Trick, Improved Dirty Trick, Improved Whip Mastery, Intimidating Prowess, Skill Focus (Intimidate), Whip Mastery. She must meet the prerequisites of the selected bonus feat. This syndicate secret can be selected multiple times.

Conceal Thoughts (Su): a syndicate provocateur targeted with detect thoughts or a similar effect may choose what thoughts are detected, while her true thoughts remain private. This does not affect mind-affecting effects other than thought-reading.

Hidden Stash (Ex/Sp): a syndicate provocateur gains a bonus equal to half her class level on Sleight of Hand checks to hide small objects on her person. In addition, once per day she can hide the magical properties of one item as magic aura.

Rogue Talent: a syndicate provocateur can select one rogue talent for which she qualifies. Her Syndicate provocateur levels stack with rogue levels for any rogue talents she possesses with level-dependent effects, whether they were gained from this or another class. She cannot pick advanced talents, except that she can pick up the rumormonger advanced talent (apg). This syndicate secret can be selected multiple times.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): This is the same as the rogue's uncanny dodge ability. Syndicate provocateur levels count as rogue levels for this ability.

Crucial Taunt (Ex)

At 9th level, a syndicate provocateur can combine infuriating smugness and sneering mockery with Bluff checks to feint, Intimidate checks to demoralize, and dirty trick combat maneuvers, gaining a bonus of +2 on these checks. She may then delay the effect of the successful check for up to 1 day per class level, spending an immediate action to trigger it later. The Syndicate provocateur must be within 60 feet to use or trigger a crucial taunt. She can only have one crucial taunt delayed against any particular target. This is a language-dependent effect and replaces inspire greatness.

At level 14, the bonus increases to +3. At level 19, it increases to +4. This bonus can be applied even when using versatile performance to provide the Bluff or Intimidate skill.

Table: Syndicate Provocateur

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						1	2	3	4
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Bardic knowledge, bardic performance, cantrips, countersong, distraction, fascinate, inspire courage +1	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Versatile performance, well-versed	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Inspire competence +2	—	—	—	—
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Mask alignment	0	—	—	—
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Inspire courage +2, lore master 1/day	1	—	—	—
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	Suggestion, versatile performance	1	—	—	—
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	Inspire competence +3	1	0	—	—
8th	+6/+1	+2	+6	+6	Dirge of doom, syndicate secret	1	1	—	—
9th	+6/+1	+3	+6	+6	Crucial taunt	2	1	—	—
10th	+7/+2	+3	+7	+7	Jack-of-all-trades, versatile performance	2	1	0	—
11th	+8/+3	+3	+7	+7	Inspire competence +4, syndicate secret, inspire courage +3, lore master 2/day	2	1	1	—
12th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+8	Mask alignment (immediate)	2	2	1	—
13th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+8	Frightening tune	3	2	1	0
14th	+10/+5	+4	+9	+9	yndicate secret, versatile performance	3	2	1	1
15th	+11/+6/+1	+5	+9	+9	Inspire competence +5, inspire heroics	3	2	2	1
16th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+10	Mask alignment (magic)	3	3	2	1
17th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+10	Inspire courage +4, syndicate secret, lore master 3/day	4	3	2	1
18th	+13/+8/+3	+6	+11	+11	Mass suggestion, versatile performance	4	3	2	2
19th	+14/+9/+4	+6	+11	+11	Inspire competence +6	4	3	3	2
20th	+15/+10/+5	+6	+12	+12	Deadly performance, syndicate secret	4	4	3	3

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Spells
• Inspire Greatness
• Soothing Performance

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