Syndicate Provocateur (Apath)
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Some wealthy merchant guilds employ unscrupulous individuals in their plots to achieve wealth and dominion over others. Guild provocateurs are specialists employed to sway the public, create unrest, and disrupt social orders that would limit the guild's success.
Class Information
This is a prestige class archetype.
Prestige Class: guild agent.
Build Class: bard.
Role: Guild provocateurs act as mission specialists on diplomacy and intrigue, provide research, and channel the passions of dupes and agents alike.
Alignment: Any. Most guild provocateurs are either chaotic or evil or both. Chaotic guild provocateurs are loose cannon; their initiative makes them useful, but their actions don't always benefit the guild as a whole.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills
The Guild 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 guild provocateur has all bard class features, except as follows.
| Level | Spells Known | ||||
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | ||
| 1st | — | — | — | — | |
| 2nd | — | — | — | — | |
| 3rd | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th | 2 | — | — | — | |
| 5th | 3 | — | — | — | |
| 6th | 4 | — | — | — | |
| 7th | 4 | 2 | — | — | |
| 8th | 4 | 3 | — | — | |
| 9th | 5 | 4 | — | — | |
| 10th | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | |
| 11th | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | |
| 12th | 6 | 5 | 4 | — | |
| 13th | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | |
| 14th | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | |
| 15th | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | |
| 16th | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | |
| 17th | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | |
| 18th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | |
| 19th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | |
| 20th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | |
Bardic Performance
This is exactly like the bard ability, except agent provocateurs do not gain the inspire greatness and soothing performance abilities. Agent provocateurs tend to prefer acting, comedy, and oratory for their performances.
Cantrips
At level 1, 2, 4, and 13, a guild provocateur learns one cantrip taken from the list of zero-level bard spells. These spells are cast like any other spell (see spells below), but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.
Mask Alignment (Su)
At 4th level, as a standard action, a guild 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 guild secrets replaces simplified spellcasting.
At 12th level, a guild 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 guild 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 guild 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 guild provocateurs spell list. The guild provocateur has different spells per day and spells known that the bard. See Table: Agent Provocateur and Table: Agent Provocateur Spells Known.
Add the following spells to the agent provocateur's spell list at their sorcerer spell level: nondetection, shrink item.
Guild Secrets
At 8th level and every three levels thereafter, a guild provocateur gains one of the following agency secrets. A guild provocateur can't select an individual agency secret more than once. Mask alignment and guild secrets replaces simplified spellcasting.
Bluster (Ex): a guild provocateur takes no penalty on Intimidate checks against larger creatures, and larger creatures gain no bonus on Intimidate checks against her.
Bonus Feat: a guild 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.
Conceal Thoughts (Su): a guild 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 guild provocateur gains a bonus equal to 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 guild provocateur can select one rogue talent for which she qualifies. Her Guild 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).
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): This is the same as the rogue's uncanny dodge ability. Guild provocateur levels count as rogue levels for this ability.
Crucial Taunt (Ex)
At 9th level, a guild 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 Guild 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 skill.
Table: Agent 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, guild 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, guild 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 | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 14th | +10/+5 | +4 | +9 | +9 | Frightening tune, guild 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, guild 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, guild 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