Whipsinger (3.5e Prestige Class)
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Whipsinger[edit]
| “ | I saw him whirl the whip around and it was like thunder when it cracked and lightning when it struck. | ” |
| —Miles Farsooth, last surviving member of the fifth northern legion | ||
Whipsingers are masters of the whip. The mix their bardic abilities for music and rhythm with their skills with a whip and turn it into a deadly dance. It is not uncommon to see whipsinger be completely surrounded and come out of the fight without taking a hit.
Many bards who favor the whip learn to become whipsingers as they develop their bardic magic.
Becoming a Whipsinger[edit]
The main reason that some bards choose to become a whipsinger is that they want to combine their music, magic, and fighting into a single technique.
| Base Attack Bonus: | +4 |
|---|---|
| Skills: | Perform (dance) 5 ranks, tumble 5 ranks. |
| Feats: | Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (whip) |
| Special: | Bardic music, inspire competence. |
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Spellcasting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | ||||
| 1st | +1 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Threatening Reach, Whipsinger Trick, Whip Song | +1 bard level |
| 2nd | +2 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Whipsinger Trick | +1 bard level |
| 3rd | +3 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Close Quarters Whipping, Whipsinger Trick | +1 bard level |
| 4th | +4 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Whipsinger Trick | +1 bard level |
| 5th | +5 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Long Reach, Whipsinger Trick | +1 bard level |
|
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level) | ||||||
Class Features[edit]
All of the following are class features of the Whipsinger.
Spellcasting: At each level, you gain new spells per day, an increase in caster level, and spells known as if you had also gained a level in the bard class. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained such as bonuses to bardic music and bardic knowledge.
Threatening Reach (Ex): You can now threaten areas with a whip.
When you gain this ability at 1st level, you can threaten 5 feet around you with a whip. At 2nd level, you can threaten 10 feet around you with a whip and at 3rd level you can threaten your full reach with a whip.
Whipsinger Trick: At each whipsinger level you can choose a new trick that you can perform with a whip.
Bonus Feat: You gain one of the following feats that you meet the prerequisites for: Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Critical (whip), Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Quick Draw
Improved Whip Song (Su): The gestures of your whip allow you to cast spells in silenced areas. You can attempt to cast a spell while affected by magical silence. Make a Will save against the spell using your ranks in perform (dance) as your base saving throw (even if the spell normally does not allow a saving throw). If you succeed, you are able to cast a spell, otherwise, the spell is lost.
Lightning Fast (Su): Your whip seems to strike your opponents at blindingly fast speeds. Any whip you wield is treated as if it has the Shock property.
Loud Crack (Su): When your whip snaps against an opponent, it makes a deafening sound. Any whip you wield is treated as if it has the Thundering property.
Never Leave Home Without It (Ex): You are a master of making mundane tasks so much more exciting with the inclusion of a whip. You now have such precision with your whip that you can use it to pick up items and have the item moved to you as a move action or use it to make Sleight of Hand checks to pickpocket at the whip's range.
Hurting to Heal (Su): A helpful whip on the back of your ally helps sooth his wounds. You can channel healing spells through your whip, allowing you to use the whip's reach in place of touch range for healing spells.
Painful Lashes (Ex): Your whip deals lethal blows. You can choose to deal lethal damage with a whip. For each odd whipsinger level you have gained (1st, 3rd, and 5th), increase the damage you deal with whips as if you were one size category larger.
Whip Acrobatics (Ex): You can use your whip to aid you in acrobatic stunts. You can add 2 + the enhancement bonus of your whip to any skill check in which you use your whip as part of the action. The DM must rule what is an appropriate usage of a whip as part of a skill check.
For example: Vincent, holding a +1 whip, attempts to use his whip to latch onto a pillar and swing around the pillar to the top of a dragon's back. The DM has ruled that this is a jump check DC 25. Vincent can add +3 to his his jump check because he is using his whip as part of the action.
Whip Dance (Ex): With a whirl surrounding you, your whip seems like a fluid part of you: a cascade of color, sound, and motion. You may make an extra attack with your whip during a full attack action, but each attack you make takes a -2 penalty.
Whip Song (Su): You can use the cracks and whirs of your whirling whip to create a beat an melody. You can use a perform (dance) for your bardic music abilities and use the sounds of your whip as a verbal component and the motions of the whip as a somatic component for spells.
Close Quarters Whipping (Ex): You no longer provoke an attack of opportunity when you attack an adjacent foe with a whip.
Long Reach (Ex): You can extend your reach with a whip. Five times per day as an immediate action, you may treat your reach with a whip as if it were 5 ft. longer. This effect lasts for 1 round.
Campaign Information[edit]
Playing a Whipsinger[edit]
Combat: Whipsingers are excellent support characters, with the capability to specialize in any role they take. Most whipsingers use their threatening reach for battlefield control.
Advancement: Characters that finish this class can often benefit from levels in the Exotic Weapons MasterCW prestige class.
Resources: There are no organized groups of whipsingers and it is usually a self-taught class. Most whipsingers are mercenaries and sell their skills to the highest bidder.
Whipsingers in the World[edit]
| “ | Whip it good! | ” |
Using their skills with a whip to get them out of all sorts of near-death encounters, whipsingers are often the type to be found on extremely dangerous adventures.
NPC Reactions: Whipsingers tend to amaze most NPCs with their whip skills. They are often seen as more of a performer than a combatant.
Whipsinger Lore[edit]
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (local) can research whipsingers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 11 | Whipsingers are bards that specialize with a whip. |
| 16 | Some whipsingers can pick up a teacup full of tea with their whip and not spill any of it. |
| 21 | Whipsingers can dance with their whip and suddenly strike foes in any direction. |
| 26 | A result of 26 or higher can bring out information about specific whipsingers, lore about them, their location, and recent activities. |
Whipsingers in the Game[edit]
Whipsingers are often the type of adventurer that will go into "The Temple of Doom" or "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" without a second thought.
Adaptation: Any bard that specializes with a whip should be able to master the art of becoming a whipsinger.
Sample Encounter: Vincent, a human whipsinger, is on a quest to capture the pirate king alive. He asks the PCs to help him with his plan.
EL whatever: 7
(Needs a sample bard 4/fighter 1/whipsinger 2 NPC)
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Classes → Prestige Classes
| Article Balance | High + |
| Author | Aarnott + |
| Identifier | 3.5e Prestige Class + |
| Length | 5 + |
| Minimum Level | 5 + |
| Rating | Undiscussed + |
| Summary | Bards that choose to specialize with a whip are able to master the flowing grace of the weapon, turning it into a whirling dance. + |
| Title | Whipsinger + |
