PRESTIGE CLASS: This class is not available at character creation and must be unlocked by meeting special requirements, listed below.
More a subculture than a profession, Bleakniks grew out of the artistic tendencies of certain Cabalists in the past several centuries. The typical Bleaknik is a poet, but they also engage in painting (largely in dark shades), dirges, or even near-suicidal stunts. Largely though, their art is absurdist, stark, and grim, often parodying the "normal" folk of the planes or demonstrating the sheer pessimism inherent in their outlook.
Requirements
Faction: Bleak Cabal
Skills: Bluff 5, Lore 3, Perform 8
Feats: Melodic Casting
Class Features
HD: d6
BAB: Medium
High Saves: Ref, Will
Weapon and Armor proficiency: None
Class Skills: Appraise, Bluff, Craft Armor, Craft Weapon, Diplomacy, Hide, Listen, Lore, Move Silently, Spellcraft, and Perform.
Skill points: 6 + Int modifier
Class Abilities
Level 1: Bardic Music, Dissonance
Level 2: Bonus Feat
Level 3: Break Concentration
Level 4: Bonus Feat
Level 5: Anti-Magic Melody
Bardic Music: A bleaknik's class level stacks with any levels of bard she has for purposes of determining the number of times per day she may use bardic music and the effects of all bardic music. Many of the bleaknik's high-level abilities require her bardic music as well. Bleaknik levels do not stack with bard levels for determining which songs a bard has access to.
Dissonance: A true bleaknik finds enlightenment through grim truth, and gains a +2 bonus with the Lore and Perform skills.
Bonus Feat: The bleaknik gains a bonus feat at 2nd and 4th level. This may be chosen from any bardic feat (full list to come).
Break Concentration: At 3rd level, a bleaknik becomes expert at distracting spellcasters, her discordant ways interfering with the order of spellcasting. Any enemies within 30' of the Bleaknik suffer a penalty to concentration equal to the Bleaknik's class level plus Charisma modifier (base Charisma without enhancements).
Anti-Magic Melody: At 5th level, a bleaknik can use her Perform skill to negate magic. This works as Mordenkainen's Disjunctions with a cap equal to pure bardic levels (so +25 max). This potent ability is quite exhausting to use as each time it is activated the bleaknik uses three of her bardic music uses for the day.
