Song Mage: The school of song relies on the wizard’s skill at weaving melody, lyrics, and
rhythm to create enchantments of great power. Elves and bards have tapped into
this source of magic for centuries, but now more wizards are investigating the
intriguing possibilities of this school. While a song mage does not require
proficiency in singing or musical instruments, most song mages are also virtuoso
vocalists—the subtleties of pitch and expression are critically important in
casting a spell in this fashion. Song mages require an Intelligence
(Intelligence/Knowledge) of 14, reflecting their musical studies, and a Charisma
(Charisma/Appearance) of 15.
Song mages enjoy the standard benefits and penalties for specializing in a
school of magic. (Spells belonging to the school of song are listed in Appendix 3 .) The normal saving throw modifiers apply, but note that the song mage may
apply his saving throw bonus to magical song or sound attacks such as a
sphinx’s roar or banshee’s wail in addition to song spells. At 8th level, song mages
gain the ability to enhance the effectiveness of any musical or sound-based
magical item by 50%; a song mage wielding drums of panic increases the area of affect from 120-foot radius to a radius of 180 feet. If
the magical item proves to be cursed, its effect is lessened by 50% (if
possible). At 11th level, the song mage gains the ability to counter magical song or sound attacks once per day, negating the effects of the attack
in a 10-foot radius centered on the mage. This allows the song mage to protect
those nearby from a harpy’s song, a sphinx’s roar, or a shout spell. The mage must stand still or walk slowly and sing for at least one full
round to negate the effect, and may continue singing for up to one full turn
per level to defeat pervasive or persistent attacks.
All spells in the school of song are considered to have neither somatic nor
material components when cast by a song mage—while song mages are extremely
vulnerable to a silence spell, they are also capable of casting spells while securely bound or
stripped of all their possessions. The school of song is opposed by the schools of
necromancy, divination, and invocation/evocation.
The song mage commands a variety of useful spells that are effective both in
attack and defense. While he has few spells that can directly damage an enemy,
he is very good at influencing or hindering opponents with his magic, especially
at higher levels.
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