Musical Composition
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the breakdancer.
Weapon Proficiency: Breakdancers are proficient with all simple weapons, all light martial weapons, the whip, and the meteor hammer.
Armor Proficiency: Breakdancers are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. A breakdancer wearing medium armor, heavy armor, or wielding a shield cannot gain rhythm.
Scores
A breakdancer's primary source of power stems from a deep specialization in music that less-focused practitioners, such as bards, use as only one tool in a varied toolbox.
A score is a piece of music containing an intro, an outro, and a number of melodies. Intros, outros, and melodies are drawn from the breakdancer's composition book. A breakdancer begins play with two scores, plus additional scores equal to his Intelligence modifier / 3, rounded down, minimum 0. Each score must contain a single intro, a single outro, and a single melody. At 3rd level and every six levels thereafter, a breakdancer's mastery over music allows him to prepare scores with an additional melody, to a maximum of four melodies per score at 15th level. At 5th level and every six levels thereafter, a breakdancer receives an additional score, for a total of five scores at 17th level.
A breakdancer's composer level is equal to 3/4 his breakdancer class level, minimum 1, and is shown on Table: The Breakdancer.
To prepare or use a score, a breakdancer must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 12 + the number of melodies in the score. The Difficulty Class (DC) for a saving throw against a breakdancer's score is 10 + 1/2 the breakdancer's class level + the breakdancer's Intelligence modifier.
Composition
A breakdancer must get 8 hours of sleep and study his composition book for 1 hour in order to change his scores. A breakdancer does not need to study his composition book each day to refresh his daily uses of the conduct composition class feature (see below).
Rather, in order to refresh his daily uses of the conduct composition class feature, a breakdancer need only get 8 hours of sleep each night. In essence, a breakdancer need not study his composition book at all if he is happy with his current score selection. Further, if separated from his composition book, a breakdancer can continue to use the scores he has already prepared until he is reunited with it.
A breakdancer begins play with a composition book containing 1 intro, 1 outro, and his choice of an additional intro or outro. His composition book also begins play with melodies equal to 1 + his Intelligence modifier, minimum 1. At each new breakdancer level, a breakdancer gains one intro or outro for which he meets all of the prerequisites, as well as one melody for which he meets all of the prerequisites.
At any time, a breakdancer may copy intros, outros, and melodies, known collectively as "compositions", found in other composition books to his own. Given the highly complex nature of what a breakdancer works with, special inks and paper are required. The special paper is, luckily, identical to that found in wizard spellbooks, thus allowing a breakdancer to buy a spellbook and scrawl "composition book" on the front cover. Further, any magic items designed to record wizard spells can record compositions without a problem. The ink cost to record a composition is equal to 100 gp times the effective minimum level of what is being recorded. For example, a melody that requires 4 ranks in a skill effectively requires a minimum level of 4th and costs 400 gp to record, while an intro that requires the Improved Initiative feat effectively requires a minimum level of 1st and costs 100 gp to record. Compositions take up a number of pages equal to the effective minimum level of the composition.
Specialty stores are known to carry compositions in convenient folios. Given the high cost of copying these compositions to a primary composition book after purchase, many experienced composers are known to have a small library of compositions and musical theory on their person. The market price of these folios is 150 gp times the effective minimum level of the composition. A folio of effective minimum level 10 or lower weighs 1 pound, while a folio of effective minimum level 11 and above weighs 2 pounds.
The loreconscious player should note that being a dancer need not be wholly anachronistic (though it's
certainly more fun if it is).
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Bradley Crouch, Jason Linker The Breakdancer
Conduct Composition: At 1st level, a breakdancer has learned how to conduct his scores in such a way that he unleashes the magic inherent in the beat. Each individual score can be conducted for a number of rounds per day equal to a breakdancer's ranks in the Perform (conducting) skill + his Intelligence modifier.
Starting to conduct a score is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. When a breakdancer starts to conduct a score, the intro effect chosen for that score triggers immediately, while all melody effects start immediately and persist for as long as the score is performed. A breakdancer can end a performance in one of two ways. First, he can simply stop conducting as a free action; however, ending a performance in this manner does not trigger the score's outro effect. Secondly, he can end the performance with a proper flourish as a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. If he ends a score in this manner, the score's outro effect triggers. If a breakdancer stops conducting a score as a free action, he cannot start conducting another score that round.
Conducting a score cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the breakdancer is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. A breakdancer cannot have more than one score in effect at one time.
All scores that a breakdancer conducts rely on audible components unless otherwise noted.
Dance Moves: As a breakdancer gains experience, he picks up a number of dance moves that allow him to express the rhythm he feels within his bones. A breakdancer begins play with one dance move. He gains an additional dance move for every two levels of breakdancer he attains. A breakdancer cannot select an individual dance move more than once.
Dance moves with a listed "minimum rhythm" require that the breakdancer have at least that much rhythm in order to perform the dance move.
Dance moves with a listed "rhythm cost" require that the breakdancer expend that much rhythm in order to perform the dance move.
The Difficulty Class (DC) for a saving throw against a breakdancer's dance move is 10 + 1/2 the breakdancer's class level + the breakdancer's Dexterity modifier.
Rhythm (Ex): Breakdancers are uniquely tuned to the rhythm of music, and prolonged exposure to a good beat tends to result in some fairly impressive moves. At the beginning of the breakdancer's turn, he gains or loses rhythm based on the situation.
• If the breakdancer is conducting a score, he gains 1 rhythm.
• If the breakdancer is not conducting a score, but is within the area of effect of a score or bardic performance, his rhythm remains unchanged.
• If the breakdancer is neither conducting a score, nor within the area of effect of a score or bardic performance, he loses 1 rhythm.
The maximum amount of rhythm a breakdancer can have at any one time is equal to his Dexterity modifier, minimum 1.
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Mick, dwarven breakdancer
Drop: At 5th level, a breakdancer has learned how to rapidly change rhythm and beat through the use of drops. A drop is a special kind of score that contains an intro, but has no melodies or outro. Unlike a standard score, a drop cannot be used with the conduct composition class feature. If he is already conducting a score, a breakdancer can choose to perform a drop as a standard action. Using a drop suppresses the conducted score's intro for 1 round, but replaces it with the drop's intro effect for that round. The drop's intro effect triggers as though the score were newly conducted.
Time continues to pass for the suppressed intro, so if it has a finite duration or builds over time, it will continue to consume its duration or become more powerful, respectively.
Using a drop expends 2 rounds of duration from the score that is currently being conducted, but also generates 1 rhythm. A drop cannot be used if the score that is currently being conducted does not have at least 2 rounds of duration remaining for the day. At 7th level, a breakdancer may use a drop as a move action. At 13th level, a breakdancer may use a drop as his choice of a move action or a swift action. A breakdancer can only use one drop per round. When a breakdancer studies his composition book to prepare his scores, he also prepares his drops. A breakdancer gains his first drop at 5th level and gains an additional drop at 7th level and every four levels beyond 7th, to a maximum of 5 drops at 19th level.
Breakdancer Dance Moves Atomic Drop (Su)
Requires: Drop class feature Minimum Rhythm: 3
Many breakdancers enjoy dropping it like it’s hot!
Whenever the breakdancer performs a drop, he may deal 1d6 points of fire damage to a single creature within 30 feet. A successful Reflex save negates.
Beat-down [stance] (Su) Requires: Breakdancer 12 Minimum Rhythm: 2 Duration: see text
The breakdancer begins to follow his own beat rather than the beat of the music as a swift action. As a result, he cannot gain rhythm; however, whenever he would gain rhythm, he deals sonic damage equal to half his breakdancer class level, rounded down, to a single creature within 30 feet instead. There is no saving throw. If the breakdancer's rhythm is ever equal to 0, this dance move ends immediately.
As temporary rhythm is distinct from rhythm, a breakdancer still gains temporary rhythm in the usual manner and does not convert it into sonic damage as detailed above.
A breakdancer can only be in one stance at a time. Using a stance dance move ends any other stance dance move currently in effect on the breakdancer, if any.
Beatmixing (Su) Requires: Breakdancer 6 Minimum Rhythm: 2 Rhythm Cost: 2 Duration: see text
As a move action, the breakdancer selects a melody that takes up a single melody slot and can be taken multiple times that is part of the score he is currently conducting.
For the duration of that score’s performance, he treats that melody as though it were taken an additional time, to a maximum of taken a number of times equal to the number of melody slots in that score. This dance move can only be applied to a score once.
Breather (Su)
Requires: Breakdancer 8 Rhythm Cost: 2
Duration: instantaneous
As a move action, the breakdancer heals himself for points of damage equal to his rhythm +2.
Chained Performance (Ex) Requires: Breakdancer 14 Rhythm Cost: 2
Duration: instantaneous
Once per round as a free action, the breakdancer may whip himself into a frenzy. He can make two swift actions this round, but only if both swift actions are used to perform dance moves.
Counterpoint (Su) Requires: Breakdancer 6 Rhythm Cost: 2
Duration: 1 round/level
As a standard action, the breakdancer produces a single duplicate of himself, as the mirror image spell, with a caster level equal to the breakdancer's composer level.
As this duplicate is the product of rapid movement and not of illusion magic, spells such as true seeing do not bypass the protection granted by this dance move, for there is no illusion to pierce.
Starting at 13th level, this dance move is performed as a swift action instead.
Dancer's Vitality (Su) Requires: Breakdancer 20 Minimum Rhythm: 0
Whenever the breakdancer gains rhythm, he gains the benefits of the haste spell for 1 round, with a caster level equal to the breakdancer's composer level.
Double Time (Su) Requires: Breakdancer 6 Rhythm Cost: 2
As a swift action, the breakdancer pushes himself to move quicker, granting himself the benefits of the haste spell for 1 round, with a caster level equal to the breakdancer's composer level.
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Bradley Crouch, Jason Linker The Breakdancer
Breakdancer Dance Moves
Dramatic Pose (Ex) Requires: Drop class feature Rhythm Cost: 1
Duration: see text
As a swift action, the breakdancer strikes a dramatic pose, increasing the Difficulty Class of any saving throws called for by the next drop he performs this round by +1.
Electric Boogaloo (Su)
Requires: Breakdancer 8, drop class feature Minimum Rhythm: 3
A great many breakdancers enjoy making the shift from one beat to another so jarring that the change is positively electric! Whenever the breakdancer performs a drop, he may deal 1d6 points of electricity damage to a single creature within 30 feet. A successful Reflex save negates.
Electrifying Footwork (Su) Requires: Breakdancer 12 Minimum Rhythm: 0
Creatures that hit the breakdancer in melee take electricity damage equal to the breakdancer’s rhythm.
False Step (Ex) Requires: Breakdancer 4 Minimum Rhythm: 2
When a breakdancer really starts to get into the groove, it’s hard to see where he’s going. The breakdancer gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC.
Fancy Footwork [stance] (Ex) Minimum Rhythm: 1
Duration: see text
The breakdancer falls back onto some fancy footwork that is half dancing and half boxing as a swift action.
Whenever the breakdancer has the option to make an attack of opportunity, he may expend 1 rhythm to make an attack of opportunity without that attack of opportunity counting against the number of attacks of opportunity he can make each round. If the breakdancer's rhythm is ever equal to 0, this dance move ends immediately.
A breakdancer can only be in one stance at a time. Using a stance dance move ends any other stance dance move currently in effect on the breakdancer, if any.
Flailing (Ex)
Requires: Breakdancer 8 Minimum Rhythm: 2
Some breakdancers get downright reckless when they get into the rhythm! Whenever the breakdancer successfully hits and deals damage with an attack of opportunity, all other creatures within 5 feet of the creature struck, excluding the breakdancer, take 1d3 points of damage. The type of this damage corresponds to the weapon used to make the attack of opportunity.
Flare (Ex)
Requires: Breakdancer 8 Rhythm Cost: 2
Duration: instantaneous
As a standard action, the breakdancer makes one unarmed melee attack against each opponent within reach. He must make a separate attack roll against each opponent. The breakdancer is treated as though he has the Improved Unarmed Strike feat for the purpose of this dance move, and this dance move adds his Dexterity modifier to damage rather than the ability score modifier he normally applies to unarmed damage.
When using this dance move, the breakdancer also forfeits any bonus or extra attacks granted by other feats, spells, or abilities.
Flashy Footwork (Ex) Minimum Rhythm: 2
Creatures adjacent to the breakdancer at the end of one of his move actions are dazzled for 1 round with a Fortitude save to negate.
Grab and Sweep (Ex) Requires: Breakdancer 4 Minimum Rhythm: 1 Rhythm Cost: 1
Duration: instantaneous
As a swift action, the breakdancer performs the reposition combat maneuver. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Greased Lightning (Su)
Requires: Breakdancer 20, rolling thunder Minimum Rhythm: 2
All attacks made against the breakdancer have a 20%
miss chance.
As a swift action, the breakdancer performs the disarm combat maneuver. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Headspin Savant (Ex)
Requires: Breakdancer 20, sextuple headspin
Creatures tripped by the sextuple headspin dance move are staggered for 1 round with no saving throws allowed.
In the Groove (Ex) Minimum Rhythm: 2
When a breakdancer gets going, he gets going! The breakdancer’s base land speed increases by +10 feet.
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In Tune (Ex)
Requires: Breakdancer 10 Minimum Rhythm: 2
Whenever the breakdancer makes a Reflex saving throw, he may expend 2 rhythm to instead roll twice and take the better result. He must choose whether to use this ability before rolling.
In the Zone (Ex) Requires: Breakdancer 10 Minimum Rhythm: 2
Whenever the breakdancer makes a Will saving throw, he may expend 2 rhythm to instead roll twice and take the better result. He must choose whether to use this ability before rolling.
Invigorating Beat (Ex) Requires: Breakdancer 12 Minimum Rhythm: 2
The breakdancer has fast healing equal to half the rhythm he possesses, rounded down.
Inviting Footwork (Ex) Minimum Rhythm: 3
The breakdancer's footwork lulls his foes into thinking they know where he'll be next, granting him a +2 dodge bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity.
Kip-up (Ex)
Requires: Breakdancer 4 Minimum Rhythm: 2 Duration: instantaneous
As a swift action, the breakdancer pushes back against the ground and leaps up to a standing position from a prone position. If he uses this dance move while occupying a square a foe threatens, the breakdancer must succeed an Acrobatics skill check (DC equal to the foe's CMD + 5) or provoke an attack of opportunity.
Light-footed (Su) Requires: Breakdancer 12 Rhythm Cost: 2
Duration: 1 round/level
A breakdancer in motion tends to stay in motion. As a standard action, the breakdancer gains the ability to walk on the surface of liquids as the water walk spell with a caster level equal to the breakdancer's composer level.
Like the Wind (Su) Requires: Breakdancer 4 Minimum Rhythm: 3
Attacks of opportunity made against the breakdancer have a 20% miss chance.
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Bradley Crouch, Jason Linker The Breakdancer
Mick performing a kipup
Limber Up [stance] (Ex) Minimum Rhythm: 1 Duration: see text
As a swift action, the breakdancer limbers up. He gains a +2 enhancement bonus to CMB. This bonus increases by +1 for every six breakdancer levels he possesses. If the breakdancer's rhythm is ever equal to 0, this dance move ends immediately.
A breakdancer can only be in one stance at a time. Using a stance dance move ends any other stance dance move currently in effect on the breakdancer, if any.
Master Beatmixing
Requires: Breakdancer 12, beatmixing Duration: see text
The beatmixing dance move can now be applied to a score twice.
Moonwalk [stance] (Ex) Requires: Breakdancer 6 Minimum Rhythm: 2 Duration: see text
As a swift action, the breakdancer begins to moonwalk.
If moving at half speed, he does not provoke attacks of opportunity when moving through a square threatened by a foe. If the breakdancer's rhythm is ever less than 2, this dance move ends immediately.
A breakdancer can only be in one stance at a time. Using a stance dance move ends any other stance dance move currently in effect on the breakdancer, if any.
Nip-up
Requires: Kip-up
When performing the kip-up dance move, the breakdancer gains a circumstance bonus equal to his current rhythm to his Acrobatics check made to avoid an attack of opportunity.
One Step Ahead (Ex) Requires: Breakdancer 8 Minimum Rhythm: 2
When everyone moves to the beat, they're easy to avoid.
The breakdancer gains a +1 insight bonus to saving throws.
Pelvic Thrust (Su) Requires: Breakdancer 6 Rhythm Cost: See text Duration: instantaneous
As a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the breakdancer performs a pelvic thrust in the general direction of a single creature within 30 feet.
He expends any amount of rhythm, max half his breakdancer class level, rounded down, as part of performing the thrust. The subject takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage per point of rhythm expended in this manner with a Fortitude save for half damage.
Power Dropping (Su)
Requires: Breakdancer 20, any one of - atomic drop, electric boogaloo, screeching shift
The atomic drop, electric boogaloo, and screeching shift dance moves now deal 2d6 damage of their respective types.
Powerful Footfalls (Ex) Requires: Breakdancer 4 Rhythm Cost: 2
Duration: 1 round
When the breakdancer really gets going, his movements get wilder and wilder, until even the slightest of frames is a deadly weight. As a swift action, the breakdancer
When the breakdancer really gets going, his movements get wilder and wilder, until even the slightest of frames is a deadly weight. As a swift action, the breakdancer