Soothsayer

Eternal Rome

A Mythic Vistas Setting for 3rd Era Games

By Graeme Davis and Scott Bennie

A soothsayer is a character with unusual insight into the future. Soothsayers specialize in divination spells, and have an array of skills that help them see the truth and predict what is to come. NPC soothsayers do not travel widely, relying instead on their reputations to bring questioners to them; some, like the Sybils of Cumae and the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, were visited by kings and emperors. PC soothsayers may travel more widely, seeking further knowledge and insight.

Hit Die: d4.

Requirements

To qualify to become a soothsayer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 6 ranks.
Spells: Able to cast 2nd-level spells and at least three divination spells.

CLASS SKILLS

The soothsayer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Intelligence), Concentration (Constitution), Decipher Script (Intelligence), Knowledge (all) (Intelligence), Sense Motive (Wisdom), Spellcraft (Intelligence), Spot (Wisdom), and Use Magic Device (Charisma).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier.

The Soothsayer
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Oracle	–
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Clear sight	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	–	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Accurate sight	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	–	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Omens	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	–	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Defensive vision	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	–	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Greater lore	+1 level of existing spellcasting class

CLASS FEATURES

The following are features of the soothsayer prestige class.

WEAPON AND ARMOR PROFICIENCY

Soothsayers gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

ORACLE (SU)

A soothsayer casts all divination spells at +1 caster level, and can learn divination spells that are not normally available to spellcasters of his class. For example, a wizard soothsayer can learn the commune spell, even though it is normally only available to divine spellcasters. He also gains a +5 bonus to all Use Magic Device checks involving items with at least one divination function.

CLEAR SIGHT (EX)

Starting at 2nd level, a soothsayer may add one-half his class level to all Search and Spot checks.

SPELLS PER DAY

Starting at 2nd level, with a new soothsayer level is gained, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This essentially means that he adds the level of soothsayer to the level of some other spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before he became a soothsayer, the player must decide to which class he adds each level of soothsayer for the purpose of determining spells per day.

ACCURATE SIGHT (SU)

Soothsayers of 4th level or higher can discern the nationality, class, and Fame of anyone they meet. If the subject is disguised (mundanely or through magic), the soothsayer is allowed a Spot check to penetrate the disguise; if hes unsuccessful, he can only determine the nationality, class, and Fame that the subject is trying to exhibit.

OMENS (SU)

A soothsayer of 6th or higher level is able to ask the gods for hints of unspecified future event. The soothsayer must prepare himself for the omen by entering a contemplative state (but not necessarily a trance) requiring a DC 10 Concentration check (DC 15 if there are significant distractions), opening himself up to the revelation to come. An omen is then presented to either the soothsayer or the client who commissioned the omen within the next 24 hours (although the omen could pertain to an event days, weeks, or even years in the future). The omen is out of the ordinary enough to be obviously a response to the request, but the interpretation of the omen’s meaning is left up to the soothsayer or to the client. A DC 10 bardic knowledge or Knowledge (religion) check must be made to correctly identify the context of the omen, and a DC 15 check (bardic knowledge, or a specific Knowledge skill pertaining to the subject matter: religion, arcana, nobility and royalty, etc.) must then be made to decipher the exact meaning. Some guesses can be made as to the nature of the omen from the nature of the god petitioned by the soothsayer: a fertility goddess is unlikely to send omens concerning war, while a god of war is unlikely to predict the coming harvest.

Categories of omens and how they may be presented, include:

• The god promises victory in an upcoming battle: A two-headed snake slithers up to the soothsayer, but instead of attacking him, each head attacks the other. The client finds the helmet of an enemy warrior, split in two.
• The god warns of defeat in an upcoming battle: The client encounter an ancient battlefield, littered with the bleached bones of the dead. The soothsayer cuts himself with his dagger as hes sharpening it.
• The god counsels a peaceful approach: A hawk attacks a dove, but is struck by a lightning and slain. A cache of swords is found rusted from disuse.
• The god recommends a belligerent stance: The soothsayer misplaces his knife and it’s found skewering an olive branch to a table. The client’s armor is polished and oiled even though he hasn’t tended it in days.
• The god warns of treachery: The client comes across a skeleton is found with a dagger sticking out of its back. The soothsayer witnesses one scorpion stinging another to death as they fight over a morsel of food.

(Note: The omens revealed have to walk the line between the obvious and the obscure, but it’s better to be too obvious than it is to be too obscure. If the players figure out the omen’s meaning without rolling skill checks, that’s not a bad thing.)

DEFENSIVE VISION (SU)

At 8th level and higher, a soothsayer adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his Armor Class. The Wisdom bonus represents a preternatural awareness of danger due to waking visions of impending attacks; the visions aren’t clear and early enough to enable him to avoid the situations depicted, but they allow him to modify his immediate circumstances enough to help guard his person. A soothsayer doesn’t lose the bonus even in situations when he loses his Dexterity modifier due to being unprepared, ambushed, stunned, and so on. He does lose his bonus when immobilized. Defensive visions only apply to the soothsayer himself; he never receives visions he can share with others to give them similar AC bonuses.

GREATER LORE (SU)

At 10th level, a soothsayer gains the ability to comprehend an object’s significance. Whenever a soothsayer touches a magic item, he automatically learns all of the item’s magical properties as though he had cast an identify spell. As with the spell, the soothsayer learns nothing when touching artifacts or items of similar power.