Singer for the Dead

"As Gregory sat down on his simple wooden stool, surrounded by crowd of people mourning the death of their close one, he closed his eyes and saw life of this dead man as pure and honest as he could. With that the words he had so carefuly picked and arranged into song appeard in his mind. He opened his eyes once again, glanced on simple small urn laying in front of him. Suddenly its content rose from it as cloud of ash and formed into beautiful yet somehow glooming lyre in Gregorys hands. He strummed its pitch black strings and began to sing. He sang about this simple man, about his life, about all his achievements and faults, about all he has done and lived through. Honestly without praise or sentiment, just as he was taught. And the dead man standing next to him was pleased."

This subclass is inspired by Orson Scott Card's character Ender - also known as the Speaker for the Dead



Singer for the Dead takes his magic from the dead ones. He searches the world for lost souls who need guiding into light, who need to resolve something in this world so they can move on or for living people who lost someone and want someone to lead honest ceremony that will bring peace to everyone. The singer is skilled in investigating peoples lives, he has special insight in people.

People doesn't just sing up to being the Singer for the Dead, they are picked by the original one who is living somewhere outside of material plane of existence in the realm of dead. On your 3rd level you are asked to perform your first singing for someone you choose as your introduction ritual. You have to investigate the life and dead of someone and then tell his life in honesty in a song. If the dead person is pleased he will lead you to the first Singer for the Dead who will accept you as his apprentice. You will aquire the ash of the dead person which is a base bond you will be using for your magic. You can aquire more of this ash if you perform succesful Singing (one person = 1d6+1 stacks). Also your eyes will change their color to bright blue and you can use either the spell Speak with Dead or Charm Person once per long rest for free provided you sang an honest song about something beforehand or used one stack of ash. However your pact with the original Singer and journey to realm of dead marked you forever and even though you are living you are considered undead. You can spend one stack of ash to get advantage in roll for insight or investigation. 

If you choose to perform singing you'll have to find a subject to sing about (1d4-Int days for populated area, 2d4-Int for sparsely populated area, you cant find subject in unpopulated area), investigate (2d4-Int days + voluntary xd4-Int will give bonus for final singing +1 each) and then perform singing (performance check + bonus)

On 6th level you begin, if you focus and are actively searching, to see the actual dead people if they are present. Also you can transform your physical instrument and then make it to appear and disappear at will, which also makes it invulnerable. However you need to have the instrument, have its buying price in coin doubled and also it will cost you five stacks of ash you aquired from singing. You can transform as many instruments as you want provided you have the neccesary ingredients for ritual. You can summon number of additional instruments (half your profficiency bonus rounded down) and let them play on their own by spending one stack of ash per instrument. Every additional instrument playing will give you bonus + 1 for performance check and charisma saving throw also you can cast a cantrip as additional bonus action per instrument. You get 1d10+1 of ash from singing instead of 1d6+1.

On 14th level you don’t need to concentrate on every additional instrument and also each round you perform you can disperse one inspiration die for every instrument you are using. You can also try to persuade dead to give you ash (1d4).  You can also spend X stacks of ash instead of a X level spell slot and learn one additional cantrip.

 

 

Singing for the Dead

On your 3rd level you are asked to perform your first singing for someone you choose as your introduction ritual. You have to investigate the life and dead of someone and then tell his life in honesty in a song. If the dead person is pleased he will lead you to the first Singer for the Dead who will accept you as his apprentice. You will aquire the ash of the dead person which is a base bond you will be using for your magic. You can aquire more of this ash if you perform succesful Singing.

Journey Beyond

Your eyes will change their color to bright blue and you can use either the spell Speak with Dead or Charm Person once per long rest for free provided you sang an honest song about something beforehand or used one stack of ash. However your pact with the original Singer and journey to realm of dead marked you forever and even though you are living you are considered undead. You are resistant to necrotic damage but vulnerable to radiant. You can spend one stack of ash to get advantage in roll for insight or investigation. 

Attuned to Death

On 6th level you begin, if you focus and are actively searching, to see the actual dead people if they are present. Also you can transform your physical instrument and then make it to appear and disappear at will, which also makes it invulnerable. However you need to have the instrument, have its buying price in coin doubled and also it will cost you five stacks of ash you aquired from singing. You can transform as many instruments as you want provided you have the neccesary ingredients for ritual. You can summon number of additional instruments (half your profficiency bonus rounded down) and let them play on their own by spending one stack of ash per instrument. Every additional instrument playing will give you bonus + 1 for performance check and charisma saving throw also you can cast a cantrip through them as additional bonus action. You get 1d10+1 of ash from singing instead of 1d6+1.

Ash Magician

On 14th level you don’t need to concentrate on every additional instrument and also each round you perform you can disperse one inspiration die for every instrument you are using. You can also try to persuade dead to give you ash (1d4).  You can also spend X stacks of ash instead of a X level spell slot and learn one additional cantrip.