Chanter

Chanter
Kana Rua, an Aumaua chanter.
General
Role	Leader
Abilities	cycling lists of low power, high AoE passive buffs and debuffs and they can periodically use invocations, which are pretty powerful spells.
Starting Stats
Skill bonus	Lore + 2 Mechanic + 1
Endurance	36 + 12/level(Average)
Health	Endurance x 4
Deflection	20(High)
Accuracy	20(Average)
Character
Companion	Kana Rua

“

In every culture across Eora, there are chanters. Many historians consider chanters to be the most ancient workers of magic, their hallowed phrases stirring the collective memory of wayward souls around them, compelling them to generate magical effects in a kind of "reenactment." In some societies, chanters form organized groups of storytellers and researchers, but in most parts of the world they are just a time-honored part of local folk traditions.

”

Chanter is one of the playable classes in Pillars of Eternity.

Chanters are storytellers and repositories of ancient lore from myriad cultural traditions. Though chanters have a bit of minor talent in traditional arts of combat and soul-based magic, their true power lies in their chants and invocations. They construct chants from individual iconic phrases, through the clever overlapping of phrases, chanters can grant their allies a sizable stack of minor bonuses over large area. While chants may seem modest compared to a wizard or a priest magic, chanters are able to recite their chants while occupied with other activities, making them extremely versatile. Additionally chanters invocations are pretty powerful spells and they have the highest number of summoning spells.

Background

Chanters can be found in almost any culture, but are most often seen in communities with a strong oral tradition. They are repositories of folk knowledge and common wisdom, tellers of tall tales and hallowed legends. They use these stories and legends to stir the memories of the dreaming lost souls and soul fragments that surround them. The spirits respond by creating magical effects, essentially playing their part in the recreation of the legends. In this way, chanters act as directors of supernatural actors playing out momentary plays for the chanter's benefit. Due to their heavy focus on folktales and storytelling, they have an inherent bonus to Lore. As explorers of many lost and forgotten vaults dating back to Eora's antiquity, chanters also have a bonus to Mechanics, helping them bypass tricky locks and traps.

Abilities

Chanters use the power of their souls to work their magic. Their close association with the Lost gives them a an inherit ability Ancient Memory, which is a passive power.

Chants

Main article: Chant

To use their special kind of magic, chanters link together individual short phrases from different legends to create longer chants. The phrases have distinctive, thematically-appropriate effects that are of low power but can be applied while the chanter is engaged in other combat activities. As one phrase ends and another begins, the effects of the first phrase will linger, allowing multiple phrases to overlap with each other. Through the clever overlapping of phrases, chanters can grant their allies a sizable stack of minor bonuses.

Chants are modal activated abilities, combinations of player assembled phrases that plays out over time. Chanters always have one chant selected, they are modal and exclusive to each other. They will always start chanting as soon as combat begins and always stop chanting as soon as combat ends. A chain of low power, long range area of effect passive buffs and debuffs that plays out over time.

Invocations

Main article: Invocation

With each chanted phrase that passes, chanters gain greater control over the spirits assisting them. When enough control is gained, chanters can direct them to perform a single powerful spell called an invocation. Invocations are often support-oriented, but some contain powerful offensive effects. Invocations are so powerful that they disrupt a chanter's chants, disabling their effects for several seconds until the chanter can recover.

Invocations are powerful, but the intervals between using them are long and they can never be used at the start of a fight, because the chanter need to speak a number of phrase before he can use Invocations. Chanters have the highest number of summoning spells of all classes.

Progression

Level	Ability gained	Able to cast invocation level
		1st	2nd	3rd
1	Ancient Memory	X
	Choose two first level chants
	Choose one first level invocation
2	Choose one first level invocation	X
3	Choose one first level chant	X
4	Choose one first level invocation	X
5	Choose one second level chant	X
6	Choose one second level invocation	X	X
7	Choose one second level chant	X	X
8	Choose one second level invocation	X	X

Notable Chanters

• Kana Rua