Halfling Whistler

Specialty

Wanderer.

Qualifications

Whistlers must have a Wisdom of 13 or better. However, qualifying Intelligence is lowered to 10. Prime requisites for Whistlers are Wisdom and Charisma.
Halflings are the only race able to become Whistlers. They are limited to 15th level.

Description

Much like dwarven Chanter, halfling Whistlers are the unheralded heroes of the halfling race. Halflings belong to the general category of nature-sensitive races and professions. Because halflings hate to kill forest animals for food or butcher farm pets, they live by using their knack for agriculture. Their success is largely due to the existence of halfling Whistlers. Although almost any halfling can whistle up a tune, true Whistlers are extremely rare. Each halfling community has but one or two.
Whistlers are extremely attuned to the natural environment about them. In particular, they love forest animals and all types of plant life. The very tunes of a skilled Whistler can help a garden overcome drought or blight. Whistlers can also communicate with birds to help prevent insect swarms from wiping out a village's food supply.
When Whistlers aren't tending gardens and crops, they can be found performing for the locals. Nearly every day, a comfortable crowd forms in some grassy section of the community for an evening's entertainment. Some just sit on the grass and listen to the Whistlers' tunes, while others dance about, laugh, and make merry.

Role

Whistlers are an odd mix of a farmer, forest wanderer, and entertainer. Although they are loved by everyone in the community, most of them seem a bit reclusive, often living on the edge of town or even in a small burrow just within the forest's edge. In truth, they aren't reclusive — they are simply maintaining their unique link with nature.

Weapon Proficiencies

Like all halflings, Whistlers love missile weapons, particularly those that can be thrown. At least half of a Whistler's weapons must be types that can be hurled.
Whistlers can select from among the following weapons: blowgun, short bow (either type), club, light crossbow, dagger, dart, footman's mace, hand axe, harpoon, javelin, knife, quarterstaff, sling, spear, staff sling, short sword, or war hammer.
In addition to these, Whistlers can take a special weapon proficiency: rock pitching. All halflings are skilled at pitching rocks, but Whistlers are especially renowned. A "good" rock can be pitched with the exact same effect as a dart, except that a Whistler gains a +1 damage bonus if he hits.
Of course, rocks cause blunt damage (not puncture damage as do darts). Only good rocks that are specially selected by the Whistler gain the above advantage. If just any old rock is being pitched, damage is reduced to 1 (plus any Strength adjustment) and long range becomes 3 (not 4). Good rocks have been worn round in swift rivers. Most rubble, cave rocks, and the broken rocks found in old dungeons are not good rocks. Whistlers usually carry a supply of 2d4 good rocks (thrown rocks that hit their targets can be recovered; those that miss are lost).

Non-weapon Proficiencies

Bonuses

Agriculture, Dancing, Spellcraft, Whistling/Humming.

Suggested

Animal Lore, Astrology, Brewing, Cooking, Crowd Working, Direction Sense, Fire-Building, Fishing, Herbalism, Hunting, Leatherworking, Mountaineering, Musical Instrument, Poetry, Rope Use, Singing, Set Snares, Survival, Swimming, Tracking, Weather Sense.
Whistlers generally use fishing, hunting, set snares, and other such skills for the benefit of nature. They learn these skills so they can scare game away from sport hunters, spring snares and traps set by greedy furriers, and so on. Using nature when necessary is acceptable, but it should never be abused. A Whistler will resort to hunting and fishing only if there is no other way to avoid starvation.

Armor/Equipment

Whistlers wear only padded armor. They don't like the thought of wearing leather armor, as some animal had to die for it, and they find other types of armor too restricting and unnatural.

Special Benefits

Influence Reactions

Although Whistlers use a different form of music, namely whistling and humming, their ability to influence reactions functions exactly like the True Bard's ability of the same name.

Counter Tune

As noted earlier in the demihuman bard section, halfling demi-bards don't cast spells. Rather, they gain a special counter spell ability. Whistlers implement this ability by humming or whistling the proper counter tune. A counter tune must be whistled to counter a spell that has a verbal component; otherwise, the counter tune must be hummed.
Counter tune functions just like counter spell in all other ways.

Chattering

Whistling is a wonderful way to express one's mood, but Whistlers take this form of basic communication a bit further. By "chattering," a process of whistling, trilling, and emitting an occasional squeak, Whistlers are able to communicate. They can carry on complex conversations with other chatterers and are even able to communicate with some animals.
Whistlers can communicate with any naturally occurring animal that can squeak, chirp, or whistle. Such communication is on a fundamental level. Basic information can be exchanged, as well as mood, feelings, etc. For example, a Whistler could chatter with a squirrel and learn that it has a lot of nuts hidden in a nearby oak tree. Whistling with a bird might enable the Whistler to learn if it has seen any large monsters (but not if it has seen five ettin or other specific information).
Whistlers often find a forest friend that accompanies them on some of their less dangerous adventures. Ferrets and foxes are particularly fond of adventuring with Whistlers.

Stormwhistle

The phrase "whistle up a storm" was coined when a ranger once witnessed a halfling (actually a Whistler) standing out in the middle of a drought-struck potato field. To the ranger's amazement, the little fellow stuck his hands into his pockets and starting whistling. Puzzled, the ranger crouched behind a large birch and watched. An hour later, the sky had clouded over and it started to rain. After the rain was coming down quite heavily, the ranger glimpsed a satisfied-looking halfling strolling away.
It is true that halflings can't cast wizard spells. However, Whistlers are able to cast certain clerical spells. They do not receive these spells like clerics. In fact, the source of these spells is somewhat of a mystery. Most Whistlers agree that they are granted by Mother Nature herself.
In any event, Whistlers gain the ability to cast each of the following spells once per day. The usual components for these spells are ignored; the Whistler need only whistle to cast the spell. Whistlers gain the following spells at the listed levels:
1st level: Pass Without Trace
3rd level: Obscurement
5th level: Plant Growth
7th level: Speak With Plants
9th level: Control Winds
11th level: Weather Summoning
13th level: Control Weather
15th level: Entangle

Special Hindrances

As with all halfling demi-bards, Whistlers do not gain the bard ability to cast wizard spells, nor do they gain the 10th-IeveI bard ability to use any written magical item.

[Complete Bard's Handbook]