Master Harper

Master Harper is a specialized prestige class on Faerûn, whose members are elite agents of the Harpers. They study spells and develop many skills to help them in their duties of preserving lore by imparting it to others, raising morale and aiding other members of the Harpers as well as others who promote similar aims.

Many master Harpers are bards, but by no means all are. Rangers, sorcerers, wizards, loremasters, and Harper agents often also become master Harpers. All have a love of accurate information (particularly old or secret lore) and of verifying, changing and sharing it. Not all longtime Harpers are master Harpers and rank within the Harpers doesn't depend on class or level, but many senior Harpers have at least one level in the master Harper prestige class.

Abilities

 * Harper Secret: Master Harpers learn secret Harper lore that improves their abilities.


 * Lycanbane: After aquiring an immunty to the affliction of lycanthropy at higher levels, the blood of Master Harpers becomes a cure for others afflicted by lycanthropy (equivalent to treatment by belladonna).


 * Oghma's Echo: High level Master Harpers are able to, once a day, flawlessly memorize long and exacting inscriptions, poems, instructions, contracts or other writings. These include magical passwords, words or phrases of activation but not entire written spells.

Master Harpers could communicate by mean of a special sign language known as harpspeak.

Ex-Masters
It is possible for Master Harpers to violate the code of the Harpers or intentionally turn away from the society. Such an individual quickly gains a bad reputation among other Harpers and can no longer use any of the divine blessings (such as Oghma's Echo). A petition to the High Harpers and an atonement spell from a deity they choose can bring a fallen Master back into good graces.

Master Harpers who are also High Harpers aren't deemed to have strayed until a majority of their fellow contemporaries meet and deem them to have done so. As there is seldom a consensus on Harper policy, Master Harpers must have knowingly endangered other Harpers or maliciously intended to harm the whole organization for these elite Master Harpers to be voted out.