Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme [3.5 bardic music feats and vestige, PEACH]

[Fortuna]

Scarborough Fair [Simon And Garfunkel]
Your song carries memories and sadness, reaching out to touch the hearts of allies and enemies alike.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Perform 13 ranks
Benefits: You may expend a daily use of bardic music to sing Scarborough Fair, a song written by the ancient bards Simon and Garfunkel. This has the effect of a calm emotions spell cast over all those within 30 feet.

The Sound of Silence [Simon And Garfunkel]
You are familiar with darkness and silence, as were Simon and Garfunkel, and your songs incorporate them when need be.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Perform 16 ranks, Subsonics
Benefits: When using bardic music, you may elect to produce a magical silence effect in a 30 foot radius. Your music is conveyed through shades and degrees of silence, and has the usual effects.

Patterns [Simon And Garfunkel]
The slightest shade or speckle contains information, and you have an intuitive grasp of it through your music, allowing you to glean information from the grand pattern first recognized by Simon and Garfunkel.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Bardic Knowledge class feature, Perform 14 ranks
Benefits: When using your Bardic Knowledge ability, you may expend a daily use of bardic music and a full minute to gain a +10 enhancement bonus to the check. If you make a bardic knowledge check and meet DC 35, you gain the benefits of having cast legend lore to gather information about the subject as well as the normal results.

I'll think of more, or make feats from songs that you request.

And because I can, here's a Vestige, too.

Simon and Garfunkel (Vestige)

It is known that, in the distant past, magic was wild and raw, difficult to control, and on the whole limited to wizards (known in those ancient days as magic-users, as they were the only ones able to use magic) and a few splinter groups thereof. What is less well known is that even in those terrible years, bards still wielded the power of song. One thing, however is known only to a few, many of whom went mad with the knowledge: there were bards and songs even before the world. These bards did not call themselves such (as far as is known), but their purpose was the same, producing music to bring emotion to the world. One such pair of bards were known as Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, and their songs are still sung today for their power to reach into the soul and produce emotions of the strongest kind. When the world was formed, a part of their essence was captured by many of the powers known as Diems and their assistants, Pleyurs. Because their fame was to a large extent as a team, the Diems and Pleyurs captured them as a team, and it is possible to reach into that part of the void known as Poplar Kul-cher and tap into a fraction of their power.

{table]Vestige Level: 4th
Bind DC: 35
Special Requirements: No[/table]

Manifestation: The manifestation of Simon and Garfunkel is a calm one. Their seal echoes with soft music, calming the soul, and they slowly fade into view, singing their ancient songs.
Sign: A faint, but constantly audible, sound of music in the background around you, and a much more melodious voice than usual.
Influence: While under the influence of Simon and Garfunkel, all of your speech is sung instead of spoken, and you hum or sing their tunes aloud when unoccupied with combat.

Granted Abilities: Simon and Garfunkel give you the ability to procure emotional responses of all stripes by tapping into the subconscious with music.
Sadness: All enemies within 30 feet of you must make a Will save or hesitate, overwhelmed with grief, thereby taking a -4 to their initiative rolls. This is a mind-affecting ability.
Joy: All allies within earshot of you gain the benefit of an Inspire Courage effect produced by a bard of level equal to your Binder level. This is a mind-affecting ability.
Song: You gain a number of uses of bardic music equal to your binder level. You also gain up to three Simon and Garfunkel feats, and are treated as having a number of Perform ranks equal to your binder level for the purpose of qualifying for them. You may only use a use of bardic music once every five rounds.

[Mulletmanalive]

So, what? Simon was the first Seeker of the Sound while Garfunkle was the first Dirgesinger?

The first one here is useful, the second is unclear what it actually means by the second clause [is this just a "no, the effect doesn't interfere with itself" or is it a "you can still use Bardic Music in the field you make"?] and the third one is...well, the legend lore bit is handy. Bardic Knowledge is one of those things that isn't well defined, so maybe you should slap in a house rule in a spoiler telling us what we can actually get from a check.

The vestige is silly in content but useful. Could do with a legend.

[Temotei]

The first one is useful, but I don't like calm emotions. Still, good feat, from what I can see. Watch! Milskidasith is going to come and destroy my post! I can't wait. Seriously. I like it...

The second one is confusing. Silence being the lack of sound, and me not being too familiar with Simon and Garfunkle other than by name...

The third feat is bardic knowledge. Can be useful, but not always is. It depends on the campaign. Legend lore can help though.

I'm no good with vestiges, seeing as I haven't read that far.

[paddyfool]

Objection! Scarborough fair is much older than Simon & Garfunkel!

Otherwise, good fun stuff.

[Golden-Esque]

The Vestige might be a little weak simply because its lacking the traditional "Once every 5 rounds" ability. None of the ones you have are powerful enough to warrant that slot, in my opinion. I'd recommend dropping your current anger effect for a new one, since it doesn't go along well with the feats you've already created based on the workings of the Vestige.

Whenever I sit down to make a new Vestige, the first thing I do before anything is figure out its backstory. I think the backstory on how the Vestige came to be is the most important part, because all of a Vestige's abilities should be a callout or a throwback to that story.

One possible outlet to explore is "Why are there two separate souls in your Vestige?" Are they two separate souls, fused together like the Emperor of Stars? Were they one soul that was violently split apart?

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Sound of Silence is already a bard feat.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

This would go really well with a certain PrC I made. Do you have plans for any more feats or possibly some spells?

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

This is awesome, and I (being a huge Simon and Garfunkle fan) wholeheartedly approve.



Bye Bye Love
Your song carries a twinge of imminent despair, causing incomprehensible sadness in your foes.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Perform 21 ranks
Benefits: You may expend two daily uses of bardic music to sing Bye Bye Love, a song written by the ancient bards Simon and Garfunkel. All foes within 30 feet must succeed on a Will save (DC determined by your Perform check result, as normal for Bardic Music) or fall under the effects of an Irresistible Dance spell. Instead of dancing, the victims fall to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. This is a sonic, mind-affecting attack.

Cloudly
Your music conjures mists from the air itself, obscuring sight with what must be solid melodies.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Perform 9 ranks
Benefits: You may expend a daily use of bardic music to sing Cloudly, a song written by the ancient bards Simon and Garfunkel. Everything within a 20 foot radius of you falls under the effects of a Fog Cloud spell for as long as you sing (and for 5 rounds afterwards). You can see through the fog as if it weren't there.

[Fortuna]

What is confusing about the second one? It is used while you are using bardic music, and that music still works. Simple as that.

And I got Djinn's seal of approval? Good grief. And here I was worried that it was languishing for a little while there.

I love the prestige class. A pity that we can't really mesh it that well, unless you can think of a way.

I wonder: what if we replaced all of the flavour text with a few lines from the song? Just a thought, of course.

And finally, here's some more! Yay! These ones may up the power a little bit, but I think that Bards need the love.

Homeward Bound [Simon And Garfunkel]
You sing a song of longing, written by Simon and Garfunkel.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Perform 15 ranks
Benefits: You may expend a daily use of bardic music to cause all foes within the area to turn towards their home for a moment, pondering what they no longer have. This causes them to be flat-footed for as long as you sing and take a -1 to all d20 rolls for the next minute. Additionally, you may expend two uses of bardic music to transport all willing targets that can hear you to a place that they recognize as home.

The 59th Street Bridge Song [Simon And Garfunkel]
One of the brighter songs of Simon and Garfunkel, you bring smiles and whistles to the battlefield.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Perform 12 ranks
Benefits: You may expend a daily use of bardic music and one minute to cause all allies who heard you throughout that minute to whistle the 59th street bridge song. Your allies countersong as a bard of half your level for the next 2 minutes unless they are talking, spellcasting or otherwise using their voices during that time. This also grants a +5 bonus on saves against any effects that rely on fear, pain or despair.

Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall [Simon And Garfunkel]
Another song of the ancient team of Simon and Garfunkel, this conjures weakness to your illusions and enchantments.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Perform 4 ranks
Benefits: You may expend a daily use of bardic music to sing Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall. As long as you sing, all creatures that can hear you must save against the better of your Perform check and the standard DC for any Illusion or Enchantment effects.

[ErrantX]

I have been too into video games lately.

I saw the title to this and did not think of the Scarborough Fair, I thought of Bayonetta's guns (the ones that fire bullets, not the... ahem, other ones).

That being said, I approve of this project! :D /nothingadded

-X

[Fortuna]

I have edited the vestige, but I think it may be too powerful now. I have also added the feat type [Simon and Garfunkel].

EDIT: Because I can.

Leaves That Are Green [Simon and Garfunkel]
You sing an ancient lament for the brevity of life and memory, drawing on the more destructive aspects of Simon and Garfunkel.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Perform 9 ranks
Benefits: You may expend a daily use of bardic music to cause all foes within earshot to suffer all negative effects of being at the maximum age category for their race if they fail a Fortitude save. This does not stack with standard aging penalties, and lasts as long as the bard sings plus an additional 5 rounds.

Somewhere They Can't Find Me [Simon and Garfunkel]
The obscuring cloud of emotion descends as you sing a song from Simon and Garfunkel.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Perform 15 ranks
Benefits: You may expend a daily use of bardic music to render all allies (including yourself) within 30 feet of yourself invisible and silenced, as the spells, for as long as you sing. Your song need not be heard to produce these effects: you need only continue singing, even if under silence. The allies must be willing, and each one may choose to negate either or both of these effects on themselves.

[Temotei]

What is confusing about the second one? It is used while you are using bardic music, and that music still works. Simple as that.

It's confusing because you're somehow using "grades" of silence to convey SOUND. Silence is the lack of sound. There's no such thing as "grades" of silence. It's either silence, or it's not.

Although, silence can apparently be deafening.

[Fortuna]

A wizard bard did it.

How do the mechanics look?

[Debihuman]

These are brilliant. Stuff like this just makes me happy.

Debby

[Eloel]

This is awesome. Seriously, this has been the best idea at a homebrew in a while.

[Fortuna]

Hey, a thought just occurred to me. What about a Bard ACF to gain feats related to your chosen artists? I would need help to produce a decent number, but that would be awesome.

[Temotei]

Hey, a thought just occurred to me. What about a Bard ACF to gain feats related to your chosen artists? I would need help to produce a decent number, but that would be awesome.

What feature(s) would you give up?

[Debihuman]

Leaves That Are Green [Simon and Garfunkel]
You sing an ancient lament for the brevity of life and memory, drawing on the more destructive aspects of Simon and Garfunkel.
Prerequisites: Bardic Music class feature, Perform 9 ranks
Benefits: You may expend a daily use of bardic music to cause all foes within earshot to suffer all negative effects of being at the maximum age category for their race if they fail a Fortitude save.

How long does this effect last?

Debby

[Temotei]

How long does this effect last?

Debby

And does it stack with normal aging penalties?

[pyrefiend]

Hey, a thought just occurred to me. What about a Bard ACF to gain feats related to your chosen artists? I would need help to produce a decent number, but that would be awesome.

YES. This is an idea positively saturated with win. I would definitely get in on that.

[Fortuna]

Regarding Leaves That Are Green: It does not stack with normal aging penalties, and it lasts as long as the bard sings + 5 rounds. I'll edit that in.

Regarding the ACF: Let me see, what do bards have to give up. How about everything except bardic music and inspire courage/competance? In exchange, maybe Fighter feat progression? You can't master the entire repertoire magically (hang, you can't master a single album), but you can say that those are the only ones that you put magic into, although you sing the rest. I would need to make a few Simon and Garfunkel feats for lower levels, and probably lessen the number of feats for each artist, but I'll think of something.