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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2010

    Default Static nature of Bardic music

    After a player complaint, I decided to re-read the rules for bardic music. It seems they were right: Other than Countersong (perhaps the most situational one), none of them require a roll on the part of the Bard. He just 'does' it, for a static effect, no matter how good he really is. Of course to unlock them he still needs to max out ranks in a skill he will likely never roll. Is there something I am misreading, or is this how it is intended to work? Maybe a variant rule somewhere I could look at?

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Marlowe's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    NO LONGER IN CHINA!

    Default Re: Static nature of Bardic music

    How is this a problem?

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Troll in the Playground
     
    sleepyphoenixx's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2012

    Default Re: Static nature of Bardic music

    No one rolls for their buffs, so why should bards?

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    DwarfFighterGuy

    Join Date
    Apr 2011

    Default Re: Static nature of Bardic music

    Why should they, and how would that not be abusable?
    Also, some performances do require a performance roll: countersong and fascinate are two examples from Core.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2013

    Default Re: Static nature of Bardic music

    There's at least one PrC which ties its abilities to Perform checks. Seeker of the Song?

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Telonius's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Wandering in Harrekh
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Static nature of Bardic music

    It is a minor problem, in that it's a stealth skill tax. If a Bard didn't have to put that rank in Perform in order to get all the Bardic Musics, that's 21 more skill points for a skillmonkey to put anywhere else. You might as well make Perform a class feature and change the Skill Points to 5+Int per level. (But odd numbers are evil, so that's crazy talk).

    On the other hand, it's kind of tricky to make a scaling benefit that's both useful and doesn't encourage players to optimize a single skill check. (Iajutsu Focus, for example, is one that gets the optimization treatment regularly when it's used).

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Ettin in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2012

    Default Re: Static nature of Bardic music

    With Melodic Casting, you can substitute Concentration for Perform, making the stealth tax work for you.
    My D&D 5th ed. Druid Handbook

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Midwest, not Middle East
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Static nature of Bardic music

    Fascinate's DC is set by your perform check, which makes it pretty hard to resist. There are other feats and PrCs that use perform. And you could always use it to make money, which is kind of a waste of time but an option nonetheless.

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Optimator's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    SLC
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Static nature of Bardic music

    Song of Arcane Power works this way too.

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