Okay, this is going to be shorter than the original post as the fracking board ate that one.

Once per day per bard level, a bard can use his song or poetics to produce magical effects on those around him (usually including himself, if desired). While these abilities fall under the category of bardic music and the descriptions discuss singing or playing instruments, they can all be activated by reciting poetry, chanting, singing lyrical songs, singing melodies, whistling, playing an instrument, or playing an instrument in combination with some spoken performance.

As PFS is SRD-only at the moment is it safe to assume that perform-oratory based bard isn't acceptable?

Okay, this is going to be shorter than the original post as the fracking board ate that one.

SRD wrote:

Once per day per bard level, a bard can use his song or poetics to produce magical effects on those around him (usually including himself, if desired). While these abilities fall under the category of bardic music and the descriptions discuss singing or playing instruments, they can all be activated by reciting poetry, chanting, singing lyrical songs, singing melodies, whistling, playing an instrument, or playing an instrument in combination with some spoken performance.

That's a fairly specific and explicit list of the types of performance that can drive bardic music, tied in the main part to the standard bard-as-entertainer concept.

As PFS is SRD-only at the moment is it safe to assume that perform-oratory based bard isn't acceptable?

I've known several oratory bards in the past. Hell, one of Cal's early incarnations was going do inspirational stand-up in battle ("So two goblins walked into a fight...").

Thanks for your responses, I'm well aware that in normal home games it's played looser, which is fine; but obviously PFS isn't a normal home game, it's essentially SRD-only and org play. Are you both saying that I'm reading more into the SRD than is there, and that under the SRD a perform:oratory bard is okay?

Well, sure. Complete Divine's Evangelist required Perform (oratory) ranks, so it should be possible!

Oratory is on the list of acceptable Perform skills from the PHB... Pretty straight forward to me.

I agree. If reciting poetry is considered an option for bardic music, there is no good reason that speaking prose shouldn't be allowed, as well.