Thundercaller's Thundercall and Bardic Performance


Rules Questions


87 people marked this as FAQ candidate. Answered in the errata. 7 people marked this as a favorite.

Hey all!

After a fairly rousing thread about this that got the "question unclear" response, I'm going to make the question quite clear.

Here's the archetype!

Here's the ability! With some bonus contextual information!

Quote:

Bardic Performance

A thundercaller gains the following types of bardic performance.

Thunder Call (Su): At 3rd level, the thundercaller can use her performance to unleash a deafening peal of thunder. This allows the thundercaller to spend a round of performance to create an effect similar to the spell sound burst (having the same range and area and allowing the same saving throw). At 7th level, the sonic damage that is dealt by this blast of sound increases to 3d8. This damage further increases to 5d8 at 11th level, 7d8 at 15th level, and 9d8 at 19th level.

This performance replaces inspire competence.

Here's the first half of bardic performance.

Quote:

Bardic Performance: A bard is trained to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around him, including himself if desired. He can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier. At each level after 1st a bard can use bardic performance for 2 additional rounds per day. Each round, the bard can produce any one of the types of bardic performance that he has mastered, as indicated by his level.

Starting a bardic performance is a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a bardic performance from one effect to another requires the bard to stop the previous performance and start a new one as a standard action. A bardic performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the bard is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time.

At 7th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a move action instead of a standard action. At 13th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a swift action.

Specific Question: Can the Thundercaller activate Thundercall twice or even three times per round (at 7th and 13th level, respectively)?

General Question: Can the bard activate multiple performances a round if he ends one before starting the other? For example: At level 13, can the bard end the performance he was using between rounds, start Dirge of Doom as a swift action, cast a spell as a standard action, end Dirge of Doom as a free action, and then start Inspire Courage as a move action?

Please hit the FAQ button, as both of these questions pop up somewhat often.

And keep the vitriol to a dull roar. There are a thousand of other threads to get angry about this issue in.


Good thread Cheapy - long standing issue that comes up frequently and needs to be clarified.

Cheapy wrote:
And keep the vitriol to a dull roar. There are a thousand of other threads to get angry about this issue in.

I laughed. =)

EDIT: No problem Cheapy.


Yes! I meant 13th, thanks.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

I've hit the FAQ button. I was going to add some further comments, but I see that you'd prefer I didn't, and I'll respect that wish.


I've hit the FAQ button too. I know James Jacobs already has answered yes on the general question, but as you have pointed the question pops up often.

So thanks to you we can perhaps finally have an answer. I'll give you a cookie with lots of love :) 


FAQ'd for great interest. It has ramifications for any "instant action" performance that doesn't contain explicit clarification.

Liberty's Edge

3 people marked this as FAQ candidate.

Related question in another thread:
what is the DC of thundercalling (and other bard abilities without a clear DC??

FAQed your post, Cheapy.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

FAQ'd the other thread's post Diego, and going to bump this up to the top of the list, as I see many other topics getting hit with FAQ responses.

I'd like to see this one addressed also as it's come up frequently. If you're reading this and haven't hit the FAQ button yet, please do so. Thanks!

Edit: Also, for any newcomers, please adhere to the following...

Cheapy wrote:
And keep the vitriol to a dull roar. There are a thousand of other threads to get angry about this issue in.

Paizo Employee Design Manager

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Hey Cheapy, way to take a common question and boil it down to it's pertinent points in a nice FAQable format. That's how it should be done.

....

FAQ'able


I know, I'm kind of evil like that.


I know it's not super clear, but I would think that since it says "Effect similar to sound burst", it would be a standard action as the spell, but that's just me.

As for the saving throw DC, I would say that since it's a supernatural effect (When it should be spell-like because duh, it emulates sound burst), it would be 10 + half bard level + bard's Charisma modifier.


Thank you, I would also like to know the answers to these questions

Scarab Sages

Has there been a FAQ of this issue yet?


Wish this would be answered, but it's hard to get non-core FAQ'd. Anyone know who the author of this particular archetype is, and how they intended for this to work?

Scarab Sages

I would like to bump this thread to see if we can get a clarification on this. I am heading to a convention in 2 weeks and would hopefully get an answer. I know that it has been almost 2 years since this thread was posted, but we still have no update.


the answer will be (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard’s level + the bard’s Cha modifier) like it is for all class abilities that have DCs.

Scarab Sages

Chess Pwn wrote:
the answer will be (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard’s level + the bard’s Cha modifier) like it is for all class abilities that have DCs.

Oh, that was actually FAQ to 10 + Spell Level + CHA.

The one I was wondering about is the action of using Thunder Call. Can it be used more than once a round? That question has not been answered with a FAQ.


that's the problem with necro threads. Too hard to figure out what's going on...

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

This is an Ask your GM thing.

There is a phrasing in Bardic Performance that many believe limit you to one performance a round. So ask your GM if you can and do so showing the limiting sentence and see which side they land.


Considering the impact of the answer possibly being "Yes", I would venture to say "No". This one should be nerfed to only once per round, IMO. An at will sonic AoE? Multiple times per round? Yikes.
This is likely the most broken archetype I can recall (meaning OPed, not useless).


Fourshadow wrote:

Considering the impact of the answer possibly being "Yes", I would venture to say "No". This one should be nerfed to only once per round, IMO. An at will sonic AoE? Multiple times per round? Yikes.

This is likely the most broken archetype I can recall (meaning OPed, not useless).

27 unfriendly damage per round in a tiny AoE at level 7 for the equivalent of a full round action is honestly what you think is the most broken thing in the entire game?


swoosh wrote:
Fourshadow wrote:

Considering the impact of the answer possibly being "Yes", I would venture to say "No". This one should be nerfed to only once per round, IMO. An at will sonic AoE? Multiple times per round? Yikes.

This is likely the most broken archetype I can recall (meaning OPed, not useless).
27 unfriendly damage per round in a tiny AoE at level 7 for the equivalent of a full round action is honestly what you think is the most broken thing in the entire game?

Having seen this in action the issue is rarely the damage, although it stacks up pretty quickly, it's more the multiple fort saves or be stunned. This was however prior to the Aasimar FCB nerf.

Also, a 10'r isn't all that tiny, you are going to catch two enemies in it in many multiple opponent combats.

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Fourshadow wrote:

Considering the impact of the answer possibly being "Yes", I would venture to say "No". This one should be nerfed to only once per round, IMO. An at will sonic AoE? Multiple times per round? Yikes.

This is likely the most broken archetype I can recall (meaning OPed, not useless).

In the Sound Striker thread where we worked out with a design team member how to nerf Weird Workds, someone brought up "well that would make it less powerful than Thundercall. The response:

Paraphrased as "Thundercall is too good and should be changed also."

But I don't think it will any time soon.


James Risner wrote:
Fourshadow wrote:

Considering the impact of the answer possibly being "Yes", I would venture to say "No". This one should be nerfed to only once per round, IMO. An at will sonic AoE? Multiple times per round? Yikes.

This is likely the most broken archetype I can recall (meaning OPed, not useless).

In the Sound Striker thread where we worked out with a design team member how to nerf Weird Workds, someone brought up "well that would make it less powerful than Thundercall. The response:

Paraphrased as "Thundercall is too good and should be changed also."

But I don't think it will any time soon.

Exactly this. Was that stated by a Developer? I seem to recall it was, but uncertain.

Being in a Player Companion, it was also noted in that thread there would be no errata--though it was obvious it was/is needed.

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Yes SKR in the 1000 post MechE thread on Sound Striker.

He flatly rejected paraphrased "but then it's worse than Thundercall" with paraphrased "yes and Thundercall should be nerfed too".

Scarab Sages

Yeah, playing this character in PFS makes things weird on the actions used.

Liberty's Edge

Was there ever an answer to this? Sigh. My spouse is playing one in PFS and I would like a firm ruling.

By RAW, it would seem you could do it twice per round at lvl 7 because the bard can move action performance then. As far as the "A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time," it seems to me that you do one as a move action (and then the effect ends) and then start the next as a standard action. So you only have one in effect at any time.

I can certainly see, however, how others could read it differently. It would be nice to have a firm ruling.

As far as the DC of it goes, this was answered by James Jacobs in this link.


nennafir wrote:

Was there ever an answer to this? Sigh. My spouse is playing one in PFS and I would like a firm ruling.

By RAW, it would seem you could do it twice per round at lvl 7 because the bard can move action performance then. As far as the "A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time," it seems to me that you do one as a move action (and then the effect ends) and then start the next as a standard action. So you only have one in effect at any time.

I can certainly see, however, how others could read it differently. It would be nice to have a firm ruling.

As far as the DC of it goes, this was answered by James Jacobs in this link.

Considering Sean K Reynolds said it should be nerfed, I would certainly limit it to once per round.

Firm ruling's seem to be scarce with regard to the wonderful Bard...

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