Last session ended with us leveling up and we have a while before our next session. I'm playing a wizard and recently I've had this urge for my character to take up a musical hobby. So, naturally I'm thinking about putting a rank into Performance: Strings and maybe Performance: Sing or Oratory later.
What I'm looking for though, is for my wizard not to suck at playing a fiddle or harp and hopefully even make an audience emotional from how good he is. Thus the problem and question with which I would appreciate some advice.
Having just leveled up and thus only being able to put one rank into a performance skill, with no traits to make performance a class skill for me, is there a way to not suck at playing a violin or using some other performance skill?
Right now with one rank it'd be 1 rank + 2 CHA = +3 Performance.
I could get a masterwork instrument eventually, but that means I'll only not suck with those specific instruments. If I were to take 10 not including masterwork instrument, it'd be 13, which doesn't seem like enough to pull the emotions of the crowd (flavor wise, not mechanically).
I would start with oratory because it has more role-play potential than using an air guitar unless you can actually play an instrument. Also the amount of ranks you may put into a skill is only limited by your level.
You're just picking up a hobby right now, that's why you only have one rank. Its not enough to move people unless you get "lucky".
Level up and put more ranks into it and/or take Skill Focus if you want more than just hobby dabbling.
The highest boost you can get, I think, is getting the Additional Traits feat, and getting Clever Wordplay on Performance: Sing, and Rude Songs.
That grants you a total of INT - CHA + 2 (from Rude Songs) + 3 (since now it is a class skill).
As long as your INT bonus is +3 or higher, it's better than Skill Focus.
Why would you only be able to put one rank in Performance? You can put ALL of your new ranks in Performance, as long as the TOTAL number of ranks isn't more than your level.
So if you are a wizard of 6th or higher level, and have an Int score of 18, you could put 6 ranks into Perform when you level up.
The question I thought you were asking from the title is, how to justify in-character that yesterday you couldn't play at all and the next day you're an accomplished musician. But that's another question.
Thanks everyone for the input and ideas.
I indeed totally forgot that I could put all my ranks gained at a level into on skill. So, while I may not shove all of them in there (gotta keep perception, spellcraft and maybe knowledge arcana up there) I can see about adding more than I had originally, incorrectly thought.
I'll look into a masterwork instrument. Probably Violin / Fiddle as that was the instrument I was thinking.
Circlet of persuasion may be a possibility, but our wealth per level is very much lacking, so I'll have to wait for that.
Clever Wordplay could be very good... if my DM allows retraining in traits. Since I'm looking for him to be more into strings than oratory to begin with, I'll probably postpone rude songs, but that is a good thought.
Since it's a hobby I do agree that he doesn't have to be amazing, even if I'd like him to be. That being said him suddenly becoming an accomplished musician is easy to explain. We're playing Kingmaker which means a lot of down time and thus a lot of time to practice away from the others when not working. Since it is a hobby though, I can do as Symar suggests and treat it as such. Not horrible at playing it, but not a virtuoso right from the get go.
Thanks again everyone.
throw a level into bard? or take skill focus
You need a montage!
(people already mentioned my other ideas)
Sadly I'm not at a level where I get a feat and next level's (7th lv.) feat is planned.
Skill items is a possibility. There might also be an ioun stone for charisma checks, so that could work.
Cracked Magenta Prism
Magenta Prism: This stone grants you a +2 competence
bonus on checks with any one skill you choose, and you
can change the skill modified once per day, as a normal
magenta prism ioun stone. Price: 800 gp
Retraining may be a possibility, I'm just unsure which feat I'd want to switch out since I like all that I have chosen.
That magenta prism is quite nice. Could go from using it for the perform skill to diplomacy, spellcraft or something else if I think I'm going to need it that day. Very nice indeed.
You can also go from Perform(String) to Perform(Oratory)
/cevah