So i have a silly campaign in progress i am joining that is going well into mythic from what the GM says and each player has gotten a sort of "custom tailored" artifact for their character to fit in the story, i was told to build a character of 5th level and find an artifact to run by him for the game, i was considering a bard, however, looking through the artifacts i can only find with any abilities for a bard, the Song of Extinction Bardic Masterpiece, and the Perfect Golden Lute. Now the lute i find a bit bland but i rather like the Song of Extinction, however, the masterpiece itself has some wording that confuses me.
I am unsure of how the cost of the ability works, does it not work if i have played a bardic performance that day? or does it just eat every remaining bardic performance round i have? i would hope it is the second because the first would make it unusable, but i am unsure, and that is why i came to ask here.
I'm pretty sure it's the first. It says "all", not "remaining". For contrast, here's radiant charge: Radiant Charge wrote: Benefit: When you hit with a charge attack, you can expend all of your remaining uses of lay on hands to deal extra damage equal to 1d6 per use of lay on hands expended + your Charisma bonus. This damage comes from holy power and is not subject to damage reduction, energy immunities, or energy resistances. So presumably it requires all of the bardic performance rounds you start the day with since it needs all of your uses of bardic performance for the day. This also prevents you from using it more than once a day by expending all (i.e. none) to use it a second time.
Bob Bob Bob wrote: I'm pretty sure it's the first. It says "all", not "remaining". For contrast, here's radiant charge:Radiant Charge wrote: Benefit: When you hit with a charge attack, you can expend all of your remaining uses of lay on hands to deal extra damage equal to 1d6 per use of lay on hands expended + your Charisma bonus. This damage comes from holy power and is not subject to damage reduction, energy immunities, or energy resistances. So presumably it requires all of the bardic performance rounds you start the day with since it needs all of your uses of bardic performance for the day. This also prevents you from using it more than once a day by expending all (i.e. none) to use it a second time. hmm, i am not totally convinced but assuming this is how it works i have a corollary question, can an Archaeologist bard take and use the masterpiece? the archaeologist's luck ability states that Archaeologist’s Luck (Ex) wrote: Archaeologist’s luck is treated as bardic performance for the purposes of feats, abilities, effects, and the like that affect bardic performance. does this mean you can use it to power a bardic masterpiece?
Presumably? Everything I've seen says to treat archaeologist's luck like bardic performance. Masterpieces only require bardic performance rounds, presumably archaeologist's luck can substitute (under the ability? feat? clause of Archaeologist's Luck).
I agree it's all of your uses of bardic music for the day. Though that can vary with your charisma modifier, so you could get away with expending some performance rounds if you took charisma damage afterward, I guess. I also agree that Archaeologists' Luck would qualify.
I wouldn't worry that the usage cost will make it unusable. It's already pretty unusable. You need to be 15th level to learn it (15 ranks in perform), at the cost of a feat, or a 6th level spell known at 16th. Then it takes 5 full-rounds to perform and consumes all your bardic performances for the day, which are expended when you start the masterpiece. The item activation excludes you from the earthquake, but as written, the masterpiece only excludes you from the Reflex save-or-die.
On the other hand, you can activate the box as a standard action to perform the masterpiece itself 1/week, which is a way better deal. You keep all your performance rounds and 4+ rounds of actions during combat. Still, how often are you going to have the enemies within 100', but not your allies? I'd take the Perfect Golden Lute.
Rhatahema wrote: I agree it's all of your uses of bardic music for the day. Though that can vary with your charisma modifier, so you could get away with expending some performance rounds if you took charisma damage afterward, I guess. I also agree that Archaeologists' Luck would qualify.
I wouldn't worry that the usage cost will make it unusable. It's already pretty unusable. You need to be 15th level to learn it (15 ranks in perform), at the cost of a feat, or a 6th level spell known at 16th. Then it takes 5 full-rounds to perform and consumes all your bardic performances for the day, which are expended when you start the masterpiece. The item activation excludes you from the earthquake, but as written, the masterpiece only excludes you from the Reflex save-or-die.
On the other hand, you can activate the box as a standard action to perform the masterpiece itself 1/week, which is a way better deal. You keep all your performance rounds and 4+ rounds of actions during combat. Still, how often are you going to have the enemies within 100', but not your allies? I'd take the Perfect Golden Lute.
I am actually giving serious consideration to going Archaeologist, which would make the lute kind of... meh, do you perhaps have any better ideas for what i could take if i went Archaeologist? (the orb of dragonkind and staff of the magi are taken sadly)
If you're going mythic why are you looking at weak core rulebook artifacts?
Tarnhelm wrote: This mithral cap includes prominent guards for the eyes and nose. The helmet was forged under duress by a dwarven smith to further the ambitions of his mad brother. The Tarnhelm has the following powers.
The wearer gains the shapechanger subtype.
The wearer gains immunity to polymorph effects, except ones he chooses to allow to affect him.
At will, the wearer can use greater invisibility as a spell-like ability for as long a duration as desired.
At will, the wearer can change his appearance in the same fashion as a hat of disguise, with a DC 25 Will save required to disbelieve the illusion. If the Tarnhelm is used to create a disguise, the wearer receives a +25 bonus on the Disguise check.
Three times per day, the wearer can use greater teleport, exactly as if he had cast the spell of the same name. The wearer can teleport additional times by expending one use of mythic power per teleport.
Three times per day, the wearer can assume the form of an animal as though he had cast beast shape IV, except the duration lasts until the effect is dismissed or dispelled. The wearer can change shape additional times by expending one use of mythic power per transformation.
By expending two uses of mythic power, the wearer can assume the form of Gargantuan chromatic or metallic dragon. The effect lasts until dispelled or dismissed. He gains a +14 size bonus to Strength, a +12 size bonus to Constitution, a +10 natural armor bonus, a fly speed of 150 feet (poor), blindsense 90 feet, darkvision 180 feet, a breath weapon, DR 15/magic, frightful presence (DC 23), one bite (4d6), two claws (2d8), two wing attacks (2d6), and one tail slap (2d8). All his breath weapons deal 16d8 points of damage and allow a Reflex save (DC 10 plus his tier plus his Constitution modifier) for half damage. This ability otherwise functions as form of the dragon III.
Staff of Eldritch Sovereignty wrote: Similar to the staff of the magi, this long ivory staff is inlaid with platinum sigils and burns with eldritch fire when its powers are called upon. Unlike a normal staff, a staff of eldritch sovereignty holds 50 charges and can't be recharged normally. Some of its powers use charges, and others don't. A staff of eldritch sovereignty doesn't lose its powers if it runs out of charges. The following powers don't use charges:
Arcane sight
Daylight
Knock
Mage armor
Mage hand
Touch of idiocy
The following powers drain 1 charge per use:
Black tentacles
Cone of cold (15d6 damage, Reflex DC 20 half)
Fireball (10d6 damage, Reflex DC 18 half)
Greater dispel magic
Greater invisibility
Greater teleport
Lightning arc (15d6 damage, Reflex DC 20 half)
Major image (Will DC 18 disbelief)
Suggestion (Will DC 18 negates)
These powers drain 2 charges per use:
Summon monster IX (the summoned creatures receive the benefits of the Augment Summoning feat)
Plane shift (Will DC 22 negates, arrive 2 to 200 miles from the intended destination)
Prismatic sphere (DC 24)
Prismatic spray (DC 22)
For 5 charges, the staff of arcane sovereignty creates a gate.
The staff of eldritch sovereignty has higher DCs than normal for a staff. The wielder still uses her own save DCs if they exceed those of the staff.
The wielder can use any of her metamagic feats on spells cast with the staff of eldritch sovereignty by expending 1 charge per increase in spell level, with a minimum of 1 charge spent. The adjusted level of the spell can't be increased above 9th level. For example, a user with Quicken Spell can spend 5 charges to cast a quickened cone of cold with the staff, but couldn't use it to cast quickened greater teleport.
The wielder can expend one use of mythic power to gain the benefit of a number of charges equal to her mythic tier.
Any excess charges are lost. For example, a 5th-tier wielder with Empower Spell could expend one use of mythic power to cast an empowered fireball without consuming any charges from the staff. A wielder who knows the mythic version of one of the staff's spells can cast such spells from the staff by expending one use of mythic power. This can be combined with using mythic power to provide charges. Finally, the wielder can expend one use of mythic power to add 1 charge to the staff, with no risk of explosion if the staff is already fully charged.
A staff of eldritch sovereignty gives the wielder spell resistance equal to 23 plus her tier. If this is willingly lowered, however, the staff can be used to absorb arcane energy directed at its wielder, as a rod of absorption does. Unlike the rod, this staff converts spell levels into charges rather than retaining them as spell energy usable by a spellcaster. If the staff absorbs enough energy to exceed its limit of 50 charges, it explodes as if the wielder had performed a retributive strike (see Destruction). The wielder has no idea how many spell levels are cast at her—the staff doesn't communicate this knowledge as a rod of absorption does. Thus, absorbing spells can be risky.
Rod of Spell Sundering wrote: This 3-foot-long aspen rod bears glyphs of protection and abjuration. Each end is capped with a smooth copper sphere.
While holding the rod, the bearer automatically perceives any spell cast (or spell-like ability used) within a 120-foot radius, even if she can't otherwise perceive the caster. Spells cast from spell completion and spell trigger items are automatically detected as well. The bearer immediately knows the specific spell cast, whether or not it was from a magic item, its level, the caster level, and whether the spell is arcane or divine.
When the bearer of the rod of spell sundering counters a spell, she can counterspell with any spell of equal or greater level she's prepared, automatically countering as if she'd cast the proper spell to counterspell. As an immediate action after countering a spell, the rod's wielder can expend one use of mythic power to reflect the spell back on the caster. The rod's bearer must have line of effect to reflect a spell, unless the spell reflected doesn't require it. Treat the caster as the target, center, or origin of the spell's effect, as appropriate.
Treat the spell as though cast by the rod's bearer on the caster.
The power of the rod of spell sundering augments the spell, increasing the DC of any saving throws by 2 and the spell's caster level by the bearer's tier.
When used as a weapon, the rod of spell sundering functions as a masterwork light mace. On a successful attack, it targets the creature struck with greater dispel magic, with a caster level equal to its bearer's character level plus her mythic tier.
This effect can also be delivered with a successful melee touch attack made using the rod.
Bob Bob Bob wrote: If you're going mythic why are you looking at weak core rulebook artifacts?
Tarnhelm wrote: This mithral cap includes prominent guards for the eyes and nose. The helmet was forged under duress by a dwarven smith to further the ambitions of his mad brother. The Tarnhelm has the following powers.
The wearer gains the shapechanger subtype.
The wearer gains immunity to polymorph effects, except ones he chooses to allow to affect him.
At will, the wearer can use greater invisibility as a spell-like ability for as long a duration as desired.
At will, the wearer can change his appearance in the same fashion as a hat of disguise, with a DC 25 Will save required to disbelieve the illusion. If the Tarnhelm is used to create a disguise, the wearer receives a +25 bonus on the Disguise check.
Three times per day, the wearer can use greater teleport, exactly as if he had cast the spell of the same name. The wearer can teleport additional times by expending one use of mythic power per teleport.
Three times per day, the wearer can assume the form of an animal as though he had cast beast shape IV, except the duration lasts until the effect is dismissed or dispelled. The wearer can change shape additional times by expending one use of mythic power per transformation.
By expending two uses of mythic power, the wearer can assume the form of Gargantuan chromatic or metallic dragon. The effect lasts until dispelled or dismissed. He gains a +14 size bonus to Strength, a +12 size bonus to Constitution, a +10 natural armor bonus, a fly speed of 150 feet (poor), blindsense 90 feet, darkvision 180 feet, a breath weapon, DR 15/magic, frightful presence (DC 23), one bite (4d6), two claws (2d8), two wing attacks (2d6), and one tail slap (2d8). All his breath weapons deal 16d8 points of damage and allow a Reflex save (DC 10 plus his tier plus his Constitution modifier) for half damage. This ability otherwise functions as form of the dragon III.
Staff of Eldritch Sovereignty wrote: Similar ...
we arent JUST using the core rulebook artifacts, though i highly doubt i would be allowed anything mythic since the upper limit so far has been an Orb of Dragonkind and a Staff of the Magi
Hazrond wrote: I am actually giving serious consideration to going Archaeologist, which would make the lute kind of... meh, do you perhaps have any better ideas for what i could take if i went Archaeologist? (the orb of dragonkind and staff of the magi are taken sadly) Sphere of Annihilation would normally be my first choice for any character in any context. That said, Twin Spheres look pretty good, and the Rift-Born Sphere is better than the original! :)
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