Are any Bardic Masterpieces worth taking?

[Rycaut]

I occasionally look over the Bardic Masterpieces when thinking about various builds but I haven't yet seen one used. Are there masterpieces which are really good?

Specifically are there any masterpieces which are better than a 2nd level spell known for a Bard? I have a PFS Paladin/bard/dragon disciple and when he gains 3rd level spells I'm contemplating whether taking Expanded Arcana to get two 2nd level spells known and getting one or two bardic masterpieces might be worthwhile. He only has a limited number of bardic performance rounds a day as he is only a 1st level bard (higher level spellcaster due to dragon disciple levels for spells known and those levels plus magical knack for cl)

[calagnar]

This is the only masterpiece that I like. However it is best for a support/melee bard. I have not played with this ability yet. However I will be taking it on my PFSP Bard.

Battle Song of the People’s Revolt
(Percussion, Wind)
When you learn this masterpiece, choose a teamwork feat for which you meet the prerequisites. This performance grants the chosen feat to all allies within 30 feet who can see and hear you.

[deuxhero]

My favorites overall (not all 2nd level) are Pageant of the Peacock (you have EVERY int skill at your bluff mod. While poor for monster IDs, it's fantastic out of combat.) Winds of the Five Heavens (Control Winds is one of the best options for killing armies and destroying settlements), Legato Piece on the Infernal Bargain (Planar Ally with no component cost) and The Dance of Kindled Desires (If you have 3 rounds, anyone who fails a will save is compelled to do what you want as long as it isn't suicidal and their greatest desire isn't something you can't fufil: You can deny them after they complete it).

Unfortunately I think all those are prohibited in PFS (Planar Ally doesn't sound like the kind of thing they allow and I think PotP was specifficly disallowed) and I doubt Winds of the Five Heavens would be useful even if it's allowed (I don't think you fight "armies" with more than 2 digit numbers and I doubt you destroy that much either).

Rondeau of Heavenly Order isn't bad if you play with cluttered battlefields instead of square rooms. As mentioned above Battle Song of the People's Revolt is good, though PFS means your party changes a lot (Broken Wing Gambit is poor if you don't have any melee fighters for example)

[Rycaut]

For this specific character a further complication - he's very much a tank (Dragon Disciple, in heavy armor, with a lot invested in his Paladin lay on hands ability - he has been known to heal himself for over 200hp in the course of a single dungeon - all in one day and that was a few levels back). His bardic performances have generally been used rarely - he's an arcane duelist but only has a single level of Bard (but a lot of CHA). I have a few more levels before he could take this - and it would be after the usual PFS level 11 cap so may not be worthwhile for him.

[deuxhero]

If you kept up on your perform ranks, you don't actually NEED to limit yourself to a second level masterpiece if you are spending a feat as a multiclass bard instead of a spell slot (though PFS work that way).

(I actually just realized that myself while looking over descriptions. I finally have an anwser to "why would you ever spend a feat on a masterpiece")

[Chess Pwn]

If you're a tank then getting the "Battle song of the people's revolt" would be a useful one for you.

[Rycaut]

right - but if the masterpieces were 2nd or 1st level spells I was considering whether taking Expanded Arcana (when my Bard spells known level gets to be level 7 so I have 3rd level spells known) would allow me to take two masterpieces potentially if there were two which were better than having another 2nd level spell known.

But yes, keeping up my perform skill would mean that I could take higher level masterpieces with a feat as a multi classed bard (though I might not have enough rounds of performance for many higher level masterpieces to be useful). Also my perform skill is Oratory so either I would have to start investing in other perform skills or take some other measures to have a higher perform (oratory so I don't have somatic components - did I mention I'm in heavy armor...

[Markov Spiked Chain]

People's Revolt, as mentioned, looks awesome.

Triple Time is also very handy, for a first level spell known.

[strayshift]

deuxhero wrote:

My favorites overall (not all 2nd level) are Pageant of the Peacock (you have EVERY int skill at your bluff mod. While poor for monster IDs, it's fantastic out of combat.) Winds of the Five Heavens (Control Winds is one of the best options for killing armies and destroying settlements), Legato Piece on the Infernal Bargain (Planar Ally with no component cost) and The Dance of Kindled Desires (If you have 3 rounds, anyone who fails a will save is compelled to do what you want as long as it isn't suicidal and their greatest desire isn't something you can't fufil: You can deny them after they complete it).

Unfortunately I think all those are prohibited in PFS (Planar Ally doesn't sound like the kind of thing they allow and I think PotP was specifficly disallowed) and I doubt Winds of the Five Heavens would be useful even if it's allowed (I don't think you fight "armies" with more than 2 digit numbers and I doubt you destroy that much either).

Rondeau of Heavenly Order isn't bad if you play with cluttered battlefields instead of square rooms. As mentioned above Battle Song of the People's Revolt is good, though PFS means your party changes a lot (Broken Wing Gambit is poor if you don't have any melee fighters for example)

Yup plus triple time.

[Bob Bob Bob]

Battle Song of the People's Revolt is nice, solid buffing. 2nd.

Legato Piece on the Infernal Bargain is okay and it's the only way you're getting Planar Ally outside of UMD (or being a cleric/oracle/warpriest). The savings are minor (since most of the cost is paying them) but the real benefit is picking and choosing any alignment of outsider, no divine interference. Plus the fact that you're reenacting the devil went down to georgia. 4th.

Pageant of the Peacock is one of the most hilariously broken and awesome things in existence. You lie so well that you're actually telling the truth (or the universe makes it true after, I don't know). 2nd.

Pallavi of Nirvana's Blossoming is a personal favorite. True Sunlight (so destroys vampires), if done in an area of darkness (a spell), regardless of level, negates it, and creates difficult terrain if there are plants around (that you can make party members immune to). 4th.

Symphony of the Elysian Heart, freedom of movement for 1 ally/level while you play. Kind of self-explanatory. 3rd.

The Dance of Kindled Desires, as written, allows you to know a target's deepest desire... with no save, rolls, or anything but performing this dance. Otherwise it's not much better than spells you already get. 2nd.

Triple Time is Mass Longstrider, not bad for a level 1 spell. 1st.

[Purple Dragon Knight]

No. Masterpieces not worth it in general. Too situational and unlike spells you can't have them at the same time as a bardic performance. Lame.

[calagnar]

You can just takes a higher level bard spell.

PRD wrote:

Virtuoso Performance

School transmutation; Level bard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 round/level

While this spell is active, you may start a second bardic performance while maintaining another. Starting the second performance costs 2 rounds of bardic performance instead of 1. Maintaining both performances costs a total of 3 rounds of bardic performance for each round they are maintained. When this spell ends, one of the performances ends immediately (your choice).

Virtuoso performance does not stack with any other method of maintaining simultaneous bardic performances.

[Rycaut]

right - but for a character who dipped into the Bard class my thinking was that many Bardic Masterpieces create long lasting effects - so instead of spending a standard action to put up a fairly minimal buff (at CL 11+ a 1st level bard song isn't really a efficient thing to do in battle) some might have useful effects at the cost of keeping up one or more perform skills (which as a Dragon Disciple isn't easy but isn't impossible).

There is one masterpiece that basically casts "shield other" - definitely a consideration for my tank character given how much self-healing he can put out.

Triple Time suffers from not actually replicating a spell - so it uses your Bard level to calculate how many allies it effects - vs masterpieces that replicate spells which use your Bard CASTER level (so for a multi-classed character with a prestige class and magical knack all of those things would help boost the effect of the masterpiece).

Definitely some masterpieces which might actually be useful for my Dragon Disciple to consider even at higher levels - there are a few which are very flavorful with respect to Dragons (one that makes Dragons 2 steps more friendly - seems interesting for a paladin of apsu) but actually of the higher level masterpieces seem like they might very well be worth a feat for a character who dipped Bard as if his or her perform skill was up for it they could offer effects of spells that are higher level than she has access to normally (i.e. 4th or higher level spell effects)

[Fruian Thistlefoot]

Triple Time and Pageant of the Peacock are worth it.

I really Like PotP. It activates as fast as your normal performances and only wastes 1 round of performance for 10 minutes of effect. At later levels it is easy enough to have this up before entering the dungeon and right after each fight. Making your first action as a free action ID you CAN use it effectively to ID monsters. Then Drop it for your normal performance for Combat buffs. It is really powerful because you can out Knowledge the Wizard and brow beat him verbally for being stupid in typical Bard fashion. I enjoyed it immensely when I had it and used it A LOT.

[Rycaut]

Again Triple Time is only worthwhile if you have many bard levels (since it uses bard level not bard caster level for the number of allies it can effect). Pageant of the Peacock is potentially interesting as it is a long duration effect (and I almost never use bardic performances because I rarely have a free standard action - but though my CHA is good as a paladin my bluff isn't my strong suit... Also not sure it is allowed in PFS