| Michael Grate |
Exquisite Accompaniment
Shadowbard
Virtuoso Performance
I am completely confused on how or if these three spells can interact.
First, what is the difference between Exquisite Accompaniment and Shadowbard. Besides Exquisite Accompaniment expending rounds of Bardic Performance when switching performances, they both read almost the same way. Is that seemingly small difference worth two spell levels or am I missing something?
Second, can I use one or both of these to have multiple bardic performances going at once. If yes then what is the point of Virtuoso Performance and if no then what's the point of the other two spells?
This also might be an obvious answer but if either or both of these spells can allow me to make multiple performances at once, can they interact with Virtuoso Performance? I only ask because technically I'm not making the second performance, a spell entity is but this is likely a stretch.
Third, if both can make extra performances, can they stack together? They don't have the restriction that Virtuoso Performance has so would it be possible to stack them?
Forth, what happens if one uses Virtuoso Performance while doing something that allows you to avoid expending Bardic Performance rounds. If my character uses the Tuned Bowstring or Exquisite Accompaniment (I've read that the use of this spell might only be to allow you to get free performance rounds and that it doesn't allow for anything else which would make sense for a 3rd level spell).
| Movin |
Exquisite accompaniment makes a bardic performance free for CL/rounds.
It specifically does not say you can break the single performance bardic limitation, as such under its effects you cant.
The shadow bard does not count as you so if you use it your bardic performances need to affect a group to take effect.
It has access to all your bardic songs but nothing that would for example boost your effective bard level like the Banner of Ancient kings or the warhorn three reasons to live.
Which then makes for some interesting questions about if it gets to use your feats or bardic level. Does it just use the song in question at minimum required level to do it?
I quick scan of google results returns no answers to me on this subject. I imagine someone on the forum will know though.
Virtuoso performance allows the bard to personally maintain two songs at once in exchange for burning through performance rounds like mad.
No questions about what abilities do or do not work like Shadowbard.
Secondly bardic classes that are self focused like the Dawnflower dervish would get no benefit from maintaining a shadowbard as the bonus of their song would apply to the shadowbard and not to the bard that cast the spell.
As to your question on the bowstring. No idea what it would do with Virtuoso up.
Were I the GM in question I'd rule that it reduces the costs of maintaining the dual song by 1 per round.
The item saying it removes the cost for a bardic performance not the additional costs of Virtuoso performance's effect and/or the costs of the second song.
| Michael Grate |
Exquisite accompaniment makes a bardic performance free for CL/rounds.
It specifically does not say you can break the single performance bardic limitation, as such under its effects you cant.The shadow bard does not count as you so if you use it your bardic performances need to affect a group to take effect.
It has access to all your bardic songs but nothing that would for example boost your effective bard level like the Banner of Ancient kings or the warhorn three reasons to live.
Which then makes for some interesting questions about if it gets to use your feats or bardic level. Does it just use the song in question at minimum required level to do it?
I quick scan of google results returns no answers to me on this subject. I imagine someone on the forum will know though.Virtuoso performance allows the bard to personally maintain two songs at once in exchange for burning through performance rounds like mad.
No questions about what abilities do or do not work like Shadowbard.
Secondly bardic classes that are self focused like the Dawnflower dervish would get no benefit from maintaining a shadowbard as the bonus of their song would apply to the shadowbard and not to the bard that cast the spell.As to your question on the bowstring. No idea what it would do with Virtuoso up.
Were I the GM in question I'd rule that it reduces the costs of maintaining the dual song by 1 per round.
The item saying it removes the cost for a bardic performance not the additional costs of Virtuoso performance's effect and/or the costs of the second song.
So just to make sure I have everything right:
Exquisite accompaniment only gives me free bardic performance rounds and I can't do something like pull out another instrument or start singing while the phantom instrument plays its song.
Virtuoso performance, at least as you would rule it, when combined with the Tuned bowstring (or Exquisite accompaniment) would just cost a total of two bardic performances per round instead of three.
It specifically does not say you can break the single performance bardic limitation, as such under its effects you cant.
Neither does shadowbard though. Does this mean with it up I can't break the one performance limit or is it different because it's basically a second me and does its own performances (based on what I can do and tell it to do) while exquisite accompaniment is an instrument?
| MalakaiFrejlor |
Exquisite accompaniment only gives me free bardic performance rounds and I can't do something like pull out another instrument or start singing while the phantom instrument plays its song.
IMO, since Exquisite Accompaniment is a Personal spell, it is cast on you. Therefore I believe the only purpose of this spell is to give you free rounds of performance.
Virtuoso performance, at least as you would rule it, when combined with the Tuned bowstring (or Exquisite accompaniment) would just cost a total of two bardic performances per round instead of three.
I would rule this the same way.
Neither does shadowbard though. Does this mean with it up I can't break the one performance limit or is it different because it's basically a second me and does its own performances (based on what I can do and tell it to do) while exquisite accompaniment is an instrument?
This spell creates a duplicate of yourself separate from you (it has a range of close, not personal) and as such I believe it would be able to perform its own Bardic Performance. I believe this because it is a duplicate of the Caster and the spell states that it begins a bardic performance as soon as you cast it. So assuming you are not singing and the fact that it has a range on the spell, I believe this is the case. I do not believe it would get access to your gear, so Banner of the Ancient Kings would not affect it. Unfortunately, I also believe it would NOT get access to your feats, but this could go both ways. As the caster, casting the spell at your Caster Level, and able to use the same Bardic Performances as you, I could see this working. My advice is to consult your GM and see if he would allow it.
With all of this being said, using Exquisite Accompaniment, Shadowbard, and Virtuoso Performance, you can have 3 songs in effect that will cost you 2 per round (at the expense of the spell slots of course)
| Aries |
@malakai, isn't it a total of 4 bardic performances active per round
Shadowbard: 1 performance @ no cost/round
Virtuoso performance: 2 performances @ 3 performances/round
Exquisite Accompaniment: 1 performance @ no cost/round, and could effectively replace the 1 performance for virtuoso performance? Right? If that is the case than there would only be 3 performances rather than 4.