Question Regarding the Thundercaller Bard


Rules Questions


The Thundercaller Bard has a performance that I have listed below but I have a quick question regarding how it actually works. Is the Thunder Call in place of, say, Inspire Courage? Or can you start up Inspire Courage in Round 1 of combat, and then maintain Inspire Courage as a free action in Round 2 while also unleashing the peal of thunder that same round and having your performance continue as normal into Round 3 assuming you maintain it as a free action?

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.


Yes. Thunder Call is, as most (Su) abilities, a standard action. Given that the ability you are asking about requires no maintenance, it is possible to work it like you are proposing.

I have not seen a word from a developer stating otherwise when I checked a while back on it.

Enjoying sound nuking your enemies, sir! :)


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Krell44 wrote:
The Thundercaller Bard has a performance that I have listed below but I have a quick question regarding how it actually works.

It's a very quick performance, you whip out a longsword and call out loudly..

THUNDER! THUNDER! THUNDERCALL! HOOOOO!

Bonuses if you're a felinoid bard.


Perhaps a Catfolk named Lion-o?


Thunder call is a performance. When you start a new performance the old one ends. You'd need to start up inspire courage again to have it up.
"A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time."


I stand corrected!

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Chess Pwn wrote:

Thunder call is a performance. When you start a new performance the old one ends. You'd need to start up inspire courage again to have it up.

"A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time."

Also in the sound striker thread when a developer talked with us on how to fix sound striker, he covered some on thundercall and touched on that it was way better than it should be (to rebuttal "this change makes thundercall better than sound striker").


OK, so no Inspire Courage round 1, Inpire Courage round 2 with a Thundercall, and Inspire Courage round 3.

Basically, my performance is either Inspire Courage OR Thundercall. Makes sense.

Follow up question:

Sound Burst is listed as an evocation spell; does this mean that I can take Spell Focus: Evocation to increase the DC to resist my performance?

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Similar to doesn't make it a SLA.

Ask your GM

Scarab Sages

Ability Focus is a great feat.


Ok so what you can do is at 7th level standard action to thunderclap and then move action inspire courage.

Rotate as needed.

Basically you're doing it in the wrong order of what you want to make it happen.

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

7th allows move activate buff doesn't exempt the limit of 1/round


I agree that Ability Focus seems like a great feat, but I find it listed under Monster Feats. Is that available to PFS players to use on a Kitsune Bard?

It references "creature" multiple times in the text. Am I missing a duplicate feat in another area that players can select? Or are monster feats available to us?

Also, is a Bardic Performance considered a "Special Attack"?

Ultimately, I am trying to maximize the DC to resist the Thundercall.


James Risner wrote:
7th allows move activate buff doesn't exempt the limit of 1/round

Quite me the wording they can only have one a round.

All I see is starting a new song stops an old song as they can't have more than one in effect at one time.

My example shows how that works fine.

Liberty's Edge

Thundercaller bard


Chu'ko Buzenbo wrote:
Thundercaller bard

Was that in reference to what i was talking about? Because I still don't see where it says you cant stun and sonically hurt people then start a move action song.

I can't find anywhere where your limited to one song per round. Just one song active at a time.


Cavall I see nothing wrong with your example. The only reminder is that it would take extra rounds of performance doing that. 1 for the attack and 1 for staring up inspire courage.


Chess Pwn wrote:
Cavall I see nothing wrong with your example. The only reminder is that it would take extra rounds of performance doing that. 1 for the attack and 1 for staring up inspire courage.

Yes. Agreed.

It would be a cost, but the payoffs are clear. Extra performance and racial boosts from gnome/half-elf/half orc racial (all of which work well as bard) would allow you to keep this going.

Considering you're stunning then buffing you don't really NEED much else so the feat cost isn't even that bad.


Krell44 wrote:
I agree that Ability Focus seems like a great feat, but I find it listed under Monster Feats. Is that available to PFS players to use on a Kitsune Bard?

It would be available in normal games. However, it is my understanding that PFS very specifically disallows players from taking Monster feats, even if they meet the prerequisites.


OK, so it is doable to Thundercall and then begin to Inspire Courage in the same round and theoretically keep those rolling assuming I did not need to move as my character. Granted, it will cost me twice the number of Performance rounds but I think that is something I could deal with.

Any suggestions on feat progressions for a Kitsune Thundercaller Bard. I am building a character that will not raise a weapon to an enemy (but will Bite if cornered) and focuses on Stunning an enemy, Ispiring Courage, and then casting evocation spells.

Level 1 Feat: Extra Performance
Level 3 Feat: Spell Focus Evocation
Level 5 Feat: Greater Spell Focus Evocation
Level 7 Feat: ?
Level 9 Feat: ?
Level 11 Feat: ?

Somewhere in there I want to fit in the Kitsune racial feat that allows him to take the form of any human (Realistic Likeness)

Realistic Likeness

When you are in human form, you can take the shape of a specific individual.

Prerequisite: Kitsune.

Benefit: You can precisely mimic the physical features of any individual you have encountered. When you use your racial change shape ability, you can attempt to take the form of an individual, granting you a +10 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks made to fool others with your impersonation.

So maybe I will take Skill Focus: Disguise to really pump my disguise skill to attempt to take the form of a bad guy and basically bluff the other baddies away. "I am your boss, and I command you to move to your barracks and wait until further orders."

That may only work once, but it might be fun to try.

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

I don't have my laptop back!

So I'm having trouble googling on phone for any of the various "only one Bard activation a round" threads. But there is language in Bard that some large number of GM take to limit Bards to one per round.

Edit: Success


I guess I'm not one of those GM. I see the wording that states a bard may start a song with a certain action and that starting another ends the previous.

While I can concede that in the one statement it says he can produce "one" song in such a way it could be read that you couldn't have another, that would literally mean you couldn't start a song while another one was playing in order to end it, making the earlier statement that one ends the other unneeded. It would be in such a wording impossible to end a song in the same turn as to start a new one. The moment you started a turn with a song ongoing you couldn't end it.

I don't agree with that logic so I think a Thundercaller can do his 2 songs at level 7 and on.

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

No, you could start a song in a round to end the previous.

What they are saying is you can't start a second in one round because you can only activate "one" I any given round.

It's also irrelevant if you agree, it's what your GM agrees or disagrees on whether at 7th you can do two performances a round.

So Ask your GM


Ah. Good thing I'm the GM. I don't see the wording saying you have a limit of activation.

I see your logic. I don't see it being supported by the current rules given.

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Not really sure why you are saying Each round, the bard can produce any one of the types of bardic performance that he has mastered, as indicated by his level. isn't in the current rules.

It's on the PRD, but you are saying they removed that bolder line from 6th edition PDF?


Each day I can call any one of my friends to hang out.

Do I only get one phone call?

It's the same phrasing.

Like I said I see the logic but I don't agree that's cemented in stone you only get one. The only real limit is that only one may be active at any time. Since Thundercall is essentially instant, it doesn't matter if you end it.


Cavall wrote:

Each day I can call any one of my friends to hang out.

Do I only get one phone call?

Contrast with the following lines:

"Each day, I can call any of my friends to hang out."
"Each day, I can call any number of my friends to hang out."
Saying any [b]one[/] is limiting. It's putting a word in where, if the intention was any number, the word's absence would actually be more accurate.

But it reads like it wants you to do any one, singular, performance a round.

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Also just noticed the Ability Focus question, it isn't PFS legal. When in doubt check the Additional Resources page for the book (in this case Beastiary I.)

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

@Saethori, yea the use of one in the sentence would be wasted word count if not intended to limit to 1 per round activation.

Since it has no developer or FAQ response to my knowledge, ultimately it's an Ask you GM thing.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Rules Questions / Question Regarding the Thundercaller Bard All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.