Grappling It's REALLY complicated, is like none of the other attack actions or subsystems, and is either totally useless (most cases) or extremely broken (when optimized to the extreme). Also, monsters with multiple attacks and grab special ability got the short end of the stick.
So, I assume this is how it's intended to work. Let's take a 4th level Musetouched Aasimar Bard, with Pageant of the Peacock masterpiece, and Perform (Act) selected for Versatile Performance. Her abilities are 10 10 10 7 10 20, and for skills she has selected max ranks for Craft (Calligraphy), Disguise, Perform (Act), and Profession (Diva). She has Circlet of Persuasion, Magnifying Glass, and a cracked Pink and Green Sphere Ioun Stone for Bluff. Her feats are Deceitful and Skill Focus (Perform (Act)). Her Perform (Act) is 4 (ranks) +3 (class skill) +5 (Charisma) +3 (Skill Focus, unnamed) +2 (Aasimar, racial) +3 (Circlet of Persuasion, competence), for a total of +20. Her Bluff is, due to Versatile Performance, the same as her Perform (Act); that is, +20. The Ioun Stone doesn't stack because it's competence bonus, the same as the Circlet. And it's up to the GM if the feat bonus from Deceitful would stack. JJ said he might stack it, but I think it's safe to assume it doesn't stack. When using Pageant of the Peacock, her Bluff score gets a +4 circumstance bonus, and is upped to +24. When using Pageant of the Peacock, she can make an Appraise check using her Bluff score. Any Perform (Act) tools don't help, but the Magnifying Glass grants a +2 circumstance bonus on Appraise checks involving any item that is small or highly detailed. As circumstance bonuses stack, her Appraise score for that kind of a action would be +26. Similarly, if she uses Pageant of the Peacock to substitute a Knowledge skill, the end result is the same +26. This time the +2 (unnamed) bonus comes from Bardic Knowledge, in addition to the +24 from Bluff. Wonky? Yes.
At 2nd level, a bard can choose one type of Perform skill. He can use his bonus in that skill in place of his bonus in associated skills. When substituting in this way, the bard uses his total Perform skill bonus, including class skill bonus, in place of its associated skill's bonus, whether or not he has ranks in that skill or if it is a class skill. I'm somewhat confused on how this is supposed to work with the masterpiece Pageant of the Peacock, RAW. By gracefully weaving your body through subtle forms and postures you can convince others of your breeding, eloquence, and refinement. For the duration of the effect, you gain a +4 circumstance bonus on Bluff checks, and may attempt a Bluff check in place of an Intelligence check or Intelligence-based skill check. Now, if I have Cha 16, no ranks in Bluff, and 4 ranks in Perform (act), my skill bonuses for Bluff and Perform (act) are +3 and +10, respectively. I'm allowed to use my Perform (act) skill bonus in place of my Bluff bonus. So, when I'm using Pageant of the Peacock, it is a Bluff check with a skill bonus of +10, from Perform (act), and after that I get the +4 circumstance bonus on Bluff checks from the masterpiece, making it a total of +14 Bluff check? To me, this seems to be the correct reading of the rules. I'm especially interested in the RAW, as this is used in Pathfinder Society. |
