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I'm a little unclear on exactly what Versatile Performance substitutes on the skill checks. Does it entirely substitute for the check, does it substitute for the skill ranks and class skill bonus? What about feats or abilities that grant bonuses to Perform or to the skills being substituted for? Does it use the ability score for the original skill or do the substituted skills become Charisma based?
A few examples (all assuming Perform (Dance) substituting for Acrobatics or Fly. The example Bard has a +3 Charisma modifier, 5 ranks in Perform (Sing) and no ranks in Bluff or Sense Motive).
Perform (Dance) Bonus: +11 (3 Cha + 5 Ranks + 3 Trained)
Acrobatics check as a Halfling with 16 Dex - would the +2 racial bonus to Acrobatics be applied to the substituted skill check (i.e. +13)
Fly check as a Dwarf with 10 Dex - would the check use the bard's Dex or Charisma to determine the bonus? (+8 vs +11)
Skill Focus (Perform (Dance) - would the bonus to Perform apply to substituted skills?
Skill Focus (Acrobatics) or Acrobatic feat - would the bonus apply to Perform checks substitued for Acrobatics checks? Would the bonus stack with similar feats (i.e. both Skill Focus (Acrobatics) and Acrobatic or even Skill Focus (Acrobatics) and Skill Focus (Perform (Dance)))
I know how I would rule on these in my own home games (the Perform skill ranks and class skill bonus apply to the substituted skills, but they use their own Ability modifiers and other bonuses from feats only apply directly to the skills they are intended for), but as I intend to play PFS I wanted to see if it could be nailed down a lil clearer.
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I'm a little unclear on exactly what Versatile Performance substitutes on the skill checks. Does it entirely substitute for the check, does it substitute for the skill ranks and class skill bonus? What about feats or abilities that grant bonuses to Perform or to the skills being substituted for? Does it use the ability score for the original skill or do the substituted skills become Charisma based?
A few examples (all assuming Perform (Dance) substituting for Acrobatics or Fly. The example Bard has a +3 Charisma modifier, 5 ranks in Perform (Sing) and no ranks in Bluff or Sense Motive).
Perform (Dance) Bonus: +11 (3 Cha + 5 Ranks + 3 Trained)
Acrobatics check as a Halfling with 16 Dex - would the +2 racial bonus to Acrobatics be applied to the substituted skill check (i.e. +13)
Fly check as a Dwarf with 10 Dex - would the check use the bard's Dex or Charisma to determine the bonus? (+8 vs +11)
Skill Focus (Perform (Dance) - would the bonus to Perform apply to substituted skills?
Skill Focus (Acrobatics) or Acrobatic feat - would the bonus apply to Perform checks substitued for Acrobatics checks? Would the bonus stack with similar feats (i.e. both Skill Focus (Acrobatics) and Acrobatic or even Skill Focus (Acrobatics) and Skill Focus (Perform (Dance)))
I know how I would rule on these in my own home games (the Perform skill ranks and class skill bonus apply to the substituted skills, but they use their own Ability modifiers and other bonuses from feats only apply directly to the skills they are intended for), but as I intend to play PFS I wanted to see if it could be nailed down a lil clearer.
The bard uses his "total Perform skill bonus" in place of the associated skill. If that skill is Acrobatics and he has, normally, Acrobatics +11 and Perform (Dance) +15, then he can use Perform (Dance) in place of Acrobatics at the +15.
If the bard is not using Versatile Performance, he would need Skill Focus (Acrobatics) to get a +3 to it. If he intends to use VP, then he would want Skill Focus (Perform Dance), as the Skill Focus (Acrobatics) would be moot if he substituted.
Your God of Knowledge,
Nethys
That does appear to be what the rules say. Given that you can acquire a new versatile performance every 4 levels, it seems to imply that high level bards will look somewhat different depending on whether they where created at that level or advanced from first level.
If I'm creating a 10th level bard, I'm likely to put max ranks into Dance, Keyboard and Sing, getting 6 useful skills (Acrobatics, Fly; Diplomacy, Inimidate; Bluff, Sense Motive) for the cost of 3.
If I'm creating a 1st level bard, I'm probably putting some skill points into some of those actual skills, since I'll want them before I can get the all from versatile performace.