I'm posting this here because the character is using Society Rules.
Bardic Performance:
This appears to have 9 distinct forms: Act, Comedy, Dance, Keyboard, Oratory, Percussion, Sing, String Instrument, Wind Instrument.
They all must be developed separately?
9 skill points to improve them all?
Can I use a type of performance that I haven't put a skill point in?
For Game purposes
a} Are they equally loud? How loud? Do half orcs sing louder than gnomes? Are there guidelines for instruments, background noise, wind etc.... or do we ignore this?
b} What is a typical area of affect? How does acute hearing affect range? ie... My elf listens for a beneficial performance can she hear better than my dwarf in a heavy helm?
c} Some obviously require comprehension (language) Do instrumental performances require this?
d} Can the Cantrip "Summon Musical Instrument" summon a Keyboard Instrument?
e} Bards can start a bardic performance as a standard action and continue it into following rounds. When can they Fight or Defend or cast other spells?
f} Bards can cast spells with a shield and in light armor. Does this extend to Bardic Performance?
g} Versatile Performance lets the bard use his performance skill in place of various other abilities. Is this just a game balance thing? Are we expected to role play Keyboard Performance in place of intimidate? Can NPCs get suspicious if every time I want to Bluff or Sense Motive I start to Sing?
h} Performance Artist(Taldor Faction) gives you a +1 on a type of performance and a +5 on the performance to make money. I assume that using Sing (in place of Bluff) to make money only gives me a +1 bonus.
Thanks
Anyone with more Bard questions?
None of these questions specifically relate to Pathfinder Society. I'm going to move this over the Pathfinder RPG forums so you have a better chance of getting answer. :-)
This appears to have 9 distinct forms: Act, Comedy, Dance, Keyboard, Oratory, Percussion, Sing, String Instrument, Wind Instrument.
No, these are a number of perform skills. Each is related to bardic class abilities though.
They all must be developed separately?
Yes, each one is an independent skill
9 skill points to improve them all?
To increase their rank, yes. Anything that would increase a Charisma-based skill check would also work
Can I use a type of performance that I haven't put a skill point in?
No, the performance skill is trained only, so you'll need a rank in perform: sing and perform: dance to roll a perform check for either. This changes at 10th level for the bard; he can then use all perform skills.
a} Are they equally loud? How loud? Do half orcs sing louder than gnomes? Are there guidelines for instruments, background noise, wind etc.... or do we ignore this?
No guidelines for performance volume levels or racial voice volume difference. Many bardic music abilities have audible components; if they do have audible components, they must be heard for the bardic music ability to take effect. If there's so much noise and/or wind that they can't be heard, then the bardic music abilities have no effect.
b} What is a typical area of affect?
Most effects are within either visual or audible range.
c} Some obviously require comprehension (language) Do instrumental performances require this?
No.
d} Can the Cantrip "Summon Musical Instrument" summon a Keyboard Instrument?
Yes, but it has to be fairly small. . . You can't summon an instrument too large to be held in two hands. I'd imagine your best bet is the accordion, but since that's a 19th century invention, you might have to make a D&D-equivalent instrument.
e} Bards can start a bardic performance as a standard action and continue it into following rounds. When can they Fight or Defend or cast other spells?
Yes, as long as they can maintain a free action every round to continue the effect.
f} Bards can cast spells with a shield and in light armor. Does this extend to Bardic Performance?
Basically. Bardic music effects aren't spells, so they don't suffer from arcane spell failure chance. If they're spell-like abilities, they don't have somatic components, so you can use them in armor.
g} Versatile Performance lets the bard use his performance skill in place of various other abilities. Is this just a game balance thing? Are we expected to role play Keyboard Performance in place of intimidate? Can NPCs get suspicious if every time I want to Bluff or Sense Motive I start to Sing?
In terms of game balance, it helps you gain different performance types without wasting several skill points on the (usually useless) perform skills. In terms of roleplaying, since you substitute the actual skill's bonus for your perform bonus, I'd say yes, you are indeed using the perform skill to mimic an equivalent skill that versatile performance covers. But that's just my opinion. . .
h} Performance Artist(Taldor Faction) gives you a +1 on a type of performance and a +5 on the performance to make money. I assume that using Sing (in place of Bluff) to make money only gives me a +1 bonus.
You can use the perform skill to "impress audiences with your talent" and make some cash doing so. I think the intent was to have the +5 bonus apply to that particular usage. However, if you were using versatile performance to perform a con in order to make money, indeed your performance is being used to make money. . . depends on your DM I guess.
Thanks so much for all the responses! Keep em coming.
f} Bards can cast spells with a shield and in light armor. Does this extend to Bardic Performance?
I'm not really thinking about arcane failure so much as having hands to do things. Swinging a sword while keeping a song going would be tough but while playing a four part fugue on the portative organ? What about shields etc....
btw... How loud would a keyboard you can fit in two hands be?
Does a bard with shield keep his\her shield bonus while performing on the battlefield? Can they fight defensively? When can they draw their weapon etc....
Sigurd
Now you see, I have a few problems overall with the bard, and they are really petty but they do stand out in regular play.
So the Bard is playing his flute for inspire courage, being useful and all.
* Can he really make an attack? after all, both his hands are keeping busy, even if it is for a free action, I can't see him drawing a sword, hacking an orc and playing the flute. I have toyed with the idea of a horn playing bard who actually smacks people with a giant metal horn, but flute usage seems to preclude weapon usage.
* Intimidate/demoralise. I have difficulty seeing demoralise being...well effective while tooting on a kazoo. I'm inclined to impose the standard -4 circumstance penalty, except that bards are notoriously effective intimidators (what with it being both a class skill and based off their primary stat) and the penalty is fairly innefective at blunting the might of the fearsome kazoo.
Don't get me wrong. i like the new bard but I have some effective issues with the way some things work. I can understand them mechanically, but in play I have difficulty seeing a dwarven mime actually inspiring courage effectively.
Batts
I think you have to agree with a certain amount of abstraction. Its art performance without the burden of details in an abstract combat system. Players don't even need to know anything about their targets! Don't have to keep track of songs, poems art forms etc....
Characters adventure with a party I think they must draw strength from seeing 'their bard' ridicule the opposition or remind them of party strengths. Its hard to quantify. How important were tales from home to sailors on a long journey.
Outside the battle a bard should be gathering the stuff of fame for their party. Telling stories and keeping up the party morale would be a huge benefit on a march.
In LOTR when Gandalf was talking of the glories of Moria. You have to figure he lifted the party's spirits.
Besides, there's enough strictly combat classes in RPGs. I'm a fan of the new bard because I want there to be a story telling component.
There have to be limits and I am not sure how elegant the limits are right now but remember this is only the actions in the battle.
Sigurd