Here is what I’ve taken from my adventures playing PF bards through low-mid levels. I’m interested in hearing about others’ experience and opinions and how they compare.
Bardic Performance:
Inspire Courage – Obviously a powerful buff, but it’s a pain getting people to remember to include it in their math every time. Constant verbal reminders do sink in eventually though and is the only method I’ve gotten to work (visual aids had little effect). Even a small group is generally going to have at least two members using weapons/natural attacks.
Inspire Competence – Blah on paper, a lifesaver in practice. Now, it won’t come up much but if you can manage to remember it’s there when the moment comes, you can save the day. But, you need good communication with your group and ‘game-awareness’ to make it work to its fullest, not every check gets a retry.
Countersong – Again vary situational and easy to forget it’s there, but you’re all but guaranteed to encounter some nasty language/sonic-based effects and it’s basically an ‘I win” button for those saves.
Spells:
I won’t go into specific spell choices, but there are two spell selection methods I’ve used that worked out well. The first is to pick up only the ‘must have’ spells (will vary by group/game) because there isn’t a primary arcane/divine caster in the group or so that character doesn’t have to fool with memorizing them. The second method is to let the ‘primary casters‘ have all those boring spells and mostly pick up the bard-only and more situational spells that traditionally only come into play as scrolls if at all. A combo of these methods should work too. Whatever you do make sure you discuss it with the other casters.
Skills:
Use Magic Device - Starts as a nice boon that allows a bard to better fill the role of a primary caster in a 3-4 member party if need be. It eventually evolves into ‘I have the perfect scroll/wand/item for… everything.’ A bard in a 5+ person party is like the youngest son in a family with 5+ boys. The hand-me-downs will all eventually make their way to him and he always gets the irregular or discarded piece. At first it can be frustrating, but over time getting the pick of everyone’s ‘last-level’s fashions’ means you’re decked out without dropping a dime. Plus those fun, odd-ball items may actually see some use.
Knowledges – Possibly the single most useful aspect of the bard. ‘I know everything and everybody. No really, try me.’ It’s lame that players have to be so ‘aggressive’ to get the benefits from knowledge skills when they should be treated like perception, but until things change you’ll have to remember to initiate the check yourself anytime there is something you might want to know something about.
Performs – Other than the RPed benefits, they are required to fully utilize magical instruments. Some of which are quite useful and/or powerful.
Social Skills – Be proactive about cultivating relationships and contacts (heavy use of disguise and aliases helps. They can reap fruitful benefits in the form of information, prestige, propaganda, financing and even direct aid or support. If it at all makes sense try talking before fighting, you just never know.
Other Skills – There’s just nothing you can’t do, don’t forget it. The bard is like an understudy that knows everyone’s part.
Combat
The first few levels (more or fewer depending on your stats, race and feat choice) are all about staying alive while trying to either fill a primary role, find a specialized niche or become a jack-of-all-trades. But by low-mid to mid levels the bard can easily (proper feat/ability score choice) become a viable secondary melee or ranged warrior in addition to everything else they provide.
Inspire Courage - Easily one of the most powerful, and subtle, benefits the bard has to offer her party and self. I found it most helpful to scratch up notecards with the attack/damage bonuses on them for my allies as a less-than-subtle reminder of what my bard was bringing to the table. It requires some bookkeeping, but I'll be damned if my buffs are going to go unnoticed.
Fascinate - This is when a high initiative score comes in handy. Rush to the center of your enemies and start playing before anyone else has a chance to attack. This becomes even more fun once you get suggestion, or the spells Calm Emotions and/or Enthrall.
Dirge of Doom - Once you have this ability you can start a bardic performance as a move action. Use your move action to lower all your enemies' saves by 2 points before you magically brainwash them.
Knowledges: Just being able to take ten whenever you like is worth it alone. A few natural twenties at your beck and call is gravy.
Perform: Useful for RP, and perhaps a few magical instruments, but not really necessary. Countersong/distraction are the only two performances that require an actual perform skill, so it's easy to dump if you're looking to spend points elsewhere.
Archery: Bards are fantastic archers. Arcane Strike, Inspire Courage, Good Hope, Heroism, & Haste are all such amazing boosts for archery. Since archery is generally a practice in volley attacks, the odd +1/+2 here and there really adds up to a lot.
Melee: Bards are excellent skirmishers. Coupling feats like cleave or vital strike with a spell storing blade means your bard can make her single attack really sting. They also work comfortably behind allies with reach weapons like the whip or longspear.
Arcane Armor: No bard should be without a shield. Ever. Even if you don't want to lug around a heavy shield, a buckler can aid you without encumbering your ability to use two-handed weapons or archery. It ends up being a nice boost to AC when you're casting spells.
Early levels: Bards never feel quite as versatile as they do at first level. You've got a decent armor class (chain shirt + heavy shield), a couple proficiencies with really decent weapons (longsword, shortbow), a few spells to cast, and magical boosts to grant yourself and allies. You've also got a good amount of skills and a fair amount of HP. It's important that the bard decide what she wants to be when she grows up, so don't get caught up in the jack-of-all-trades route. D20 favors specialization.
I have a Bard 7, Cleric 1. I took a dip into Cleric because with my high CA, it gave me 6 or 7 channelings a day, and we were light on healing. I have maxed out ranks in tumble and I generally fight long spear. I have made myself the designated flanker and combat second, so on round one I begin singing and tumble into place for the fighter. That gives +4 to hit +2 damage, and since I am still 10 feet away, I can still cast. I took unseen servant which I cast every day. This is endlessly handy in combat: picking up weapons, handing someone a shield, readying a wand, reloading a crossbow, opening a door, getting out a healing potion. I took toughness and my Con is 14, so I have more than sixty hit points. Str 13 + power attack + arcane strike + song ups my damage on the spear to +9 or 10, so I am not too shabby in melee. My next feat will be lunge, so that spear will have 15' range and I can attack and cast and flank from even farther away.
Spell-wise, touch of gracelessness is great, 6 dex damage with no save.
Hideous Laughter is a favorite, and I just got Charm Monster. 1 day/level friends!
I love playing the bard!
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I combined Lunge, Arcane Strike, Gang Up, a 3 level dip in rogue, Inspire Courage, and a magical weapon to really really REALLY do some very decent damage as a skirmisher.
Move action to sing, then 5' step, lunge, 15 foot range means I hit 20' away from me, if 2 of my buddies are there already, I get SA damage without flanking, and wham, d8 + 8ish, +2d6 sneak attack.
Action economy was a lot of fun too.
Take the Lingering Performance feat, Dirge of Doom as a move action, then Fascinate as a standard action, 2nd round stop singing, move action plus lunge plus reach = 50 foot hit radius, big damage, and hopefully a few of the mooks/monsters just standing there while you dance around them.
Bards are the baddest ass of the badass.
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Advice to bards and other buffers:
Write it down on the battlemat!
Grab a dry-erase marker of a rarely-used color (make sure it will erase from the map first), and write the bonus down IN BIG LETTERS straight across the map.
If don't use a battlemat, hopefully the group has a shard whiteboard or something for noting things, so put it there. Alternatively, write it down on a piece of notebook paper - with a bright highlighter - and put it on the coffee table.
I play WITH music. When Bard song is up, I play "We are the Champions" in the background. Everyone hears it and knows to use the bonus.
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I play WITH music. When Bard song is up, I play "We are the Champions" in the background. Everyone hears it and knows to use the bonus.
Ah. My bards tend to be more along the lines of "my fighting is so awesome, the rest of the party is inspired to greatness". Alternatively, "I let out a huge battlecry and hit him with my falchion".
My bards never sing.
I play WITH music. When Bard song is up, I play "We are the Champions" in the background. Everyone hears it and knows to use the bonus.
That is AWESOME!
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My favorite feats for bards for discussion:
1. Lingering Performance - By far my favorite feat. Song lingers for 2 rounds. If you start another song the initial effect ends immediately.
2. Harmonic Spell - weave your perfomance into your spell casting. basically casting a sonic spell allows you to start a perfomance as a free action if I remember correctly.
3. Expanded Arcana - Not sure on the exact spelling and name I think this is right. Not enough spells known slots open. Add this to your build and you are good to go. More for a caster build bard but a great go to feat if you are having a hard time picking one.
Archtypes -
If you have not looked at them in the APG you should. There are some sweet tweaks that allow you specialize what you want your bard to be and do.
The three I have on my slate to play are:
1. Magician- For Pure spell caster and other caster support this is the build for you. You get to pull spells from other arcane casters spell list for pete sake. Bard Casting Fireball anyone :-)
2. Arcane Duelist - For a sweet off tank, If you build him right.
I plan to Make him a half-elf(human is viable as well), pick fighter and bard as my favored classes. Then I will take the half-elf alt racial trait (Ancestral Arms) that allows me to pick a weapon proficency like Falcata or some other exotic. Right now the build I am playing with is 7 bard 1 fighter.
3. Last and not least - Sandman - This can be a sneaky SOB of a build. Casters will hate him as will large groups of weak willed folks. Not to mention he can fill in for a rogue in a pinch.
Reminding Players of their Song Bonuses:
I have a guitar app in my smart phone that I use to signal the song has started. We use hero lab on mini-laptops in our group so that tells folks to check the inspire courage box on there user interface. When I stop strumming the guitar app they know it is time to uncheck the box.
I’m especially interested peoples’ experiences using Fascinate. For me, it very rarely comes into play and when it does, it doesn’t really have much of an effect.
Am I missing something?
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I’m especially interested peoples’ experiences using Fascinate. For me, it very rarely comes into play and when it does, it doesn’t really have much of an effect.
Am I missing something?
All in all facinate isn't a battle power. If people are already fighting it is to late to facinate or falls to your DM to make a decsion if it works or not. I have had a DM allow it to work in some battles and not in others. It just came down to what I was attempting to accomplish. So if nothing else at least ask.
Personally, I try to use it in congunction with dimplomacy/sense motive. If you are trying to talk a enemy down and it starts going south. Start a suprise round with a facinate attempt you might be able to stop the fight all together or keep one target sitting and watching you while his friends are being taken out.
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Fascinate (Su): At 1st level, a bard can use his performance to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated with him. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear the bard, and capable of paying attention to him. The bard must also be able to see the creatures affected. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents this ability from working. For every three levels the bard has attained beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with this ability.
Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier) to negate the effect. If a creature's saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and observes the performance for as long as the bard continues to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on all skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect.
Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.
I find it situational at best, but I used it to pretty good effect a few times. We were in a large field, about to be beset by a bunch of large monsters, each one sort of "built" to counter each player, one per party member. We had a few rounds to prep (eagle familiar saw them coming) so, I cast Expeditious Retreat, bid my companions adieu, and ran off directly at the monsters. Once I got to within range, I started Fascinate. I was high enough to get 4 per attempt, but I only snagged 2. I had Lingering Performance feat, and so with 2 of the 5 now blindly following me and kind of letting me be the Pied Piper, I parked them in the corner facing away from danger, and then ran back to the small ambush we had laid. I stayed on the fringe of combat, alternatively casting buffs on my party members and keeping up the Fascinate every so often. I was able to bound into and out of combat, strike once for Sneak Attack (had a few levels of Rogue), then run back, pick up the performance, then run back to combat, effectively parking those 2 monsters out of play.
Because of that, we were able to double up our martial characters onto 2 of the remaining ones, wipe the floor with them, then after the other 3 were dead, I switched songs to Inspire Courage, and we charged the 2 I had parked.
Because of fascinate, we made a tough encounter essentially a LOT more user friendly, and survived with barely a scratch.
GM was frothing at the mouth, he was unaware of my abilities.
Alternatively, "I let out a huge battlecry and hit him with my falchion".
My bards never sing.
My wife's bard sings, but you could be forgiven for considering it a battlecry. Her standard approach is to howl the first bar of Led Zep's Immigrant Song on her turn every round her Inspire Courage is up. Nobody manages to forget the bonus.
I’m especially interested peoples’ experiences using Fascinate. For me, it very rarely comes into play and when it does, it doesn’t really have much of an effect.
Am I missing something?
I've used Fascinate, with very good results, on several occasions. Dropping Invisibility as you begin a surprise round with Fascinate can end some encounters. It's very good if you're aware of an ambush, or springing one of your own...
Just thought of it yesterday, how about a lore oracle dip?
You get side step secret. Thats charisma instead of dex to Ac and reflex saves.
It also allows you to pick the feat extra revelation thats stuff like:
Lore Keeper, charisma instead of intelligence to knowledges, synergizes with Lore Master and Bardic Knwoledge.
Mental Accuity, eventually a +5 inherent bonus to intelligence, you pick it up at level 7 and at level 10 you basicly gain 10 extra skills that can go right into your soon to be new Versatile Perfomer skill.
I am not saying its the best thing, but it might actually be good enough to even out with a loss of caster level and bard class features.
As for archetypes I kinda liked the Street Performer. When performing you are under an attack+spell wasting sanctuary effect and you can use your performance to make someone save vs reflex or suffer a random d6 mishap that includes blind, nauseated and prone.
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Just thought of it yesterday, how about a lore oracle dip?
You get side step secret. Thats charisma instead of dex to Ac and reflex saves.
It also allows you to pick the feat extra revelation thats stuff like:
Lore Keeper, charisma instead of intelligence to knowledges, synergizes with Lore Master and Bardic Knwoledge.
Mental Accuity, eventually a +5 inherent bonus to intelligence, you pick it up at level 7 and at level 10 you basicly gain 10 extra skills that can go right into your soon to be new Versatile Perfomer skill.
I am not saying its the best thing, but it might actually be good enough to even out with a loss of caster level and bard class features.
As for archetypes I kinda liked the Street Performer. When performing you are under an attack+spell wasting sanctuary effect and you can use your performance to make someone save vs reflex or suffer a random d6 mishap that includes blind, nauseated and prone.
On that note, dipping into Sorcerer for a single level can have fantastic results for the bard who wants to do some spellcasting. The bloodline arcana effects are surprisingly good for some of the bloodlines, and Jason has said that they work for any spells the character casts.
In particular, Arcane (+1 DC with metamagic), Deep Earth (+1 DC when underground), Destined (+spell level to saving throws for 1 round on personal spells), Dreamspun (+1/2 spell level to AC & Saves vs. target creature for 1 round), Fey (+2 DC for compulsion spells), Infernal (+2 DC for charm spells), Serpentine (Mind affecting/language dependent spells now also affect animals, magical beasts, and monstrous humanoids as if they were humanoids who understand your language), Stormborn (+1 DC on sonic/electricity spells),Undead (treat corporeal humanoid undead as if they were humanoid), and Verdant (personal spells grant +spell level natural armor for 1d4 rounds) all make for decent choices.
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Just thought of it yesterday, how about a lore oracle dip?
You get side step secret. Thats charisma instead of dex to Ac and reflex saves.
It also allows you to pick the feat extra revelation thats stuff like:
Lore Keeper, charisma instead of intelligence to knowledges, synergizes with Lore Master and Bardic Knwoledge.
Mental Accuity, eventually a +5 inherent bonus to intelligence, you pick it up at level 7 and at level 10 you basicly gain 10 extra skills that can go right into your soon to be new Versatile Perfomer skill.
I am not saying its the best thing, but it might actually be good enough to even out with a loss of caster level and bard class features.
As for archetypes I kinda liked the Street Performer. When performing you are under an attack+spell wasting sanctuary effect and you can use your performance to make someone save vs reflex or suffer a random d6 mishap that includes blind, nauseated and prone.
On that note, dipping into Sorcerer for a single level can have fantastic results for the bard who wants to do some spellcasting. The bloodline arcana effects are surprisingly good for some of the bloodlines, and Jason has said that they work for any spells the character casts.
In particular, Arcane (+1 DC with metamagic), Deep Earth (+1 DC when underground), Destined (+spell level to saving throws for 1 round on personal spells), Dreamspun (+1/2 spell level to AC & Saves vs. target creature for 1 round), Fey (+2 DC for compulsion spells), Infernal (+2 DC for charm spells), Serpentine (Mind affecting/language dependent spells now also affect animals, magical beasts, and monstrous humanoids as if they were humanoids who understand your language), Stormborn (+1 DC on sonic/electricity spells),Undead (treat corporeal humanoid undead as if they were humanoid), and Verdant (personal spells grant +spell level natural armor for 1d4 rounds) all make for decent choices.
The Fey and infernal Lines have always been one of my favorite splash choices.
The pluses to your spell dc's is just win win. Not to mention you get access to lower level sorcerer spells and you get a decent bloodline power for utility play.
Dancing helps you inspire courage in a silence, or when you are trying to be stealthy. You don't need any ranks in perform dance.
Message spell. Zero level, 100 ft + 10 ft a level, gets everyone in the party with even a few levels of Bard. Lasts a long time. Use it to quietly deliver a whispered bard song such as inspire courage, even to that invisible rogue who has sneaked off around a corner and into a building.
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Dancing helps you inspire courage in a silence, or when you are trying to be stealthy. You don't need any ranks in perform dance.
Message spell. Zero level, 100 ft + 10 ft a level, gets everyone in the party with even a few levels of Bard. Lasts a long time. Use it to quietly deliver a whispered bard song such as inspire courage, even to that invisible rogue who has sneaked off around a corner and into a building.
Very cool use of the message spell! I would have never thought of using it that way.
One spell I have wanted to use is beguiling gift. Find a cursed item. Don't give it to the church to destroy. Bestow it as a gift upon your enemy and let them enjoy the benefits of the curse :-)
@Latigo Black: I was considering a witch mini-boss to do that with the Waters of Lamashtu to the party, but figured it was too mean.
This thread is awesome, I really want to make a bard now. I'm thinking Comedy and either Dance or Oratory for my primary performances. Should get the most out of Versatile Performance that way.
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@Latigo Black: I was considering a witch mini-boss to do that with the Waters of Lamashtu to the party, but figured it was too mean.
This thread is awesome, I really want to make a bard now. I'm thinking Comedy and either Dance or Oratory for my primary performances. Should get the most out of Versatile Performance that way.
Mean? That is what they get for picking on the bard class :-)
Arcane Duelist is a great archtype. I have been struggling to figure out a decent level 8 - two weapon fighting, Scorpion tail Whip (of spell storing) wielding, Arcane Duelist.
I have come up with a vesatile single weapon build using Serpent Lash Feat. But it gets really tricky feat wise when you want to duel wield.
One thing I've found with bard's is the need to break the stereotype. Everyone sees you as a fop/wuss/useless so you have to work harder to win their respect. I played a Drow bard and was a vicious mofo that the group feared. Was an interesting change...
Bardic Performance: I've had the same problems and now just listen for whether the DM says miss before saying hey did you include my +2? To be honest the standard action for +1 just doesn't do it for me and I wonder why it isn't +2 when there's first level spells that give +2 bonus.
Inspire Competence : Never used it once. Probably because I'm forgetting it.
Countersong : Of all the bards I've played from 3.5 through to PF I have only had one situation where it would have been gold and I had rolled a 1 on the initial will save...DOH!
Spells: Probably the most frustrating thing with being a bard. The slow progression and you don't have many to start with. Or maybe its just my style of bard as I tend to play a caster style. In 3.5 with all the add on books I found the spell list was decent to quiet good. Playing PF Core only its very limiting and I can't believe that the Bard doesn't have spells like Resist Elements, Bull's Strength, etc. To me they fit the concept of the bard making those around him better. They also should have spells that energise, give the Bane property, etc to weapons. Bard should be packing with spells that make the warriors love having one around. In 3.5 Sonic Weapon from the spell compendium was a favourite of the warriors in my group. Overall I think there are solid to good spells on the list, but not enough variety. Needs some more interesting boosters (eg: bull's str and weapon enhancers) in my opinion.
Skills: Versatile Performer is awesome. In a drow campaign I used it on Oratory for a high Diplomacy and Sense Motive which was outstanding. I think the trick with it is to pick one's that give you a boost on non-charisma skills that you expect to use a lot. Perform dance for acrobatics and fly is great for a high CHA character like the bard. Only draw back is I'd like to see it say something about being able to reallocate the skill points when you take Versatile Performance that covers a skill. Otherwise you've just got these dead ranks doing nothing.
Use Magic Device - Been very good to me, but in a caster heavy party its probably not much use as others are going to be grabbing at the items that you'd use UMD. Still does open up your options and gives you greater utility when shopping around for gear and picking up loot.
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I think Pazio is well on the way to helping bards break the Bard class sterotypes. The implementation of archtypes have really helped to give the Bard class different avenues of specialization.
The other thing we should keep in mind is that it is ok to splash other classes if it makes sense to do so. Pure is great but versatility has positives going for it as well.
Side note: There are some serious vicious builds (some listed above) that can be made now. One build I play tested in a arena battle with our group would make a regular caster cry. The funny part is I didn't even have the feats picked that would make the class really nasty.
Some of the new spells that are really nice that I have been play testing in Arena Battles:
Timley inspiration (Immediate Action)
Saving finale (Immediate Action, Performance has to be going)
Galant inspiration (Immediate Action)
Next on my list to test out is the Harmonic Spell Feat coupled with the Finale based spells.
One thing I've found with bard's is the need to break the stereotype. Everyone sees you as a fop/wuss/useless so you have to work harder to win their respect.
Sometimes not being an obvious threat is an advantage. Nothing wrong with a macho bard, but don’t underestimate the power of being underestimated.
:)
I have a level 8 court bard
In my experience, she excels in party combat against humans, and things capable of speaking common, especially at level 8. Glorious epic has a pretty high save, and makes everything within 30' capable of hearing you flatfooted, which makes the party rogue incredibly effective.
Glitterdust and grease are pretty commonly cast combat spells. Yeah, sounds lame, but sometimes those cheap seats debuffs can do a lot. Also, slow. Hoo boy, slow has saved her bacon more than a few times when the party "fighter" has been unable to hit large creatures. Confusion I have not had the pleasure of using super effectively yet, mostly because the party is full of rush in and kill things and attacking a confused creature ends the spell. Have yet to try confusion on a group of people. Oooh, now I must experiment...
Social interactions, on the other hand, is where a really well built Court Bard excels. My build is more focused on performances for the bonuses when I pick up versatile, and because I have a wizard in party, my knowledge will never ever be as good, so I am spending my skill points wisely, and plan to continue to do so. Oratory, Comedy will be maxed and skill focused for maximum to applicable social skills, and I should be able to make at least a 15 on sing and strings within a few levels which is not bad for fluff perform skills.
What I love most about my court bard is the social skills. Just last session she was walking around alone in the dark at about midnight and came across some burly men shoving some unnamed piece of capital into a boat at the docks. My bard is 16 years old, CHA 22, CMD 20, about 130 pounds, nothing even remotely threatening to a bunch of likely strength 15 dock workers. With an intimidate of +16, a poor roll got the small fish to think twice about an assault, and a good roll on the leader for over 30 had him step aside. I was pretty psyched, but the criminal mastermind she was meeting was quick to point out that her own stupidity got her in that situation in the first place. That's where her poor wisdom, scrapped to gain more CHA in a solo campaign where it is a good idea to have close to every stat have a positive modifier kicked in and the CHA 22 equivalent of Homer's "d'oh!"
Best thing about court bard, Diplomacy re-rolls. I've wasted both of them I have available at 8 only once, rolling successively lower and getting stuck with a natural one trying to talk to my character's boyfriend. And you can be sure that that poor decision came back to bite me in the same day.
Not so great things about court bard, lack of the lore master ability. Really, it's a huuuge sacrifice for some pretty nifty debuffs. Yeah, I can reroll on three knowledge skills I should be good at if that's what I chose to specialize in (it's not) but darned if there hasn't been a session or three where I haven't really wished that i could make an impromptu Kn. Arcana roll, or take ten, or even twenty... But weighed against the ability to incite a riot, or convince a criminal mastermind to clean up his act with a really good diplomacy roll... it's kinda easy to put into perspective.
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I would add the best thing about my bard has been the whip. A disarming tripping 15' reach weapon. uses dex with finesse, applies all your bardic music/buff spells to the CMB check. stack invisibility on that and a bard can trip/disarm most enemies with a decent roll. One of the best moments my bard has had was disarming a certain crazy Barbarian in Kingmaker of his really awesome sword; and then flying away behind the party with it.
Also do not knock performances to hard, Versatile performance means they are way more useful than as just role playing opportunity. They are 3 skills in 1 and especially the first one you should "fake" the 2 skills you are going to get and just get the performance instead. no ranks at level one for a couple skills well supported by your stats is not a huge deal. If your DM believes in allowing you to retrain some skills then you are even batter off, as you can get even more skills out of your performances to get extra skill points elsewhere.
Harmonic Spell Feat coupled with the Finale based spells?
Wondering if it is still viable at higher levels when you can start a performance as a swift action. Or does the above combo just become situational?
I don’t have actual experience playing a bard at such high levels, but I can tell you from experience you don’t need to worry about running out of rounds of performance. So if that is mainly what draws you to the feat, I’d take lingering song instead and leave it at that. Even with all the finale spells immediately ending your performances, I doubt running out of rounds will ever be a problem.
I, like you, suspect the other perk of being able to cast and begin a performance with one standard action will all but become useless at higher levels unless the character needs the swift action for something else that is. Leading up to those high levels the feat is pretty awesome with ‘proper’ spell selection, but only on the surprise-round really. Then again, improved action economy can ratchet up your power-level significantly. I personally would just not be too interested in playing a bard that way. It would just feel too much like trying to beat the other PCs at their own game and restrict my build options too much.
Not sure if that was helpful at all, sorry if not. ;)
Which melee weapon is best for a melee Bard (ala viable at all levels, not too much trouble to get, good for a human arcane duelist)? Thanks in advance.
Stock Answer: Longsword, then Morningstar
Real Answer: The most powerful and useful weapon you can get at the time. I like to keep my options wide open, accumulate a nice varied collection, and let the situation dictate which weapon I draw instead of focusing on a single one.
