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The Pathfinder Chronicler PrC says that its class' Bardic Music stacks with other class with the same ability, minus 2 levels. Does that mean a bard5/pathchron10 act like a bard 13 for all intent and purposes of bardic performance, and can use Soothing Performance (normally gained by a bard 12?)
At first glance the class doesn't have good BAB and no spellcasting, so I would think that bardic music is the only thing going for this class... so my opinion is "sure, soothe away"
Let me know what you think!
PDK
The Pathfinder Chronicler PrC says that its class' Bardic Music stacks with other class with the same ability, minus 2 levels. Does that mean a bard5/pathchron10 act like a bard 13 for all intent and purposes of bardic performance, and can use Soothing Performance (normally gained by a bard 12?)
At first glance the class doesn't have good BAB and no spellcasting, so I would think that bardic music is the only thing going for this class... so my opinion is "sure, soothe away"
Let me know what you think!
PDK
Yes on performance, no on the soothing performance.
The Pathfinder Chronicler PrC says that its class' Bardic Music stacks with other class with the same ability, minus 2 levels. Does that mean a bard5/pathchron10 act like a bard 13 for all intent and purposes of bardic performance, and can use Soothing Performance (normally gained by a bard 12?)
At first glance the class doesn't have good BAB and no spellcasting, so I would think that bardic music is the only thing going for this class... so my opinion is "sure, soothe away"
Let me know what you think!
PDK
Bardic Performance (Su): At 3rd level, a Pathfinder chronicler gains this ability, which functions like the bard class feature of the same name, except that the chronicler's effective bard level is 2 lower than her class level. Levels in this class stack with levels in any other class that grants a similar ability to determine her effective bard level.
So you would have a 5+10-2= 13th level bard for terms of bardic performance. That would get you soothing performance but not frightening tune.
Yeah.. the class is... it makes bards spoonier. I think that makes them shovels.
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A 5th level bard has the following bardic performances:
1st countersong, distraction, fascinate, inspire courage +1
3rd Inspire competence +2
5th inspire courage +2
Over the next 10 levels of Path Chronicler, he gains the following new applications of bardic music:
4th Epic Tales (Su)
5th Whispering Campaign (Ex)
6th Inspire Action (Su)
8th Greater Epic Tales (Su)
Granted, Inspire Action is powerful, but if he would have taken 10 levels of bard instead, he would have gained the following bardic music instead, in addition to 10 levels of spellcasting, and at the same BAB increase:
6th Suggestion
7th Inspire competence +3
8th Dirge of doom
9th Inspire greatness
11th Inspire competence +4, inspire courage +3
12th Soothing performance
14th Frightening tune
15th Inspire competence +5, inspire heroics
This is why I am hoping to get an official answer from one of our friendly neighbourhood Paizonians in this regard: Pathfinder Chronicler is definitely underpowered on its own (no spellcasting) *unless*, *maybe* you tack unto them the full stacking of bardic performance. I definitely think that sacrificing 10 levels of spellcasting is payment enough to gain Epic Tales, Whispering Campaign, Inspire Action, and Greater Epic Tales.
Note that all bardic performances are described under the same class feature, when you read the bard class... so yes, some of these abilities come at later levels, but class that allow bardic music stacking should unlock these higher level artforms, just like class that have the animal companion or mount feature stack with one another.
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So you would have a 5+10-2= 13th level bard for terms of bardic performance. That would get you soothing performance but not frightening tune.
Yeah.. the class is... it makes bards spoonier. I think that makes them shovels.
I definitely agree with you in regards to 13th level bard capabilities. As for making them shovels... don't know... hopefully they're not on their own on the battlefield with their mighty bard level 5 spellcasting and mighty bardic music written poems that only other PCs can use after they have fallen unconscious.... LOL
The Pathfinder Chronicler PrC says that its class' Bardic Music stacks with other class with the same ability, minus 2 levels. Does that mean a bard5/pathchron10 act like a bard 13 for all intent and purposes of bardic performance, and can use Soothing Performance (normally gained by a bard 12?)
At first glance the class doesn't have good BAB and no spellcasting, so I would think that bardic music is the only thing going for this class... so my opinion is "sure, soothe away"
Let me know what you think!
PDK
Bardic Performance (Su): At 3rd level, a Pathfinder chronicler gains this ability, which functions like the bard class feature of the same name, except that the chronicler's effective bard level is 2 lower than her class level. Levels in this class stack with levels in any other class that grants a similar ability to determine her effective bard level.
So you would have a 5+10-2= 13th level bard for terms of bardic performance. That would get you soothing performance but not frightening tune.
Yeah.. the class is... it makes bards spoonier. I think that makes them shovels.
The PrC does not grant all the different uses of the performance. It allows you to use the performances that you have as though you had a higher level of bard. Bardic performance and soothe are separate abilities, soothe is merely one substitution for performance.
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Bardic performance and soothe are separate abilities, soothe is merely one substitution for performance.
False. Soothing Performance is an application of the Bardic Performance bard class feature. It is described under the Bardic Performance bard class feature heading. The Bardic Performance class features is described all the way to page 38 of the PRPG and followed by the Cantrips (1st level) and Versatile Performance (2nd level) bard class features (then Well-versed, Loremaster and Jack-of-all-trades...)
Take a hard long look at the class and ask yourself if you could really run a PC with this, without the full complement of bardic abilities. Please note that you can only have ONE bardic performance active at any one time, which makes the Pathfinder Chronicler's best ability (Inspire Action) really annoying to use as it cancels out an ongoing Inspire Courage, for instance. The Harmonic Spell feat from PCCS can help mitigate this, but Lingering Performance from the APG is pretty much useless in this regard.
Bardic performance and soothe are separate abilities, soothe is merely one substitution for performance.False. Soothing Performance is an application of the Bardic Performance bard class feature. It is described under the Bardic Performance bard class feature heading. The Bardic Performance class features is described all the way to page 38 of the PRPG and followed by the Cantrips (1st level) and Versatile Performance (2nd level) bard class features (then Well-versed, Loremaster and Jack-of-all-trades...)
Eh, bad wording on my part. You need levels of bard to actually acquire that application. However, your ability to apply the applications that you know will increase with the PrC.
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You need levels of bard to actually acquire that application. However, your ability to apply the applications that you know will increase with the PrC.
This is where we should probably agree to disagree. When I see a weakish class say "stack with levels of other classes for the purposes of bardic performance", I would tend to give the benefit of the doubt towards doing exactly that, with no interpretations creating an exclusion clause. I don't see an exclusion clause, therefore I am not assuming an exclusion.
Please note that before Pathfinder, various bardic performances were "unlocked" via Perform ranks and not bard level. Thus, the adaptation of this 3.5 rules PrC to Pathfinder is intended to follow this pattern in my opinion (i.e. unlock as if you had taken bard levels for the purposes of bardic performances)
Eh, bad wording on my part. You need levels of bard to actually acquire that application. However, your ability to apply the applications that you know will increase with the PrC.Bardic performance and soothe are separate abilities, soothe is merely one substitution for performance.False. Soothing Performance is an application of the Bardic Performance bard class feature. It is described under the Bardic Performance bard class feature heading. The Bardic Performance class features is described all the way to page 38 of the PRPG and followed by the Cantrips (1st level) and Versatile Performance (2nd level) bard class features (then Well-versed, Loremaster and Jack-of-all-trades...)
The individual usages of bardic performance are not, in and of themselves, class features. They are different manifestations of a single class feature Bardic Performance, which the Pathfinder chronicler increases.
Bardic Performance (Su): At 3rd level, a Pathfinder chronicler gains this ability, which functions like the bard class feature of the same name, except that the chronicler's effective bard level is 2 lower than her class level. Levels in this class stack with levels in any other class that grants a similar ability to determine her effective bard level.
-her effective bard level is what lets her use the various functions of bardic performance.