Part of being a Bard is getting to fool everyone else. I saw one Bard once convince enough people he was a God that he actually attained godhood.
But I mean there are definitely spells I've modified as a DM.
For example Terrible Remorse is a Cleric spell from Ultimate Magic. It causes you to still be frozen with remorse even if you make the save for a very long time. We've modified this to if they make the save it only lasts one round because we decided as a group that it was far too broken.
So you could always discuss it as a group and decide from there what you want to do.
Keep in mind players want something almost equally as cool if you take an ability away. For example I took away any instant deaths from the game, so instead if they get multiple 20's their critical multiplier increases by one instead of getting a Coup de Grâce. Or with the Monk's ability to cause a save or die I changed it to save or take 10 damage/level.
I meant you could do something like make Glibness a +10 to bluff and a +10 to sense motive or something like that - it's equivalent to what it was before - just less disruptive to the game.
My group are total power gamers though so for the most part I just let it go because they'll usually just come up with a new way to do the same thing.
When a 4th level bard can have a +50 or so modifier to Disguise, having a high Bluff is hardly broken.
Play a bard of the Sandman archetype. Max out Charisma. Take the feats Skill Focus (Disguise) and Deceptive. Use the trait 'Initiate of the Veil'. Use the spells Disguise Self, Alter Self, and Vocal Alteration.
The breakdown looks like
4 ranks +3 class skill +5 Charisma +3 Skill Focus +2 Deceptive +1 trait +2 Master of Deception (archetype ability) +2 Disguise Kit +10 Disguise Self +20 Alter Self +10 Vocal Alteration.
There are a few other spells that would be able to add further bonuses to this. Raiment of Command comes to mind.
Total bonus: +62. Apparently I underestimated the total bonus.
Combined with the previously mentioned Glibness and a few more levels worth of bonuses and you could convince everyone that you were the king, even his own mother.
The amusing part is that you can do the majority of this build out of the core rulebook alone if you so chose, with only losing a few of the bonuses.
Bards can be way more broken in the right situations than most people give them credit for.
Where do you get the +20 from alter self? I just checked the PRD and there is no mention of that bonus.(it may be in the hard cover but I am at work)
Also if it did I would expect that the stacking rules would come into play between it and disguise self.(which does call out the +10 in the PRD)
Although I do see that it appears to be untyped for disguise self.
Vocal Alteration gives a +10 but I would rule that it only comes into play for someone determining that the voice was off. If someone knew the target well enough to know the voice was off, I'd give them a chance to detect the disguise on that front instead of on visually. In this case I'd use the common sense rule to give one bonus for visual and give the other bonus for auditory.
A +10 I would be ok with from spell source, as that would mean that two equal level characters, one focused in disguise and one in perception can still compete. It heavily leans towards the person using the spell, but there is still the outside chance of a specialist being able to detect him. A +20 bonus in a system that has a random factor of 1d20 removes the random factor completely.
Of course anyone lower level or not focused as heavily into the opposing skill is going to have no chance. Which for the record I am ok with.
Table: Ability Adjustments from Size Changes
Creature's Original Size Str Dex Con Adjusted Size
Fine +6 -6 - Small
Diminutive +6 -4 - Small
Tiny +4 -2 - Small
Large -4 +2 -2 Medium
Huge -8 +4 -4 Medium
Gargantuan -12 +4 -6 Medium
Colossal -16 +4 -8 Medium
Transmutation spells change the properties of some creature, thing, or condition.
Subschools
Polymorph: a polymorph spell transforms your physical body to take on the shape of another creature. While these spells make you appear to be the creature, granting you a +20 bonus on Disguise skill checks, they do not grant you all of the abilities and powers of the creature. Each polymorph spell allows you to assume the form of a creature of a specific type, granting you a number of bonuses to your ability scores and a bonus to your natural armor. In addition, each polymorph spell can grant you a number of other benefits, including movement types, resistances, and senses. If the form you choose grants these benefits, or a greater ability of the same type, you gain the listed benefit. If the form grants a lesser ability of the same type, you gain the lesser ability instead. Your base speed changes to match that of the form you assume. If the form grants a swim or burrow speed, you maintain the ability to breathe if you are swimming or burrowing. The DC for any of these abilities equals your DC for the polymorph spell used to change you into that form.
Alter Self is a Transmutation(Polymorph). All Transmutation(Polymorph) spells give you a +20 to disguise checks.
I personally don't allow the bonuses from Disguise Self and Alter Self to stack, but by the RAW, those bonuses do stack.
There's no reason for Alter Self and Disguise Self not to stack. Alter Self is a polymorph spell and would allow you to become a rough approximation of the race and gender, but not a specific person. Disguise Self is an illusion spell, and would thus help make you look more like a certain person. Vocal Alteration is a transmutation spell that would allow you to sound like that person, which is important. A female half-elf is not going to sound anything like a male orc without magical means.
The bonuses from Alter Self and Disguise Self are untyped, meaning they'd stack with each other and other effects.
For fun, you could add in something like the Pass for Human feat to further increase your bonus, as long as you're appearing as a human.
UM also has the feat Spellsong, which would allow you to weave in spells with your bardic performance. Choose Perform (Act), use something like Fascinate, weave in a Charm Person.
Yes, bards can be positively absurd at social combat. But really, that's pretty much their main shtick. Fighters hit things, wizards play god, bards win at social stuff.
There's no reason for Alter Self and Disguise Self not to stack. Alter Self is a polymorph spell and would allow you to become a rough approximation of the race and gender, but not a specific person. Disguise Self is an illusion spell, and would thus help make you look more like a certain person. Vocal Alteration is a transmutation spell that would allow you to sound like that person, which is important. A female half-elf is not going to sound anything like a male orc without magical means.
The bonuses from Alter Self and Disguise Self are untyped, meaning they'd stack with each other and other effects.
For fun, you could add in something like the Pass for Human feat to further increase your bonus, as long as you're appearing as a human.
UM also has the feat Spellsong, which would allow you to weave in spells with your bardic performance. Choose Perform (Act), use something like Fascinate, weave in a Charm Person.
Yes, bards can be positively absurd at social combat. But really, that's pretty much their main shtick. Fighters hit things, wizards play god, bards win at social stuff.
Alter Self and Disguise Self basically do the same thing, alter your appearance. That is why I don't let them stack. As I said, by the RAW they do stack. My rule is a house rule.
As for bluff and Glibness....
It is very important to remember the limitations of Bluff.
A lot of the problems with Bluff and Glibness being overpowered are because the DM lets the player use the Bluff skill in place of things that should require Diplomacy. Bluff convinces someon a lie is true. Diplomacy convinces them to take a specific course of action. A successful Bluff can give bonuses to a Diplomacy roll, but it cannot replace the need for the Diplomacy roll.
For example, Bluffy the Bard convinces Cindy the commoner that she can fly. That doesn't mean that Cindy immediately runs to the nearest cliff and jumps off. Convincing her to actually do something reckless to test her ability to fly would require a Diplomacy check. Any sane person would test their ability to fly by willing themselves into the air. When this failed to work, they would realize they were being lied to. As someone gets more and more suspicious, they will get a larger and larger circumstances bonus to their sense motive checks.
Bard: Quick, there is a dragon assaulting the east side of town, they need your help. (Bluff check)
Guard: (Believes the lie) Oh man, they need my help, but I am posted here, and I will get in trouble if I leave my post.
Bard: They need you help, you must go now. (Diplomacy check)
Guard: (beats the Diplomacy check) No, I will get court martialed for sure if I leave my post. I sure hope they can handle that dragon without me.